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Shareboarding problems

3K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  StephaniHren 
#1 ·
I've been shareboarding a 15 year old quarter horse since March and have had very few positive riding experiences. The owners are very busy people who have very little time to spend on the horse. The husband might ride the horse once or twice a month, the wife maybe once a month. The two young daughters take lessons once a week, although they haven't done so in over a month. I have been going once or twice a week and would have hoped things would have improved by now. The major problem I have is mounting the horse. He either steps sideways or tries to walk away. I solved the sidestepping problem by putting the mounting block between him and the wall. That led to his trying to walk away. The owners suggest that I not use the block and just try to put my foot in the stirrup and jump on him really fast. This might work for the man who is six feet tall, but not me because I'm just over five feet. I've tried to work with this horse to have him stand still but when someone at the stable sees us, they come over and hold his bridle so I can mount him. Once on the horse, riding has been an issue too. It's a fight because he wants to be outside if we're inside and tries to head out towards the door. If we're outside, he wants to go in the grass to eat, so it's a battle to get him to listen to me. I feel like he's had bad and inconsistent training and am frustrated because of it. My only option I can think of is to have one of the instructors give me a lesson and try to help me get him on task. I am hesitant to do this because they charge a lot of money and I also feel that.the things I learn will be undone when the owners use him. I don't want to stop riding, but like I said it's always one thing or another with this big boy. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
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#2 ·
Well, you have grasped the root of the problem, and that is inconsistent handling, due to the fact that you are sharing him.
There are ways to work on those problems, but if everyone handling him, does not enforce the correct behavior, then it is an uphill battle
An instructor could help you, far as being able to ride him effectively, so he does not head for the door or the grass, providing he ia actually trained to respond to leg and body cues, and not just reins
 
#3 ·
You need to decide if it is worth your time and money to hire a trainer to work with you and a horse that you don't even own. Unless there is consistent handling by everybody, this will be a constant battle with a horse who is testing to see just how much he can push the boundary of good behavior. Is there another horse you can lease with an owner who is on board with maintaining the boundary of good behavior and not letting the horse get by with less than good manners?
 
#4 ·
No offense intended but it sounds like you could use lessons. I understand that they can be expensive but you are spending money with this share board situation, not learning anything, and not having a good time. It sounds like this horse has some issues that can be corrected but as you mentioned, everyone who rides him needs to be involved in the corrections and the owner does not seem concerned or has his own way of handling them. I would sit down with the owner and explain that this arrangement isn't working for you. Perhaps you could come to an agreement that you could pay for working with a trainer instead of your portion of the board until the issues are corrected.? Otherwise I would find another situation that would be more beneficial and enjoyable for you.
 
#6 ·
Sometimes that's easier said than done, especially if the horse is running through the bit.


IME, if a horse takes off after mounting before you cue him to, that's a training issue that needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt. I first teach "stand" which mean don't move until I tell you to, and build on that for mounting.


However, this is a lease horse so it is up to the OP if retraining him is worth the time since I wouldn't be surprised if there are more holes in the training. Standing to be mounted is pretty basic.
 
#7 ·
You need some lessons. A horse that pulls to go eat or tries to leave the arena or moves off at mounting ARE training issues, but an experienced rider would address these issues with little difficulty regardless of how other people handle the horse.

Lesson horses often are handled inconsistently. Many become both resistant and thick skinned as a result. No doubt this horse has too. However, all of that is not terribly hard to over come with an experienced rider.

Go and spend the money on lessons for YOU. That will help you regardless of whether or not you are share boarding this horse or any other.
 
#12 ·
You need some lessons. A horse that pulls to go eat or tries to leave the arena or moves off at mounting ARE training issues, but an experienced rider would address these issues with little difficulty regardless of how other people handle the horse.
I think you could really benefit from lessons. We have several lesson horses at my barn and trust me, they KNOW what they can get away with when certain people are on their back.
I'm going to throw my hat in with Elana and Tihannah on this one!

Horses have a way of knowing when you're "out-gunned", so to speak. If this horse is showing you the most basic forms of disrespect (pushing for food instead of work and moving when you go to mount up), it sounds like you could use some lessons on how to teach him a lesson.

The good news is, this sounds like it should be a semi-easy fix once you know how to properly handle it. Horses are only as pushy as the rider allows them to be, and they learn pretty quickly whose buttons they can and cannot push. Curb the bad habits a few times and with any luck he won't be trying it again (at least not with you!).
 
#10 ·
I know perfectly well what running through the bit means.

If a rider has a foot in the stirrup and the right hand on the right side of the cantle to stop the saddle slipping over, they can stand in the one stirrup without the saddle slipping, and use the reins in the left hand to stop the horse if it goes to walk or trot off.
 
#11 ·
I think you could really benefit from lessons. We have several lesson horses at my barn and trust me, they KNOW what they can get away with when certain people are on their back.

We had one gelding being half leased by a girl. She said he gave her a hard time. Wouldn't listen, threw his head up, etc. etc. So my trainer asked an older teen with more riding experience to work him and see what was going on. I watched her ride the very first time, and that horse looked like a completely different ride and she had no issues with him.

Some horses can discern pretty quickly whether or not you know what you're doing once you get in the saddle and take full advantage. I think working with a trainer can help you to get better control despite how others may be riding him.
 
#13 ·
Is it fun? It doesn't sound like it.
If it's not fun, drop the shareboard and take some lessons on lesson horses for a year and reassess your desire to shareboard.

It doesn't sound to me like you're enjoying this and horses are too expensive not to enjoy them. So, from a strictly financial point I would drop the lease and spend your money on lessons with trained school horses and an instructor.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Thanks for your replies, everyone. I am going to start lessons with this horse later this week. If I don't start to see a better attitude from him when dealing with me I am going to bail out of this situation. I know he tries to pull the same stunts with the owner's daughters as well. Wish I had known this before I made the decision to shareboard. The other stable where I've been taking lessons has great horses and I could shareboard there, but their prices are a bit too expensive. You're right when you say that I'm not having fun. I do feel better now that there is a plan. We'll see....
 
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