# Spooky Horse/ Beginner rider



## Mamabear92 (Apr 23, 2018)

Hi there! I have a student that is a baby beginner rider. She has the heart of a true cowgirl and is tuff as nails. However, her mare Beauty, 12 year old, is a quite spooky and pretty difficult to manage for my girl. Beauty has a tendency to spook then bolt and begin bucking at a lot of things. While we are working on posture and leg strength with my student and learning to "feel" her horses movements and learn her ques, as to when she may be ready to bolt. I do not think she is quite strong enough with her hands and arms to be able to pull this mares head and nose up to stop her from getting her head down and bucking. The mare is 15.3 and she is a quarter horse gaited cross. She is big boned and very strong. We are also working on desensitzing the mare. My question is , what suggestions do ya'll have for better control of this horses head and mouth? As in what type of bit? she is currently in a twisted single snaffle with a short shank. My girl is very light in her hands and keeps them in the correct position, so being worried with her being too heavy in the horses mouth isn't really a concern at this time. Thanks!


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I'm sorry baby beginner rider should be on an appropriate horse.....from an outsiders point of view, lessons for her on a suitable horse, and some time at the trainers for her mare, would be a better option than a hardware change....

She is learning the wrong things for this stage of her riding life, I hope she stays safe and does not get broken in body or spirit .....

Spoken as an old girl who has seen these things happen before.


----------



## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

I'd be trying to convince her to sell this horse and find something suitable, to be honest. I know a lot of seasoned people who would never get on a horse like that. Definitely wouldn't be encouraging a beginner to learn on this mare.

She might be "tuff as nails" now, but how long until it's too much for her and crosses the line into her being terrified? For some people it can just take one bad incident, and it's like throwing a switch that you can never turn off again.

Or how long until she gets seriously hurt?

A couple of spooky, bolting horses early in my riding days have made me a very nervous and fearful rider. For life. I battle those fears constantly, even on "safe" horses, because of what's happened in the past. I wish those things had never happened to me early on. I don't wish that experience on other people.

Horses like this should be reserved for experienced riders. Among other good reasons, you just can't relax and learn the basics when you're having to always anticipate an explosion.


----------



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Is there another horse that she can ride while this one gets some seriously needed retraining?


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

This is not a suitable horse for a beginner rider no matter what bit you put in her mouth. She needs to be mounted on a safe, solid mount so she's not seriously injured and/or scared to the point where she loses interest altogether. Even if she keeps this mare, she needs a safe, solid mount in the meantime and the mare needs to go to a trainer. Even then, there are a lot of experienced riders out there who won't keep a horse like this, either. It can take all the fun out of riding and there are so many GOOD horses out there....


----------



## Mamabear92 (Apr 23, 2018)

I have talked with her and her mother about selling the mare and finding a more suitable horse but the girl is dead set on keeping her. My girl is 15 ( I'm not sure if some of you thought she was actually a baby, sorry for any confusion). She wears a helmet of course and the mare is great on the ground but she is just a " booger hunter" as i like to call it and sometimes spooks at things and other times doesn't. I talked with them about not feeling any guilt about selling the mare, that it is a natural thing in the horse world. However, she doesn't want to, not yet. No, currently there isn't another horse she can ride. So being as how this situation isn't going to change, I could use better advice for control.


----------



## Mamabear92 (Apr 23, 2018)

And I myself, am working with the mare on her vices. She can't get away with me, and I'm correcting her but I've been doing this for years and my girl hasn't.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Again, control does not come through changing tack, it comes through the mare being trained and the rider being able to cope....

When I bought my current mare she was a spook and run merchant, and I am an older rider recovering from a bad fall that had affected my nerves badly.....was doing well on my baby sitter horse, but had to retire him, and finances as they were I ended up with the Red Headed Wonder horse, I wonder what's over there, I wonder what I can spook at.

