Coping with over excitement solo

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Littleoscar

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Apr 5, 2017
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I've had my new pony for 3 months now and we're starting to get to know each other properly now. Because I have no one to ride with I hack out alone and he is fabulous in traffic etc. Today I thought I'd take him on the byway which runs past a livery yard. We had a canter and he was grear but as we got near the end a couple of the big horses came galloping over to see us. New boy got very very tense, was high blowing and snorting and doing a rather impressive piaffe with tail fully aloft! (Considering he's a 14th cob cross I was rather stunned by all this). Anyhow I had a dog walker in front of me and in order to get us past safely I got off and led my snorting beast by. I did get back on a bit further on but what I'm asking is did I do the wrong thing by getting off? How do you cope with this kind of high excitement when you're out alone? Any tips in case new boy decides to do his Valegto impresion again? Thank you :)
 
There are no right or wrong when your or your horses safety (or others) are at risk.

Some people are happier getting off and leading my issues then popping back on other stay on board. I'm a stay on board type but I have owned my lads for years.

After a few more months you will learn what his default setting is when scared or excited and you can make the call on what you want to do.

Well done for dealing with it
 
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You got by safely so you did the right thing for the pair of you in that circumstance, or put another way there is no one right thing to do because it depends on the horse & the rider. Like OwnedbyChanter I tend it ride it through, but then I know Little Un is all flounce & bluster (typical welsh D lol) & I knew I stood less chance of holding Jim on the ground than on board. But what I'd do is immaterial, & it might be that on your horse & in that situation I'd have got off too. The main thing is the situation was kept under control & no-one was hurt or scared.
 
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Agree with everyone else. These days I'd stay on board but in the early days I may well have got off, particularly if I thought there was a risk of hurting a pedestrian. As others say, as you get to know your horse you'll learn whether he's all 'snort and blow' (like mine) or whether he'll take it a step further. Well done for keeping everyone safe.
 
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Littleoscar said:
I've had my new pony for 3 months now and we're starting to get to know each other properly now. Because I have no one to ride with I hack out alone and he is fabulous in traffic etc. Today I thought I'd take him on the byway which runs past a livery yard. We had a canter and he was grear but as we got near the end a couple of the big horses came galloping over to see us. New boy got very very tense, was high blowing and snorting and doing a rather impressive piaffe with tail fully aloft! (Considering he's a 14th cob cross I was rather stunned by all this). Anyhow I had a dog walker in front of me and in order to get us past safely I got off and led my snorting beast by. I did get back on a bit further on but what I'm asking is did I do the wrong thing by getting off? How do you cope with this kind of high excitement when you're out alone? Any tips in case new boy decides to do his Valegto impresion again? Thank you :)
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I've probably got off more times than I've had hot dinner myself! Personally as my instructor told me, do whatever makes you feel safe and in control, if that means jump off then do it, lots of people prefer to 'ride it out' but if Belle is genuinely worried I will always get off and lead her past, she's a good girl but I know from experience with her that if I push her to hard when she's worried she will just flip, where if I get off and lead for a while we both calm down and no harm done.
 
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Thank you all for your encouragement. I must admit I was feeling a bit of a failure having got off (been told in the past that it's the worst thing to do). As we're a very new team I just didn't feel comfortable table pushing him too far as I got the feeling he'd forgotten I was there! With my old mare I would've ridden it out as I knew her so well but I must've lost my brave trousers today! You're right though, we got by and no one got hurt so I guess it was the right thing to do.
 
No right or wrong. Its still early days of you getting to know him.
My lad is very chilled but i can remember one day in our early days, something spooked him or he saw something. I never knew. But he launched into a super charged horse, we were in a field going down hill. I circled him, tried to calm him but he wouldn't settle. I was so scared that i had to get off as i feared for my safety. I led him for 15 minutes after that all the way back to the yard bouncing and snorting.
He's never done anything like that day. I can remember being a shaking mess, but if id have tried to stay on i would most certainly have been thrown. Sometimes though i guess if you get off and the horse is bouncing you risk him running threw you and you getting trampled.
 
Mary Poppins said:
There are no rules. I would rather get off than fall off! Do whatever makes you safe.
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This ^^
I had to dismount because mine chose to have a napping fit in the middle of the crossroads.
I simply removed her, let traffic pass and then led. No right or wrong. I stayed calm which is more important to her.
 
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orbvalley said:
ROFL:D:D:D I've never heard that expression before!!
I've got a "snort, blow and take it further" one:rolleyes:
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newforest said:
Mine is golly, gone and gone.
She doesn't make noises from the front end.
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The snort and blow is definitely the preferable option, although Raf did once maks a small child on a scooter cry when he did one of his particularly loud dragon snorts at her. Well, she could have been extremely dangerous, although I can't work out why Raf thinks snorting helps :D
 
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