Riding other horses/ponies

Dark Storm

Well I'll be a Krampus's Auntie! :D!
Jan 4, 2009
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Hadfield
Having spent the last 6 years riding just my horse, I found riding the pony on holiday strange and I just didn't feel comfortable.. he was shaking/nodding his head like mad because of the flies (know this because it stopped when we moved away from bushes and trees).. when we got on the beach he got excited and threw a massive buck in when we went into canter, and I lost my stirrup straight away.. How I stayed on, I just don't know, and eventually managed to find the stirrup.
By that time the canter had turned into a gallop, and it felt like we were racing the other ponies down the beach. There were no incidents after that, but it left me thinking, about how much I'd pushed myself outside my comfort zone, and wish I was riding my own horse.
I never expected to feel like that:unsure:
Anyone else feel like that when riding other horses?
 
I love riding other horses! But that might be because I've learnt riding in a riding school, I try my best to ride as many different horses/ponies as I can. However I don't mind riding other horses and ponies outside of a riding school, when I was competeing I would train on about 3-4 completely different horses/ponies some very young some very strong and just not wanting to work and some perfect. Then on the day of the competition I would have to borrow a horse from the centre so it would more often than not be on I've never ridden or seen and expected to compete in national para dressage on it.
 
Years ago I made a conscious decision not to ride other horses very much, I find it doesn't do me any favours because it makes me realise just what a big sharp powerhouse Jim is. There's also the fact that nothing else really does it for me the way he does, although in theory we're a far from ideal match the fact remains that he's my horse of a lifetime & while I have him I don't want to ride others because the relationship & feeling just isn't there.

I ride Little Un because he needs work, but he feels seriously small & underpowered. How many people would honestly say that about a forward going, fizzy 14.3 welsh cob? The irony is that he probably is my ideal horse on paper & I'm sure I'd have got on so much better with him if I hadn't had Jim first.

There was a time when I'd cheerfully hop on almost anything & back in those days I was good at quickly getting a feel for a horse. It probably helped my riding in a broad sense but did nothing for my ability to form a stronger ridden relationship with a particular horse.
 
I've not ridden a different horse for 5 years now! Apart from Joe of course (OH's ned). I aren't keen on other horses, yes, call me a wuss, but least I can more or less predict what I'm going to get with STorm!
OH keeps on nagging me to book a day at one of these trekking centres, but it fills me with dread and I get nervous stomach ache just thinking about it, so think I'll give that one a miss!
I guess its like anything, you just get used to your own horse. I'm not one for doing new things and I don't like driving new cars either!!!!
 
I don't like doing it very often, but every once in a while it's good for me as it points up or emphasises Kal's good and bad points - and it reminds me that I actually DO know how to ride! Kal is not an easy ride at all - he's sensitive, arrogant, sharp/quick, but not particularly respectful of the rider's leg - he's also fussy about his mouth and whip shy. When I got back on the schoolmaster I used to ride regularly the other day, I really realized how tricky Kali can be. I wouldn't part with him, though - to quote someone else, he's my "horse of a lifetime" and our ridden relationship gets stronger all the time.

This will sound quite arrogant, but I also like riding other horses because it reminds me what lovely paces Kal has . . . I just need to learn to cope with that much movement and trust the feeling.

Hope that makes sense.

N
 
Any chance I get I'd like to ride others. I love joy but that little boggle in the back of my head makes me continually wonder what's coming next.
 
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