When Did You Need To Dismount Off Your Horse?

newforest

newforest

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Mar 15, 2008
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Question in the title.

I had to get off and lead mine. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to encourage her forwards and she did make an effort.

The village has painted bright white road markings. It's complete with a solid thick white line at the junction and STOP written before it. We did stop, 20 metres away :) she crept one hoof at a time towards it. We sniffed the road or tried turning. I waited quietly and she did get pretty near she had her ears zoomed in on it.
I knew if I lost my composure she would lose hers and I could be eating dirt. She gets annoyed back at you.
 
The last time was when we met the 4 - wheeled gig on a little road up in the hills. It only has one horse in the shafts but Ziggy was so scared he had jelly legs and was pooing. I could feel he really wanted to flee and was trying so hard to be good, I hopped off and went to his head and I swear he sighed with relief!
 
Riding past a field of pigs! The expression "tightly coiled spring" comes to mind and I wasn't risking it. (For the record, the previous time we rode past we tried trotting to get past quicker but this caused the pigs to stampede "en masse" to the back of their field, grunting and squealing, which terrified the horses even more.... even if it did result in an extended elevated dressage trot, which felt wonderful to ride!!!)
 
I got off recently to lead past a rather large lorry parked in an odd place. He was ready to run so I lead past and got back on where I could.

I will always get off if I don't feel comfortable with how he is reacting to something, I'm nervous anyway and would rather lead past any obstacles than have him running the other way!!

I get off quite a lot whereas my mum is one of those who will never get off, she's ridden him past trotters,pigs , bouncy castles (he actually loved this haha) and scuba divers and all things terrifying. She says she won't be able to get back on so would rather ride it out. Don't think I've ever known her get off actually.
 
A few years back, the first time we went over a level crossing, jess was apprehensive. Anything else and I probably would have waited it out but trains come along there regularly and the audible warning is very loud moments before the barriers come down and I didn't fancy adding that to the mix so hopped off and led her across.
 
Mine feels more secure with me on board, i think if he was worried about something and i dismounted he would bolt for home, i think he would think i was abandoning him, he is a bit of an odd one at times :rolleyes: So i have never dismounted with him, its not that i don't believe you have to stay on board, i have dismounted with other horses.
 
Hahaha pathetic pants here got off a few weeks back in the arena:rolleyes::oops: she was having a "benny" moment (Crossroads for anyone old enough:p) and I had no bp on and did not fancy hitting the deck.
 
Oh I always get off at our local level crossing, but that is only because it has gates with an incredibly strong spring and I can't open them from up top!

When I hadn't had him very long I walked him down the lane to the level crossing when a train was due (they're only every 2 hours) to see what he would do. He waited peaceably at the gate, watched the train, looked at me and said "And now?"

I think he has been a very urban pony!
 
Jess is fine with trains, I didn't know that then tho, it amazes me a diesel train at full speed right next to her and she never twitches, a truck at that speed and I'd likely feel her tense a bit, perhaps its because I know its not go to drift towards us or something unthinkable
 
I got off Sonny last weekend at the property when my husband was dropping a few trees.
When he was just cutting some up for me we just stood 15-20 ft back then rode thru.
In the winter I got off when Ice/snow slid off a roof in the neighborhood.
One time in the neighborhood as I was riding thru someone was about to get
a delivery of a gigantic roll off dumpster. I got off and we watched it get delivered.
I will never feel bad if I feel I want to get off to maintain my confidence.
Many times it might be about me not Sonny at all.
I also get off for no reason sometimes so that I am not just getting off if something is going on.
I don't want my insecurity to become his and he just thinks oh she got off no big deal
I utilize getting off as a challenge to always find something as a challenge to get back on since I cant
mount him from the ground.
Some times a stretch of my legs feels good too!!!
 
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Jane&Ziggy said:
When I hadn't had him very long I walked him down the lane to the level crossing when a train was due (they're only every 2 hours) to see what he would do. He waited peaceably at the gate, watched the train, looked at me and said "And now?"
Click to expand...