Things came to a head one day with a bad spook, that left me trembling, crying and unable to function...after talking me back into breathing, and being able to talk, we decided we would give it a month and see if things improved...

We DID NOT change any tack, kept her in her French Link, because tack does not stop spooking. I did learn how to distract her, and try and avoid the spooks and shut her down...this kid maybe 15, but is she a baby in terms of saddle time? 

If you are able to retrain the horse, then get the kid to step down until you have done so.....


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I rode a horse like this for years. Did I learn a lot from him? Yes. Did I enjoy riding him? No, not really. Not for several years. But in the situation I was in at the time, he was the horse I had, and if I had sold him, I'd have been horseless. I was 10 when I got him and some days I had to force myself to ride and I dreaded it because if he spooked, he'd buck like a Kesler bronc and he was so strong you couldn't hold his head up. I learned to ride a bucker and to diffuse the situation before it happened by sheer trial and error, but would I ever recommend someone who is a novice riding a horse like this? Not in a million years. I did keep that gelding the rest of his life, because I was afraid that he'd end up in a situation with a novice (because when he wasn't spooking, he was a fabulous, calm, laid-back horse) and get someone hurt and end up at the packing plant if he did so. I did eventually really enjoy this horse and appreciate his good points, but I really, really, had to work at it and could very easily have been badly hurt in the process. I rode him in 4H and open and regional shows in nearly every class imaginable, roped on him, ran barrels on him, hauled him to Texas and Montana and rode him on ranches and in the backcountry, used him to help break colts and pony young horses, basically did everything you could do with a horse. He never did get over it. I learned how to shut him down, but you always had to be one step ahead of him and never could relax. I rode him for the last time two weeks before he died at age 34, and he still spooked at a piece of blowing paper and tried to buck. I loved that old horse with all my heart, but I felt safer on my 4 y.o. paint mare with 10 rides on her than I did on him. 

Most horses that are spooker-and-buckers don't ever get over it entirely. The mare in question will likely always have a penchant for bucking, and that's not a horse for a novice, whether she's 15 or 35 or 75. She needs a different mount.


----------



## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

Not a good match. If you've approached the parents about this train wreck waiting to happen and they still want this horse for their child, it may be time for you to consider your liability and step back from this one.


----------



## Mamabear92 (Apr 23, 2018)

I'm not going to quit on this girl, I will stay with her and help her as long as she wants to keep this horse. I do not believe In quitting on anything. If she wants to conquer this habit and learn to ride it out then I'll be there for her. Teaching anyone to quit because it is too difficult or dangerous is crippling to an individual, it teaches them to never persevere. Haven't any of you heard " If you fall of the horse you get back on"? I know it is just a saying and this scenario is a bit more intense but it is the same concept. How can someone learn to be a better rider, to be a great rider, if they quit on every difficult horse they come across? That is learning nothing. Yes, it is dangerous but HORSES are dangerous themselves anyway and are very unpredictable, I don't care if you have had the horse for 15 years and you know every thing about it, it is still an unpredictable animal and could seriously hurt you at any point. The thing to teach is how to think smarter than your horse, how to think ahead and keep yourself prepared at all times and for anything that could happen. Even the most experienced, talented or skilled rider could end up on their back and do you think that person would just stop riding? or sell the horse? No, they would work harder and seek assistance or help in overcoming the issue.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

If you really can't get her on a different horse, lunge line lessons until you has a solid position.


----------



## Mamabear92 (Apr 23, 2018)

Thanks Apuetso T, it's about time I get something other than " sell the horse" . We actually started lunge line lessons last week! Doing great so far!


