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Should I use a martingale on my pony?

10K views 70 replies 17 participants last post by  Horseycloe 
#1 ·
Hi all! I have a pony called Spider. He is a 3 (turning four this year) year old Australian Riding Pony. Every time i hop on him he rears, and then all through the time i ride him he doesn't. He also bucks out to. So because he rears and bucks, should i use a running martingale? Or as some people call it, rings? Please no rude posts, i'm just asking for some simple advice...
Thanks,
Horseycloe
 
#2 · (Edited)
No.

Rings won't help you out with any of your ponies problems. He sounds like a right litte booger! I had a riding pony for a while who was such a cheeky little brat. They have such personality.

I have a few questions - Who broke him in/started him? How long ago? How much training experience do you have?

I would suggest asking a knowledgable friend, or trying to find a trainer, to give you a hand with him. Rearing is about the most dangerous habit a horse can have, and bucking isn't much better. It concerns me a bit that he has such severe issues so young.

Rings will only prevent him from throwing his head up - They won't do anything to prevent a rear or buck. Only you can do that.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, i know how bad it is to having a rearing horse. I've ridden one before haha. But Spider doesn't have a habit of rearing, he only does when i first hop on. And i've been riding for 8 years haha. And Spider was broken in by Bill Church. I don't think u would know him, because it says on ur profile u live in canberra and i live on the Central coast :) And he was broken in in 2008, and i had broken him in and we had gotten as far as trotting (with a rider) but then we found out he was 2, so we let him out to grow and recently in November 2009 he got re-trained by Bill. Spider is a treat to ride, but he can be a little ****** some times. And Bill said "Spider is just full of bluff sometimes" so yeah, so the rearing thing isn't a BIG problem, he doesn't try to throw me off. I just thought buckers and rearers needed a martingale? I read somewhere that they should. Hm well, if i don't need to use one i'll forget about it :)
Thanks for ur help!
 
#10 ·
Oh i know why ur saying that! No no, he can jump. R u saying 'poor pony' because he's jumping and he's turning four? His legs are filled and the trainer i took him to said he is perfectly fine and i can jump him :) So don't worry lol, i'm not silly. haha
Run from such a trainer. 3 years old and fine to jump! Heck, I just started jumping (little higher then yours) this month when one of my mares turned 6, other one coming 6 in Sept. While I don't think such little jumps (like one in video) to have a big impact, please, don't go to anything higher then that for at least another year or 2.

As for rearing and bucking, considering it's not a health issue (like back or tack) go for the -good- trainer who knows how to deal with horses like that.

BTW, martingale will NOT solve the behavioral problems like that, in opposite can make things even worse.
 
#9 ·
Have you looked at the way you ride? Is this affecting him.. If his that young should you be jumping him? Also you originally said you broke him in the first time, how old are you ? You seriously don't look old enough to be breaking in a horse.

Let me tell you this now, REARERS are DANGEROUS. I've delt with one first hand I've been riding since I was 2/3 and even I wasn't physacally capable of dealing with it. Although with help of trainers several times a week we are getting somewhere. Green horses and green riders don't mix. Would you like to see the sores to prove it.
 
#12 ·
IMO, if the pony is rising 4 there is no harm in starting him over crossrails; but I wouldn't jump much higher than 18" this year. However, there's lots of useful training you can do with poles on the ground and crossrails.

I like your pony a lot, he seems like a good, useful sort with a lovely attitude.

His head carriage is quite nice, I see no reason for a martingale. The bucking may be normal green pony naughtiness, but the rearing needs to be addressed promptly. If he rears while you're getting on, he may not have sufficient balance to support your weight at a standstill OR somone might have agressively restrained him for mounting while he was being broken.

Investigate your saddle fit, and whether or not his back is sore and involve your trainer to get this figured out.
 
#13 ·
Thank u maura. Your one of the only ones who have taken this cooly.
And no, i've had him since he was about 2 and he wasn't broken, so no-one aggressively restrained him for mounting. I'll ask one of the people who are in the committee of the pony club or my horse riding coach about the rearing and how to stop it :) And i wasn't going to jump him much higher than that at all. So thank u, but may i ask what martingales are used for? Just for general knowledge.
 
#14 ·
Oh! U know what, it just might be my saddle! I was riding a quite plump little pony last year for pony club and i had to adjust the gullet plates in my saddle to fit her, maybe i might have to change them to fit Spider! That's great, thanks! I'll have to take a trip to saddle world :)
 
#17 ·
If it's just when you're mounting, I would definitely check the saddle fit AND the way you're mounting. It is possible that you're wrenching his back while mounting so he's rearing to protest.

I wouldn't advocate "whacking" him in between the ears when he rears, esp if you're the cause of the rearing. Address the problems that cause the rearing first.
 
#19 ·
If it's just when you're mounting, I would definitely check the saddle fit AND the way you're mounting. It is possible that you're wrenching his back while mounting so he's rearing to protest.

I wouldn't advocate "whacking" him in between the ears when he rears, esp if you're the cause of the rearing. Address the problems that cause the rearing first.
I cured a rearer that way, as did my mom's boyfriend who's 66 and has been riding since he was 8.
 
#18 · (Edited)
A martingale does NOT improve, or change, head carriage when used properly.

A martingale is ONLY for and should ONLY come into effect on a horse who throws or 'flips' its head high enough that it may hit the rider in the head.

It should be loose enough that is never impacts the reins while the horses head stays within the normal range of motion.
 
