So this is how my day went. She was described as:
“She would hack all day long and on buckle end! She is fazed by nothing. Tara has seen Large lorries, double decker buses, tractors, motorbikes, quads, prams, cyclists etc. and will happily walk past all we have yet to find something that phases her! She crosses all and any bridges whether it’s over a busy motorway or a noisy river. She will happily hack alone or in company. And is happy to be marching at the front or plodding along at the back. Tara enjoys some schooling and will do some polework. However Tara doesn’t jump. She really doesn’t enjoy this and just doesn’t pick her feet up over a fence. So ideally a Happy Hacking home with someone to spoil her would be perfect Tara is happy to live in or out. And doesn’t change due to lack of turnout. Tara stands great to be clipped and falls asleep! She is great with the farrier and the vet and stands like a rock unfazed. Tara also loads well. We’ve only had her in a lorry but we know she has previously travelled in a trailer and was quite happy She is 16hh and 16. She only up for sale due to my mums health decline and just having the time to give her she deserves. Let me know if she would interest you ”
She is smaller than 16hh, probably 15’2 ish. On first sight, I liked her, nice solid cob tied up on yard. Tried my saddle would need adjustment so we used her tack and just my stirrups. The daughter rode her in an indoor school at walk and trot so I decided to ride her. Managed to get on from a two step block so she clearly isn’t 16hh as I couldn’t get on Buddy from that.
Rode her in school at walk and trot. She was obedient turning changing direction but brakes not there. You ask for a halt, nothing happened. She did stop eventually but put lot of pressure on. Buddy and sapphire stop on the lightest touch. Decided to try her outside.
Rode her along the road from the stables to the road, she was walking out nicely, quite relaxed. These are the two videos going away from the camera on a road full of potholes. We were supposed to go right down a steep hill, icy, there was a grass track ahead so suggested I go that way. Found out later she had not gone along there before. She went past a skip and house with a bit of rubbish, she was walking less confidently than on the bit of road she was familiar with. Head on one side, looking. Had to encourage her to walk out better and be straight, went down a hill to where it meets and road and turned around. Was going to trot her up the hill, asked for a trot, got 2 bucks, thankfully not the third as I think I would have come off, got her back under control walked up the hill, asked for halt. The video of the horse coming toward camera on a grassy track is us coming back towards the yard after the first little episode
Same as in school, she just keeps going and you have to really pull hard on her reins to get her to halt. This is not how I like to ride. Did this multiple times, every time she didn’t halt, I circled her, and walked her on and asked again, until she finally did it and then she was scratched and praised. Used voice Tara Whoa Halt, and she did it ok three times in a row instant and nice and soft so she can do it, but then when you went on she lost it again and kept going and had to be circle to get her attention back.
Managed to get a walk to trot and back to walk and halt transition nicely but in general the braking communications just not there. Would she have tanked off at the bottom of the hill and legged it back to the stables? Could have. I did persevere with her and for example one time we turned back again she considered planting so I made her go on as it was important.
On the way back to the yard, on the piece of road she knows, lots of cars passing, never turned a hair. In one of the videos you see her coming toward you and breaking into trot and me circling her – because I did not ask for a trot. So corrected her and made her go back and do it again.
She is ridden in a flash – which I don’t like – they say she opens her mouth in the school. I asked the daughter who claims to ride her on the buckle what I should do to get a better halt, so she said shorten reins, which I did but it contradicted going on the buckle. I was riding her on the same length of rein as I saw her in the school, tried it shorter, but not sure it made any difference. She was better going out on the road she knew and if she had turned right and followed the usual route we might have had a different experience. But in a way it was good what happened as she has to go where I ask when I ask.
Did I feel safe on her – yes at times. Did I ride her well – yes I think I did, I managed to cope with her resistances and being bolshy, wasn’t bucked off or bolted with. And I persevered and tried to find the key to her. I think a lot of riders wouldn’t have bothered. I rode her for around an hour and most of it was practicing walk halt. The owners were upset I heard on the video Oh Tara please behave yourself. She was ridden Sunday the week before and not since. They appeared surprised by her behaviour so I think we are all baffled. She hasn’t been advertised for sale so I am the first person to try her. Going forward I could either just bale or get Brian who helped with Sapphire to go with me again and see what he thinks. Would only take her on loan with a view to buy after today.