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Mamabear92 said:


> I'm not going to quit on this girl, I will stay with her and help her as long as she wants to keep this horse. I do not believe In quitting on anything. If she wants to conquer this habit and learn to ride it out then I'll be there for her. Teaching anyone to quit because it is too difficult or dangerous is crippling to an individual, it teaches them to never persevere. Haven't any of you heard " If you fall of the horse you get back on"? I know it is just a saying and this scenario is a bit more intense but it is the same concept. How can someone learn to be a better rider, to be a great rider, if they quit on every difficult horse they come across? That is learning nothing. Yes, it is dangerous but HORSES are dangerous themselves anyway and are very unpredictable, I don't care if you have had the horse for 15 years and you know every thing about it, it is still an unpredictable animal and could seriously hurt you at any point. The thing to teach is how to think smarter than your horse, how to think ahead and keep yourself prepared at all times and for anything that could happen. Even the most experienced, talented or skilled rider could end up on their back and do you think that person would just stop riding? or sell the horse? No, they would work harder and seek assistance or help in overcoming the issue.


You are entitled to your own opinion, but cannot agree, teaching people to quit because it is hard work, is bad...

Teaching people to step back when they are beyond their skill and comfort level is plain common sense.......you could actually cripple someone physically rather than mentally by having them on an ill matched ride.

You talk about a beginner rider, they should be on a beginner horse for the sake of both horse and rider....you seem to have little regard for the safety and well being of either horse or rider..Thank goodness I have an instructor who knows when to push, when to yell, when to say "YOU DARE QUIT ON ME" and when to say ...enough....

Again, I hope you have good insurance.


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Golden Horse said:


> You are entitled to your own opinion, but cannot agree, teaching people to quit because it is hard work, is bad...
> 
> Teaching people to step back when they are beyond their skill and comfort level is plain common sense.......you could actually cripple someone physically rather than mentally by having them on an ill matched ride.
> 
> ...


This. 1000X this.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Well, the screen froze and I lost my post so I'll keep this short --- especially since most people don't do much more than the perfunctory bobbing dog head anyway.

Before completely throwing the horse under the bus:

1. The parents should spend the money eh on a QUALITY equine chiropractor and also a quality saddle fitter to eliminate any possibility of pain.

2. If the horse is on bagged feed or a ration balancer that uses soy as a protein source. ---- get the horse off grain and off anything with soy in the ingredients list.

3. After doing #2, put the horse on magnesium. Mag Oxide is NOT nearly as well absorbed into the system as magnesium Malate. I speak from experience, my horse is on MagRestore.


----------



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

walkinthewalk said:


> 3. After doing #2, put the horse on magnesium. Mag Oxide is NOT nearly as well absorbed into the system as magnesium Malate. I speak from experience, my horse is on MagRestore.


So as not to hijack this thread Ièm going start a new thread on the benefits of Magnesium, just starting to look into this...hope you will contribute


----------



## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

You are asking about controlling the wrong things on a horse; the head and mouth. They way to control a horse his through his body; the shoulders, rib cage, and hind end. Until you and your pupil can control those body parts y’all will never be able to find a bit that will be strong enough.

As for bits, that bit should not be in the hands of a raw beginner. Period.

I have over 10 decades on your student, and probably a handful on you. And I would not even get on a horse that could AND would bolt and buck with that bit in its mouth.


----------



## Dixiesmom (May 26, 2013)

I don't think anyone is saying quit on the girl or tell her to stop. The concern is this girl could be seriously injured or dead if the horse is explosive regardless of bit. Helmets are great, but they don't protect against every serious injury or death. I would sit down with mom (minus emotional daughter) and explain the facts to her - this horse could injure her child enough to end her riding career and possibly her life. The daughter may be bonded with the horse, but mom and Dad (if he's involved) are in charge and ultimately CAN make the decision that THIS is not the right horse.

Is money the reason that another horse wouldn't be available have until the girl is more skilled? Maybe there's a free lease horse out there somewhere?

This whole idea scares the heck out of me as a grandmother. I love horses, but in the same situation, if it was my granddaughter, I would absolutely not allow her to ride a dangerous horse.


----------



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Whether or not this horse is suitable for a beginner really isn't a function of another horse being available. She is not. 