#24 ·
Every time you get on him and he rears, wack him as hard as you can with a crop between his ears
This works, when it works, only if you time the "whack" when the horse is coming up off the ground. The reason that it works, when it works, is the horse believes it has hit itself on something overhead that it can't see, and become reluctant to lift it's front end off the ground for fear of hitting itself again.

It's not a technique I would ever recommend to less than a very experienced, confident rider because it's very hard to do correctly and very easy to do wrong. Done wrong, all you're doing is reinforcing the bad behavior and increasing the liklihood that the animal will flip over.

I also would never recommend this technique without thoroughly investigating the root causes of the behavior. It's highly likely that this otherwise sweet and agreeable pony has a reason for this behavior and is trying to communicate it to his rider.
 
#28 · (Edited)
This works, when it works, only if you time the "whack" when the horse is coming up off the ground. The reason that it works, when it works, is the horse believes it has hit itself on something overhead that it can't see, and become reluctant to lift it's front end off the ground for fear of hitting itself again.

It's not a technique I would ever recommend to less than a very experienced, confident rider because it's very hard to do correctly and very easy to do wrong. Done wrong, all you're doing is reinforcing the bad behavior and increasing the liklihood that the animal will flip over.

I also would never recommend this technique without thoroughly investigating the root causes of the behavior. It's highly likely that this otherwise sweet and agreeable pony has a reason for this behavior and is trying to communicate it to his rider.
^^This. Assuming of course that the problem is behavioral, not a reaction to pain.
 
#25 ·
Since noone else has said it black and white I will. A RM is a crutch, plain and simple. It is duct tape for a quick fix for a bigger problem, nothing more nothing less. Since you are a young rider it would be a good idea to start striving to use as little tack possible, opt out of using tiedowns and other gadgets, and working through behavioral issues with an accredited trainer, that way you learn the right and positive way to work with a horse instead of trying to force the ride out of it.I think if you strive for this in the beginning you will become a much better rider as you go along.

Check your saddle, try hopping on from a mounting block and see if that helps him, it could be hurting his back when you mount. Good luck with Spider! He is a cute little ******!
 
#27 ·
Okay, now that I am back on my laptop, I can type out my response:

My first thought is pain. Either the pony's back is sore, the saddle doesn't fit, or something is up. I would get a reputable vet out to do a once-over - probably not a bad idea just to make sure her joints can stand to be jumping as well.
My second thought is: What kind of equipment are you using (bit, bridle, saddle), and does each component fit properly?
My third question is: How, exactly, do you mount up? If you are using the saddle a lot to mount up, and the saddle doesn't fit well, and/or she's back-sore, she could be rearing out of pain.
 
#48 ·
Okay, now that I am back on my laptop, I can type out my response:

My first thought is pain. Either the pony's back is sore, the saddle doesn't fit, or something is up. I would get a reputable vet out to do a once-over - probably not a bad idea just to make sure her joints can stand to be jumping as well.
My second thought is: What kind of equipment are you using (bit, bridle, saddle), and does each component fit properly?
My third question is: How, exactly, do you mount up? If you are using the saddle a lot to mount up, and the saddle doesn't fit well, and/or she's back-sore, she could be rearing out of pain.
The vet has come out to see him when he got an allergic reaction. And he gave him a quick one-over and said he was fine.
The bit i use is a tomb thumb (not the western one) and the bridle is a plastic blue snaffle bridle (it's not a bad bridle) and the saddle is a eurohunter all purpose. I was thinking of getting a saddle fitter to come out and check the saddle on him.
And i mount like any other person would. Put my foot in the stirrup and swing my leg over. It's a bit hard to explain, but thats pretty much it. And when i mount i don't pull on the reins. I could actually use a mounting block, cause thats what somebody said. There is so many posts i haven't read them all!!!
haha :)
 
#32 ·
That is perfectly fine, I respectfully disagree with you too lol. You say tool, I say crutch, tomato/tomato eh?
Not quite tomato/tmato, as it isn't just a differencwe in terminology, but a difference in the opinion of the equipment. But close enough :]

However, I ahve also already stated that a martingale would be useless in this situation, OP has accepted that and moved on, so all is good :]

OP - My first pony actually did the same thing; Rearing when I was mounting. She started it when I took her to our first PC camp. She would get horribly excited in the mornings with 300 odd riders and horses saddling up and moving out. I was about 11, but could handle her pretty well (She was a pesky little welsh mare) and I was absolutely horrified when they insisted on leading me around like a 5yo because of it. It took a few days to convince them I was fine and could handle her myself, and as she got tired throughout the week, it stopped.

Obviously different to your situation!

We will be able to give more advice once we have some more info - As JDI asked, what tack you are using, how you go about mounting, etc.
 
#37 ·
I just get annoyed when people say that because not all horses who use them necessarily have an underlying issue. My mare has one on because she's a big (17hh) strong mare who gets overly excited when jumping. Can't train out the enthusiasm or else she wouldn't be a good jumper! lol
 
#40 ·
Its a crutch if its effectively controlling a problem, like rearing, bolting, or a high headset par example.

In eventerdrews case the only problem (is it a problem?) is her horse liking her job and the rider being a woman. If her rider were a man, the RM might not be needed. It does not disguise an underlying problem of bolting, being out of control, etc.

Its like using a shovel to dig. Sure, you could use your hands and do it, but its so much easier to just use the shovel since that's what its intended for.
 
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