Eeeek Appley disgraced herself today!

notpoodle

notpoodle

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2003
11,000
79
48
44
Brighton!
Visit site
Went on a solo hack this morning - what a glorious sunny, crisp morning it was, too!

Off we went up the road ... then down the road ... to get 'offroad' we have to ride down a narrow little windy road with walls on either side. incl. road mirros, drains on the roadside ... Appley's been going down there since she was two but had developped a bit of a dislike to this road this year.

she'd been find following other horses down it lately and had been down it alone a few times as well (snorting and sidestepping but ok).

off we trundled, all was well ....

BHAM! next thing I know we're facing the 'wrong' way, pony's bum lowered into 'rocket launch' position trying to shoot off up the road. OF COURSE that moment 4 cars come down the road as well :frown:

attempts to get her facing the right way and ride her into the church carpark a bit further down (eg out of the cars' way!) failed spectacularly. now she'd thrown her head up and set her neck ... no steering! very unlike her!!!! pony is quite well schooled and has powersteering! cars were STILL trying to inch past (despite me shouting 'please wait! the pony is frightened!') ...

needless to say, the second she stopped for a moment I jumped off and led/frogmarched her out of the road (the second I was on the ground she was quiet as a lamb again .... duh!).

got back on once we were off road, she was very much 'on her toes' for the rest of the ride, silly poneh!

realy dont mind spooks and silliness OFF the road, but not on a really narrow windy road with 4 cars headed my way ....

think i'll walk her down there inhand a few more times ... goodness knows what got into her! not good for my confidence either ....
 
It is a horrible feeling isn't it. This is the sort of thing Oscar would do on the road if something upset him and it completely blasted the daylights out of my confidence, like you say silly stuff off road you can deal with but on the road when you have ignorant drivers trying to pass your snorting spinning terrified horse/pony really is no fun at all. Last road ride I ever had on Oscar nearly ended with him sitting on the bonnet of a car that was trying to inch past while he was having a 'moment'. Hugs hun you did well and at least Appley settled when you jumped off and led her.
I don't think the weather is helping at the moment - seems the cold days have put alot of the horses on our yard on their toes.
 
the whole episode was very unlike her. previously, she'd only ever spin round a bit and half-heartdely try to head back up the road - which was easily resolved with a firm tap on the spinning shoulder, stern word and leg on. today it felt like she meant business. oooh well ... hopefully she'll be back to normal next time :) guess ponies can have 'off' days too!

agree though, its a horrible feeling, one feels so vulnerable and 'alone' on the road sometimes :(
 
I like your rocket launch description. That is what i get, it actually at the moment throws me backwards. The power in a cob bottom is not to be underestimated!

I think maybe the cold snap has set a few off, well its burst our pipes in the field. One horse run straight into post and rail that snapped-she is fine btw.

Perhaps as cold some of those mirrors were frosty?
 
it was probly one of three things that upset her .... either the roadmirror (possible frosty!!), or a bit of plastic stuck to the wall, or the drain thing with water in it (eg audible but we weren't realy near that yet!). guess i'll never know .... THANK GOD she is sensible enough to NOT actually bolt up the road though :cloud9:
 
Oh I am sorry that this happened, she has been such a good and sensible girl. Glad you are both OK, but what a plonk of a car driver.devil:

Um... just a question as a rider of a smaller equine, do you feel a bit extra embarassed when they act like wallys.

I do, I think its because when a stonking warm blood has a paddy it looks really serious, and the rider looks competent and strong to control it. But when a shortie does the same thing they just look a bit silly, and I feel that I might be being judged as not even able to control a small pony.

I know I shouldnt, event the smallest pone is way stronger than me, and I am probably being over sensitive.

Any way, seems like a plan to walk down the evil pony eating road a few more time.
 
yep, know EXACTLY what you mean :) when eg a racehorse acts up, everyone is like 'stand back! there is a HORSE with a STRONG MAN riding it' ... when my 12hh acts up people seem to think i'm steering at the car on purpose/have no control over even a tiny poneh ... not good!!!!
 
notpoodle said:
yep, know EXACTLY what you mean :) when eg a racehorse acts up, everyone is like 'stand back! there is a HORSE with a STRONG MAN riding it' ... when my 12hh acts up people seem to think i'm steering at the car on purpose/have no control over even a tiny poneh ... not good!!!!
Click to expand...

Oh I am glad its not just me then.
 
Eeek!

Thankfully she didn't scoot off with you! It's so irritating when cars try to edge past, I've had that before with Inca out in hand and narrowly missed said car when she's spun towards it.

As others have said, maybe it's the cold weather fizzing her up a bit? Mine have all been very much on their toes lately
 
Pah, people who think wayward ponies are easy to control should hop on and try it for themselves! I used to feel a bit silly struggling with small ponies and worry what people thought but tbh nowadays I couldn't give a sh!t either way, I know the skill involved even if others don't recognise it & that's enough for me to not care about their opinions!

Interesting that you say she's developed an issue with that road that she didn't have before - I wonder if there is something new there that you can't see that she may be reacting to?
 
nothing new on the road since march :giggle: not anything I can see, but then I'm only a measly mortal, not an Allseeing Pony!!

I swear ponies are harder to stop from spinning than big ones - by the time you realise what's happening they already face the wrong way!
 
... and today she redeemed herself! went on a hack with friend, down the same 'scary' little road. other than snorting and growing about a hand, she proceeded nicely. AND even squeezed past a combine harvester and a switched on tractor when we rode past the local farm, bless her. again, grew about a hand and really not sure, but listened to me and tottered past, blesh her :wub:
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back