If the only bike you have in your garage is a Moto Grand Prix bike, it's still not a suitable beginner bike - even though it only goes as fast as you let it (as it _doesn't_ control its own throttle). 

So your (plural, most likely?) request to help you to make this horse "work" for your lessons really doesn't respect the realities on the ground. If this horse is a bit high strung, more severe gadgetry may well result in that horse ending up on top of your student rather than the other way around.

If you were afraid of spiders, which restrictive mechanical devices would you recommend to put on you to lessen your fear of them?


----------



## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

Mamabear92 said:


> I'm not going to quit on this girl, I will stay with her and help her as long as she wants to keep this horse. I do not believe In quitting on anything. If she wants to conquer this habit and learn to ride it out then I'll be there for her. Teaching anyone to quit because it is too difficult or dangerous is crippling to an individual, it teaches them to never persevere. Haven't any of you heard " If you fall of the horse you get back on"? I know it is just a saying and this scenario is a bit more intense but it is the same concept.


If I am not mistaken, you have been hired to coach this young girl to ride, not be her life coach. Let her learn life lessons about perseverance in less dangerous ways. What can be crippling to an individual is riding an inappropriate horse. And, because of that, not everyone can "get back on the horse they fell off of". JMHO


----------



## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

I know it's not the best but I agree this mare probably needs to be restarted. Honestly this 15 year old may be able to do some of the desensitizing training. She needs to be exposed to things she spooks at until she can overcome her fears, or at least not lose her mind when she spooks. I know everyone wants to get in the saddle and ride, but have you considered teaching her some ground work? It's always good knowledge for a young rider to have. 

I'm sorry, a bit change won't work controlling the horse. Any horse with enough will won't respond even to the harshest of bits and you arent doing a service for the horse to make riding enjoyable. I know your soul purpose is to make riding fun for the 15 year old, but what about the horse? If the horse enjoyed (or at least tolerated) being ridden and trusted her leader, it is possible that she would be less reactive. 

Just my opinion.


----------



## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Almost always, there is more than one solution to a problem, as long as one retains an open mind and continues to try. As I understand it, the situation is

1. a dangerous horse
2. a inexperienced child rider
3. a stubborn instructor who wants to make a team out of the above no matter what the risk, and doesn't want to consider any alternatives
4. a parent who is 100% behind the instructor 

What could go wrong?

I find it extremely difficult to believe that there is no other more rideable horse within driving distance, no matter where you live.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I haven't read all the replies, but I can guess at what they're saying. This is NOT a good idea. Get this girl on a safe horse now. She can ride Beauty later, when she is stronger and more confident. 

I have a 13 year old. Bought her a horse when she was 10. This horse was fine at a walk/trot (and unlike this one, was not at all spooky, never bucked, but was a little too forward at the canter). She didn't canter for the first year. She started cantering a little the second year, a few strides at a time. Only now can she confidently ride her horse at the canter, and do some jumping safely. 

Putting a young beginner on a horse like this can only end badly. Give her time. At that age, they learn fast. In a year, she may be ready for Beauty, and in the meantime, you will have hopefully taught Beauty to behave a little better.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

updownrider said:


> If I am not mistaken, you have been hired to coach this young girl to ride, not be her life coach. Let her learn life lessons about perseverance in less dangerous ways. What can be crippling to an individual is riding an inappropriate horse. And, because of that, not everyone can "get back on the horse they fell off of". JMHO


What @updownrider said ^^ . And not just crippling in the figurative sense. She won't be able to get back on if the horse breaks her leg, gives her a severe concussion, or kills her. Do you really want to be the person who told the kid to "just get back on"? 

I came off my mare last summer and got a concussion. I could not get back on, because I was in and out of consciousness. Sometimes it's best not to get on the horse in the first place if you KNOW it is dangerous. Riding is dangerous enough when it's going well. Why stack the deck against this horse and rider who are not a good match?


