Moving on slowly....

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2004
13,741
4,836
113
Visit site
I have been riding my little share pony (Harry) for a few weeks now. He is totally different to Ben in all ways and I'm finding it quite difficult to get used to his choppy little stride. I feel like I am going at a million miles per hour in the trot, even though I know we are not. He is apparently 14hh, but I would say he is nearer to 13.3hh or even 13.2hh. I have never ridden anything so small before!

I often feel very sad riding him because he reminds me of everything that I have lost in Ben and I can't help but compare. Harry is definitely cheekier and I didn't think it was possible for a horse to be more food orientated then Ben, but he is. Harry seems to be completely unflappable, the yard is very busy with lots going on, but he doesn't flick an ear at anything. I thought that Ben was sensible but there are definitely things that Ben would have spooked at which Harry doesn't. Harry is a hundred times more forward going than Ben and I just need to think forward with the slightest touch and he is off. This can be quite un-nerving but I'm getting used to it, and so far he has had good brakes. I have only ridden him in the school so far, mainly in walk with short bits of trot as I get used to this choppy stride.

The strangest part is not having to do anything. He is on full livery, his owner doesn't ride him but grooms him everyday. All I have to do is rock up and ride. I can't see this being a long term arrangement as I know that I want my own horse again pretty soon, but it suits me for now and I think it's even doing me some good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lauren123, Ninepins, Jessey and 2 others
It's probably doing you a lot of good, though I know what you mean about it feeling odd only having to ride. There's quite a knack to adjusting to different strides, isn't there? If you can steady him down does he respond by slowing and lengthening his stride, ie is he rushing, or is a short stride just how he moves? I have to say I prefer a bigger stride to ride, and thankfully for all his knee action Luka covers a lot of ground though the height of his stride and the equally showy hock action took some getting used too and despite years of riding many different types there were still days I felt like a rag doll on him if he fired up :oops:

I hope you can enjoy riding him until you find one of your own.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Huggy
carthorse said:
It's probably doing you a lot of good, though I know what you mean about it feeling odd only having to ride. There's quite a knack to adjusting to different strides, isn't there? If you can steady him down does he respond by slowing and lengthening his stride, ie is he rushing, or is a short stride just how he moves? I have to say I prefer a bigger stride to ride, and thankfully for all his knee action Luka covers a lot of ground though the height of his stride and the equally showy hock action took some getting used too and despite years of riding many different types there were still days I felt like a rag doll on him if he fired up :oops:

I hope you can enjoy riding him until you find one of your own.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I am enjoying him and he is helping me grieve for Ben. I think that once I trot for longer periods I will have lots of fun being able to slow down and speed up with my seat. As I am quite big on him (a voice inside me says I am too big really) my weight distribution influences him hugely. So if I lean forward even a little he speeds up. He is teaching me to keep my shoulders back and my balance is improving each time.

There are loads of nice people to hack with, but I need to be better balanced at trot and canter in the school before I do that. Everyone else says I look fine on him size wise and he is definitely chunky enough with lots of bone. But going from a 16.2hh shire x to a 13.3hh (ish) is quite a change!
 
Would anyone go for a few slow hacks with you? It may be easier to get a feel for his stride out hacking and not everyone wants to canter, or even trot much.
 
carthorse said:
Would anyone go for a few slow hacks with you? It may be easier to get a feel for his stride out hacking and not everyone wants to canter, or even trot much.
Click to expand...
I’m sure they would, but for my own confidence I would rather get used to him in the school first. He has such a tiny neck, there is practically nothing infront of me so I just need to concentrate on getting my shoulders to stay back so I feel more secure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skib
Fair enough. I remember one of the school horses I had a lesson on when I was trying to get back into the swing of getting on something and quickly making an assessment had a very short neck and I didn't like that feeling!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mary Poppins
Glad that you are enjoying riding, in between the sad moments. Even those are helping in their own way I'm sure. No pressure and you will get used to his trot in time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mary Poppins
Lovely to hear that you are enjoying Harry. He sounds sooooo like Ziggy, the unflappable cheerful nature, the forward going, the taking any forward inclination as an aid to speed up!

Once you get your pony legs, so to speak, I am sure his quick stride will feel more natural. He sounds as though he will be a lovely chap to get out and about on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mary Poppins
Thanks for all your encouraging words everyone. There is absolutely no expectations on me at all which is nice so I can take my time and get used to him at my leisure. I don’t have the same buzz or urge to spend all my time with him as I did with Ben, but he isn’t Ben so that is to be expected. He is a pony to ride who I have no real emotional connection with, but that’s fine and hopefully one day soon I will be brave enough to face the turmoil of finding a new horse to vet. Baby pony failing the vet hit me harder than I have realised. I still think about him and wonder what might have been.
 
