[PontiMinto]

meet circus, hes 5 years old and acts like a naughty baby
he isnt mine but im training him


yesturday i took him around to my paddcok to ride, cuz he was COVERED in dirt, so he stood there tied up with chester and april on the other side, next think i know hes untied him self and waddling over to the shead he did this 3 times in a row how do i teach him to not grab his end of the lead rope and yank it untill hes free

i got on him after measuring the bridle to his face (wich took ages) and i still think i dont have it right, i focoused on gettign him a active walk wich failed all he wanted to do was trot off in some random direction so that will need alot of work, i trotted him over trotting poles and once he found his feet did a bit of jumping about 2 tyrers high at first, once he landed he would out his head between his legs and buck but after some attempts he wasnt bucking but still trying to
sorry for the novel

i also atempted to lead another horse from him wich he did ok at but didnt get the point he has to stand still while the other horse turns around him

and i think next time im going to put my bareback pad and strruips on it as i keep slipping

 

[LoveTheSaddlebreds]

You may be slamming his back, wich could be causing him to buck. you might also try choking his head up really high so he can't buck.

From the looks of the first jumping pic, you're tugging on his mouth and sitting way back. I can't tell for sure, but you might be slamming his back.

 

[gypsygirl]

hes really cute !

 

[EveningShadows]

K so lemme get this straight...you have a bridal you don't think fits him, you skipped using a saddle, you can't tie a knot he can't undo, and he can't walk in a straight line but you're wondering why he's bucking after a jump?!

Sounds like you need to take him back to basics and skip the jumping at this point. Get his ground manners first, then work on flatwork. Once he has that mastered, I mean gaits, transitions, and direction, THEN introduce the ground poles and jumps. Doesn't matter if he's jumped for the last 4 years if he's having issues with it now - build the foundation and he'll do fine. Attempting to skip those steps *might* work but he'll never live up to his potential unless you put the time in to build the right start.

 

[LoveTheSaddlebreds]

^ Agreed.

 

[ohmyitschelle]

Sophie, you're back on Horse Forum?! Cool.


I think jumping him so soon, like others have said is a little ahead of yourself hun.


You've only just brought him over to yours, do you want me to come out and fit the bridle to him? As for the lead thing, I think it's more important to focus on this first. He needs to learn patience, and he also needs some ground manners if his owners are expecting to sell him.


I think the best thing you can do is tie him up, and then leave him there for an hour. I'll explain in person how to tie him if you're still struggling there. If he breaks free, you're just going to catch him, take him back and tie him back up - and leave him again. Baby horse or not, tieing is one of the fundamental, most basic requests a horse should adhere to (obviously there are exceptions, but this isn't in his case).


And like I said on MSN yesterday, get a saddle on this pony. It's great that YOU can ride bareback with such skill (still annoyed that you jumped Chester so high and didn't even appear to be unsettled at all upon landing without a saddle!!) but this horse is for sale, and not everyone can ride bareback.


I think its more important to make a goal sheet for Circus.

• What do his owners expect from him in order to sell him?
• Can he walk, trot and canter under saddle?
• Can he safely be ridden by a capable rider?

Is he balanced?


Depending on what his owners wish to sell him as (ie, project/green horse, trained horse etc), this will indicate what needs to be planned.


I know you love to jump, but as he sounds like he's very green as present, I'd stick to nothing more than trotting poles for now. Remember, jumping is like dressage with a pole in the middle. If Circus cannot do a working walk, trot or canter comfortably and with balance, there is no point asking him to go over jumps at this stage.


Like I said, if you need a hand, lemme know and I'll make a time to come out and help you. More importantly, is he allowed to be ridden at the pony club? The flatter surface of the arena will be more helpful than him attempting to balance himself and you on that slight slant in your riding paddock.


I hope this somewhat helps! Don't be discouraged, you are a good rider, but like you admitted the other day, it would be helpful for a lesson or two. And I'm more than happy to come help when I have the time, after all, its Miss April who is going to help ME when its time to get back in the saddle again!

Chelle x

 

[PontiMinto]

i cant write a long comment as im tired but

i cant get a saddle
his owners had no fitting gear for him so i have to ride him bareback, im still tryign tofind a suitable saddle and he is trainedto jump but hasnt done it in over a year since

 

[ohmyitschelle]

You prolly won't read this before I get there tomorrow, but I'll help you via saddle.

 

[PontiMinto]

read it

awesome,im aloud to use annas old one but gotta find out if it fits

 

[Jdun722]

I hate to be point blank like this, but to me it sounds like you're not taking your time with this horse. The bridle doesn't fit, you didn't feel like using a saddle, you didn't even use a pad & you were jumping. Do you understand how painful that must have been for him? Gosh if I were him I would have done far more then just buck after a jump. Give the horse some credit. You were probably tearing apart his mouth, sliding all over the place, and slamming down on his back. As far as the knot issue, there are so many knots that can be used, try a different one. Just take more time to focus on the horse, not just riding.

 

[Jdun722]

i cant write a long comment as im tired but

i cant get a saddle
his owners had no fitting gear for him so i have to ride him bareback, im still tryign tofind a suitable saddle and he is trainedto jump but hasnt done it in over a year since

You need to at least purchase some sort of fitting tack before you do jumping. Otherwise, the horse gets his back bumped by you & it hurts, so he reacts, you can't punish him for that.

 

[PontiMinto]

or lordy heck

i dont have the money!

 

[ohmyitschelle]

Jdun: Although I agree with you on the slowing down side of things here, Sophie is a competent rider who remains out of the way when riding over jumps. She's just a young teen who enjoys to jump (a little too much and today in her first lesson she's going to hate me from the fact that it will all be simple flatwork lol)... yes Circus is probably confused and needs some help. Yes it came across that Sophie was being a little speedy through her training and forgetting things... but NO this particular rider does not slide all over the place or slam down on horses backs. I've watched her ride bareback on an ex show jumper (this young rider enjoys bareback riding, and is very entitled to enjoy it) and she was jumping large heights and staying out of his way. My own instructor with vast experience saw the following photo and was really impressed.

Give the girl a little more credit. She could have worded her thread better, but to assume she's "slamming on his back" is a little much. She never mentioned that not many people do like to ride this pony cos he does have a habit of bucking.

I don't normally become defensive on these forums, but it is clear that this is a young rider, and was looking for support in a constructive way.

 

[Jdun722]

Well I apologize for being abrupt. You are correct, the way it was worded seemed different from the actual situation I bet.