When I first moved here 38 years ago none of the build up was around here and it was rolling hills and fields across the
street an train tracks going thru it and one little freight train went thru on Thurs late afternoon
OneThursday we were out riding over there with Sunny (the first) and he heard the train coming he tried to pull me in that direction
OMG Sunny do you have a death wish!!!???????????????:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
He stopped and was totally fixated on the train very intent not worried scared or nervous at all.
He had been a ranch horse out in Arizona and that train must have brought memories or running cows to a rail head.
For years every Thursday we went and watched that little freight train go past.
He died long before the big build up and commuter rail station being built there.
I do wonder some times what he would have thought about all those commuter trains in and out day and night!!:rolleyes:
 
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With Jim it wasn't something I did, I had less control on the ground, and a bit like Joellie's lad He'd also read it as there being a major problem & time to leave the area. In all the years I rode him I only ever did it once, at that point he'd already ran once & when I finally managed to stop him (really regained enough steering to run him into something unjumpable about a quarter of a mile after he'd gone & things were finally starting to register in his brain) on the grounds that it was going to take virtually nothing to set him off again & I couldn't see the point in us both possibly getting injured or killed.

Little Un it just wasn't something I ever needed to do, no matter how worried he was if I told him it was ok he'd walk through Hell for a "good boy" & scratch.

William I'd get off if he was seriously spooked because he was far more likely to follow me on the ground, probably reasoning that the monsters would eat me first & in the meantime he could escape :p. Also when he was old I'd get off & lead him a lot, he still liked to go out & be ridden but he wasn't really up to it so that seemed like a compromise.
 
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I have not got off either boys to get round or passed anything. However when i ride with my OH I have to get off at certain gate as OH just can't manage it.

I always feel I have more control on board and that they trust me enough to go pass etc
 
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I guess as I do loads of inhand out and about, it's no big deal where I am to her. I did need to hop off to readjust my saddle pad in a gateway. I've also done it when nature was screaming :p
 
I rarely need to dismount on a hack these days. But I did have to on one of the hacks last week. We were riding down a single width country lane and a large tractor towing a huge trailer and carrying two massive bags on the front came towards us. He rather kindly reversed alongside a large driveway....but that meant moet had to approach the tractor to let it pass. She is not brilliant with anything bigger than a car really, but she did go forwards a few steps, froze then forward again a few strides then I jumped off and led her into the driveway. She did really well as she was genuinely scared, I was really proud of her and wanted it to be a positive experience. When we were in the driveway she was visibly shaking, but was more confident with me standing next to her.
 
newforest said:
I guess as I do loads of inhand out and about, it's no big deal where I am to her. I did need to hop off to readjust my saddle pad in a gateway. I've also done it when nature was screaming :p
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong I have jumped off but to get them round/past something etc. On my last hack with OH I jumped off as Ginger felt 'wrong' in his head so I got off and checked his bridle. before that Chanter looked lame on a hack I popped off and removed a stone from his shoe. One of our gates has a padlock on which you have to get off for.

So the are use to it happening I just avoid it for 'issues' sorry can't think how best to put that
 
My old horse Jake refused to walk past a pile of logs in the forest that they had cut down and stacked, dispite his friend walking past ( and back and past again to try and give him a lead etc!) Nope he planted well and truly. He was 16.3 I could not mount from the ground and ironically used the said pile of logs to scramble back on him... Sigh!
 
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Raf is more confident with me on the ground and will do most things if led. It's a while since I've had to get off though.

Jack I wouldn't get off. He's liable to throw a wobbly and I'd rather be on top than under his feet. He's more likely to cooperate being driven than led anyway.
 
@SeeingSpots I was wondering if you rode by a burger van or something. I plan picnics in the summer, if we get one!

I have got used to mine's hoof on a hill. Breeder calls it the rhythm of the road, if we were pulling a cart it would be effortless for her. Her trot is just so powerful.
 
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