Naughty Ben!!

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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Over the weekend (Sat, Sun and today) I have been concentrating on my hacking - well it's not exactly hacking, it's more riding over some big fields. On Saturday i was nervous and it was very wet so we just walked, on Sunday it was drier and I felt more confident so we went further and faster and today I was totally relaxed. I think that the more I do, the better I feel and it's just a shame and I ride so late in the evenings during the week that I feel too isolated to hack all alone.

As I get more relaxed so does Ben, but recently he has decided to just stop dead when he decides that he doesn't want to do something. He does this in the school sometimes when he thinks he is tired and today he decided that he didn't want to trot up the big hill and would plant himself instead. After he did this a couple of times I got really cross with him and made him move with some big pony club kicks to which he threatened to buck and started snorting around.

I didn't feel brave enough to have a full on arguement in the field so we went back to the yard and I decided to make him work properly for 10 minutes in the school. As soon as I asked for trot he planted himself and turned his bum so he was facing the door of the school. I then smacked him to which he bucked and shot off down the long side. We kept the trot going and I managed to get a good 10 minutes trot and canter out of him before we stopped.

He is a cheeky boy and I'm sure he is just testing to see how lazy he can be. I'm so proud I made him work, sat the buck and 'won' the arguement. He does buck when I use my whip and I just need to make sure that I don't turn it into an issue and become worried about it. He is too lazy to buck very high anyway (i hope!!)

That was a very boring story really, but I wanted to share.
 
Naughty Ben!lol. Sounds like he is testing you a wee bit? Glad you made him work though, its the best thing to do. Years ago, Storm would do cheeky stuff out hacking but she was made to work in the school afterwards, and I am sure it helped, because I think she realised it wasn't going to work and that I'd still make her do stuff rather than just putting her away! (I had jelly legs mind, it wasn't easy!).
 
Well done MP sounds like your handling the situation really well :biggrin:

I reckon he is just testing you, seeing if he can get away with being a lazy butt :redcarded:

Fab news about the hacking, i admire your determination to beat your fears! :angel:

Finn tries it on if he can, he will do the whole 'im pretending to do a poo' a few times so he can stop....or nap towards gates...or plant if he thinks he can get away with it :redcarded:
 
Vicki100 said:
Well done MP sounds like your handling the situation really well :biggrin:

I reckon he is just testing you, seeing if he can get away with being a lazy butt :redcarded:

Fab news about the hacking, i admire your determination to beat your fears! :angel:
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I too admire your determination, good on you girl.
 
Cheeky muppet! You did the right thing by making him work. Give him an inch and he will take a mile :wink:

I like that little phrase that sneaked in about your hacking, "Further and faster". You're getting there, aren't you? :smile:
 
Sounds like he is testing you. C does this with me quite a lot but will settle down and forget about being naughty... for a while.

Good on you for making him work through it
 
Well done! Tobes went through a stage of this - out hacking, oh, I think I will stop and rest. Stupidly, I allowed him to do this - big, big, big mistake!!!! Now, whatever he wants to do, I make him do the opposite.

Good on you for not letting him take the mick.
 
Thanks everyone. It's funny how different he can be to ride sometimes. One day he can be like a rocket and really forward going, and sometimes he can be really lazy and not want to go forwards at all. I think that it's all down to how I feel. When I am nervous or tense he goes faster and when I am more relaxed he goes into lazy mood. I need to work out how to be relaxed myself, but still get him to have that forward energy.

I'm frustrated and pleased about today. I should have given him a smack in the field when he was threatening to buck, because it was the fear of the buck which stopped me. I can't let him get away with threatening to be naughty. It's only a buck at the end of the day - I really doubt that he would have bolted with me when we are having an arguement about him standing still. His bucks (so far - we have only had 2!) are little and straightforward, no twisting or dropping of the shoulder and they haven't got close to unseating me. I just need to make sure that I'm not scared of them and it doesn't stop me from being in charge.

Horses always keep you on their toes don't they?
 
Mary Poppins said:
Thanks everyone. It's funny how different he can be to ride sometimes. One day he can be like a rocket and really forward going, and sometimes he can be really lazy and not want to go forwards at all. I think that it's all down to how I feel. When I am nervous or tense he goes faster and when I am more relaxed he goes into lazy mood. I need to work out how to be relaxed myself, but still get him to have that forward energy.

Horses always keep you on their toes don't they?[/QUOTE

I second this in that Tia is totally different when I am nervous. Although, out on a hack, she can be more jumpy because I am not being her leader, she doesn't tend to go faster, in fact I find it harder to get her into a canter as she seems to want to look after me, well I think this is what she is doing anyway.

Sounds like you handled things brilliantly, and well done on the hacking too :smile: you should be really proud of yourself! (Hope that doesnt sound patronising, it's not meant to)
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