Sometimes it isn't meant to be. I had a very sweet mare vetted, she didn't technically fail since she was sound on the day but the vet brought up something that meant she was unlikely to stay that way. She ticked all the boxes and I liked her, but I wasn't prepared to take that chance particularly when I'd spent years trying to keep horses with problems sound. If she'd passed I'd never have met Luka though and while on paper he may not have been as close to what I was looking for - if Id seen an ad I may not even have rung up - the fact is as soon as I saw him I knew he was who I wanted. Maybe your Luka is out there just waiting for the right moment to turn up, and since you're now riding again you'll be in a better position when he r she does.
 
carthorse said:
Sometimes it isn't meant to be. I had a very sweet mare vetted, she didn't technically fail since she was sound on the day but the vet brought up something that meant she was unlikely to stay that way. She ticked all the boxes and I liked her, but I wasn't prepared to take that chance particularly when I'd spent years trying to keep horses with problems sound. If she'd passed I'd never have met Luka though and while on paper he may not have been as close to what I was looking for - if Id seen an ad I may not even have rung up - the fact is as soon as I saw him I knew he was who I wanted. Maybe your Luka is out there just waiting for the right moment to turn up, and since you're now riding again you'll be in a better position when he r she does.
Click to expand...
When one door shuts another one opens (so the saying goes anyway!).
 
Exactly. And I'd been scouring all the ads I could find, looking within a 100 mile radius but would have gone further for the right one and yet after all that he turned up in the same village as me!

I do think the fact you're getting out there riding again increases the chance of a word of mouth buy. People see you regularly so they remember you if anything crops up in conversation, plus it makes them feel you are more serious. If I heard of something I'd let you know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mary Poppins
Although Jane says that one can get ones pony legs, my experience of hacking the RS ponies (a month each) for a summer when Masie was off work is that I never really did get pony legs. Unless one is a pony enthusiast, ponies seem to me harder to ride because ponies are bumpier in gait and there is not the same contact down ones legs to the rider's heel.
Also I was at a RS and ponies in an RS are likely to ridden by beginners and to be quite wilful out hacking, used to taking their own decisions.
 
Skib said:
Although Jane says that one can get ones pony legs, my experience of hacking the RS ponies (a month each) for a summer when Masie was off work is that I never really did get pony legs. Unless one is a pony enthusiast, ponies seem to me harder to ride because ponies are bumpier in gait and there is not the same contact down ones legs to the rider's heel.
Also I was at a RS and ponies in an RS are likely to ridden by beginners and to be quite wilful out hacking, used to taking their own decisions.
Click to expand...
I am not sure such a small pony would be for me long term but I do ultimately want something much smaller than Ben. Harry takes up my leg well and I can use my whole leg and heel against his sides whereas with Ben my feet barely came past the saddle flaps. Harry is really good at leg yielding the turn on the forehand and is teaching me where my legs should go. Perhaps I need something less round and taller to get the right balance.
 
A month when you only ride once a week isn't long though @Skib, particularly when you've no experience of them.

I think you have to be more balanced if you ride ponies because even on the longer striding ones - they aren't all choppy striding, Little Un could match many horses for stride length - you don't have a much in front or underneath you. They also have that pony mentality of being quick thinkers who are quite happy to take control if the rider doesn't and if you're used to horses that can take some getting used to, not to mention that most seem to be much more agile than a horse. Interestingly in the past that ability to think on their feet and react very quickly was a prized trait, before the warmbloods broke into the scene and eventing changed so much many a top class eventer would have a dash of pony blood in it for that very reason. It may not have made them easier rides, but if you got in a mess there was a good chance that they'd get you both out of it - and make sure you knew it lol. I think you either like ponies or you don't, but of you're looking around the 14 -14.2 mark you have the choice because there are ones that are like small horses and others that are ponies for adults who want to relive their childhood :)
 
@Mary Poppins as a stamp I think you'd love Luka, so maybe look at some Welsh Cobs and their crosses? They don't really have the build or temperament of a "proper" cob but if you like them they're incredibly versatile and great fun. @MrC 's Faran is a purebred Welsh Cob and you can see what a lovely boy, physically and mentally, he's going to be.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mary Poppins
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back