----------



## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

This thread presents a very difficult situation. Of course, the best alternative would be another horse. Barring this, it is important to start with basics and progress slowly and methodically – not something most teenage “cowgirls” would want to do.

By starting with the basics, I mean beginning with simply mounting and sitting. Learn to sit balanced over the horse’s center of gravity with the rider’s head over shoulders over hips over heels as if standing. In this riding position, the rider is much better able to react to changes. Emphasize relaxed balance where the bones, rather than the muscles support the body so the muscles are free to quickly respond and adjust to the horse’s movements. Relaxing allows gravity to pull a rider’s seat deep into the saddle, raps a rider’s legs naturally around the horse’s sides without muscular effort, holds the feet to the stirrups without pushing, and draws the heels lower than the toes without the rider forcing them down. Any tension in the rider will result in the horse becoming more tense.

Once this is accomplished, the rider should learn to move gracefully with a horse that is walking before progressing to a trot or canter. The rider should learn to pay attention to all her senses, not just eyes and hands. Riding with eyes closed often helps this process. The rider should be able to feel with legs and seat how tense a horse’s muscles are and learn how to help the horse relax and release unnecessary tension so it responds easily to soft and gentle cues. Deep breathing, humming, and singing softly often prove helpful in this.

If the bit has shanks, it may have a broken mouthpiece, but it is not a snaffle. A rider should learn to use a snaffle bit before progressing to any leveraged bit. With a true snaffle, the rider can better learn to feel what is happening at the horse’s mouth. The rider is better able to feel the amount of pressure being applied. The rider should be able to feel if one side of the bit is tighter than the other by only one ounce.

Gentle and frequent changes of direction help a horse concentrate on re-balancing so it is less likely to think about other things such as what to spook at.


----------



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Mamabear92 said:


> I'm not going to quit on this girl, I will stay with her and help her as long as she wants to keep this horse. I do not believe In quitting on anything.


Yeah, well; about that. That kind of attitude, which utterly fails to take into consideration any risk-reward trade-off, is dangerous. Let me use an analogy.

Say I wanted to get a PhD in...oh...I don't know...mathematics. I have run into an intractable problem. Instead of trying to ram through, possibly from a position of incomplete understanding of what I'm dealing with, I first try to solve and understand a special case, an easier problem, which may illuminate the path forward due to the insights I have gained because of it. Does that make me a quitter? 

Why would you think of this girl as a quitter for first bringing her skills up to a level that are adequate for that horse? I know all about "getting back on" - with a concussion and a vet-wrapped ankle. But I didn't get back on a horse that clearly was out of my league; I got back on a horse that simply had a "sh*t happens" moment and, when calculating her width, failed to take into consideration my knees.

Are people who sell a losing investment position "quitters" for allocating their money into a stronger position?

Are people who turn around in inclement weather, to conquer the summit another day, quitters?

If you don't believe in quitting on anything, what do you do when you want to go out for dinner and the restaurant you had in mind is closed?

There is a difference between perseverance and obsession. This girl wants to ride, and she wants to ride this horse. You are to make sure she has the training and skills to ride this horse. What would you call it if you, entrusted with developing that girl's level of riding, fail to do so, and instead look for fast and cheap devices that will give her the mere illusion that she has mastered this horse? 

*Teach that girl to ride* properly by building her up to meet this challenge. Otherwise you'll have quit on her.


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I was a new rider (in my 50s) with a very spooky horse (Mia). I didn't want to give up. After all, no one else wanted her. But I eventually concluded I needed to up my game BEFORE I could help her. So she went unridden for 8 months while I practiced riding on much safer Trooper.

After 8 months, I hired a trainer to work with Mia, starting from the beginning. Then I rode her, working on riding out and getting her used to...life. Seven years after I got her, she was far less spooky and much better - but still a difficult ride.

Swapped her with a farrier for a gelding. She went to the Navajo Nation, where she had a couple of foals and spent time in a free-ranging herd. Her new owner now considers her near bombproof. He rides her bitless and bareback. His wife rides her in a bosal with a saddle. It has been 10 years since I first bought her.








​ 
Part of me still misses her, but she is better off in her new life. The gelding? In the last 3 years, he has helped me work past many of the built-up fears I acquired during my first 7 years of riding. He certainly isn't bomb-proof, but he's taught me a lot about how to relax on a horse. *

When I learned as a newbie on an explosive horse...I picked up a lot of tenseness and bad habits.
*
Two threads about Mia:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding/my-first-emergency-dismount-mia-while-377705/#post4940497

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding/mias-last-day-bsms-580473/#post7464529

Three years of riding with Bandit:

http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/bandit-cowboy-bsms-muddling-through-together-622121/

Just my experiences. Still taking riding lessons from Bandit. The thread on Bandit includes my exploration on how to deal with a spooky horse.


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Among the many alarming issues here, which have been addressed thoroughly, I think I'd avoid signing this girl up with the Bigger Bit Brigade. A horse that's reactive and spooky may very well stand straight up to get away from a big bit in the hands of a true beginner. This is a mistake I've already made. Sooner or later, someone is going to get very, very hurt or die.

Then it's going to be horse's fault and the horse is going to be punished.


----------



## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Wow what a thread. OP I understand you don't want to be a quitter and the girl doesn't want to quit. Are the parents horse people? If not, then it's your job to advocate the daughter and horse with every fibre of your body. Don't quit on safety, first.

Imagine you are a driving instructor. A family asks you to teach their 16 yo daughter to drive. But they ONLY want you to teach your daughter to drive an 18 wheeler on icy motorways in the dark and by only moonlight. OK, you might be able to do it. You've done it plenty of times. But the daughter definitely can't. Any sane person would tell the family they are out of their mind. But the daughter begs you. The family beg you. You say OK, let's try. The daughter crashes. Whose fault is that? Did the driving instructor try hard enough to say *NO*? OP I am thinking of you... if tomorrow this horse rears and this girls gets her face smashed in or spine shattered... you have to protect yourself not just legally but emotionally too. You sound incredibly attached to this family and I completely understand you want this to have a positive outcome. And honestly.. when an instructor constantly says yes and gives to my every whim I get scared. As an adult. I need an instructor in my life to have the confidence to say NO and stick to their guns. Because that's why I pay them, for their judgement and expertise. Would it hold up in court if the girl died? You're on here asking for help and everyone experienced here is telling you to jump a ship you're determined to sink with.

I'm sorry. I am just so passionate about things like this. It's one thing a small spook quite another for a horse regularly be full blown bolting and bucking. Do you hear how it sounds? "I'm teaching my beginner rider to detect when her horse is about to bolt".... A 15 yo rarely knows what's best or "normal" for them. And yeah... some ppl on here were raised on farms and ranches and galloped off bareback at 7 years old for 10 hours at a time. You're a pro rider that can ride this problem horse. But that doesn't apply to this girl. She's inexperienced with a strong horse and has come to you for help.

SO with all that out of the way... Maybe the situation isn't as bad as you say. Maybe we're all over reacting. Upbringing, life experiences and culture can all alter how one perceives an "issue". What can you do then, since you and the girl are determined to see this through? Really, the only option I see where the girl keeps the horse is where it's sent off for intensive training AWAY from the family (and in beginner friendly gear) while the girl learns to ride a steady beginner friendly horse. She wants to learn to trot and canter. Does she even know how to enjoy a ride, TRULY? It's hard to imagine it being so fun when both you and she are so busy trying to detect the next buck. When the horse returns she'll be a better rider, the horse is better trained and you can reassess the situation then. 

Please know that the reason you are getting so many answers that aren't directly answering your question is because people care for the safety of you and those you work with. We get one life and should all look out for each other. If you truly believe your efforts are worth it then I will respect that and wish you the best. x


----------



## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Mamabear92 said:


> I'm not going to quit on this girl


You already quit on this girl. You've quit trying to convince her and her family that this is a dangerous situation.


----------



## redbadger (Nov 20, 2017)

Golden Horse said:


> You are entitled to your own opinion, but cannot agree, teaching people to quit because it is hard work, is bad...
> 
> Teaching people to step back when they are beyond their skill and comfort level is plain common sense.......you could actually cripple someone physically rather than mentally by having them on an ill matched ride.
> 
> ...


This. I play hockey, which is also a hazardous sport (though not as inherently so as working with horses). I know folks who can skate, I know folks who can skate well, I know folks who can play very, very well indeed. And it's great to pop up a level and challenge yourself, for sure. What's not great is playing with folks who are far and away beyond your skill level - it puts everyone at risk, and frankly it's not that much fun to be skated into the ground by people who are stronger, faster, and better than you are at every turn. This sounds like a similar situation - this mare could be a great horse for a more experienced rider who wants a challenge and has the fundamental skills down pat. She might even, at some point, be a great horse for your student. But they just don't match right now. It'd be like throwing me into goal for a professional team - yes, we all play hockey, but it's just not a good, safe match that will teach me much of anything but that professional shots really hurt, if I can even think fast enough to stop one.


----------



## madisonjo1 (Feb 24, 2018)

As a beginner, nothing is more discouraging than getting a bad taste in your mouth to start out with. Aside from a safety issue, this horse might not set her on the right path.
I am very headstrong myself, and my first horse sounds like she was similar to this girl's. I refused to give up on her until she began rearing at me. She literally became aggressive towards me- she needed a more experienced person, or professional work.
I hit a roadblock with everything I did with her, and experienced extreme frustration. Obviously there were things I had to learn from, and she did make progress in a lot of ways. But after a while of dealing with this difficult horse, I began to think all horses were like this. And there was little enjoyment in working with her- even when I made progress. I LOVED this horse, and saw potential in her, however, being in the place I was started ruining my confidence and excitement towards horses. There's nothing wrong with this horse, but she was not a beginner horse, and I was a beginner. Beginners, I really think, need positive encouragement when starting out. There's a good reason why people say beginners need beginner horses! She needs to learn at a pace that is both appropriate (safe,) and rewarding for her, in order to excel.
And of course a 15 year old girl is very attached to a horse, but if she gets hurt you're going to blame yourself. Also, perhaps her parents don't understand fully?


----------



## Dixiesmom (May 26, 2013)

I'm guessing poster is no longer reading replies?


----------



## elkdog (Nov 28, 2016)

When young girls are doing horses, they aren't doing other stuff.

This exact thing happened a few years ago. The greedy seller sold a horse to a young girl that he knew would bolt and buck because it did it to him several times. The girl wound up getting hurt a few times and gave up on horses. She found drugs and alcohol and is now in jail. When she turns 18, she's going to prison.

She was a sweet girl. If she had stayed with horses would things be different?
Who knows?

I wouldn't want it on my conscience.


----------



## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Dixiesmom said:


> I'm guessing poster is no longer reading replies?


She can save face by disappearing, I don't mind - as long as she ends up doing right by her pupil in the real world. I don't need an "eating crow" post, though it would be great to hear from the girl directly how she feels about safely bringing up her skills to handle the horse rather than following OP's proposed course of action.


----------



## Luv2Train81 (Jun 17, 2014)

walkinthewalk said:


> Well, the screen froze and I lost my post so I'll keep this short --- especially since most people don't do much more than the perfunctory bobbing dog head anyway.
> 
> Before completely throwing the horse under the bus:
> 
> ...



Agree. I was gonna ask what they are feeding her too. I love renew gold because it's non gmo, organic, cool calories n all that good stuff. 😉 rarely do I find somebody like-minded 😉


----------

