hello! So we recently leased a 12-year-old medium pony for my 10-year-old daughter. The Pony has been there done that type. She’s great in the cancer but once she starts jumping she goes really quick which makes my daughter nervous. When this happens my daughter tends to crouch over pull in the reins and hold on to type. Which I believe may be making the pony go quicker. I do not ride horses so It’s just my guess. She will be doing short stirrup the show season. Any tips on how much we can get the Pony to stay at a slower pace around the course? Also anyone out there use perfect prep? Thank you
This is probably best addressed by your trainer. Your trainer can see what is going on and help make the correction. There are several things that could be happening; but I agree, crouching and pulling on the reins is probably making it worse. If she were my student, we’d be doing alot of trotting in and cantering out of lines, halting at the end of lines, and so on to quiet the pony. In addition, I would teach her when to properly half-halt and I would check with her contact to make sure she was able to control the pony. The problem you state is a common one, and it would be up to your trainer to help her work through it. It is also possible that your daughter isn’t ready for a pony like this yet, but again, your trainer would be your best bet to make that determination.
4 Likes
x is correct. This is what a riding coach is for, helping a rider understand how to ride their horse effectively and safely. How your daughter rides effects how the pony goes. Skills must be learned and practiced before riding around a course will go as it is supposed to. If you do not have a riding coach for your daughter, now is the time to find one.
1 Like
Interesting post by a first time poster who does not sound like an inexperienced newbie highlighting the most often debated and frequently derailed topics on here.
To be fair and assuming this is an honest question, from the info given, the child sounds basically over mounted and under prepared which is something best discussed with the trainer who actually knows the child and Pony. If they won’t talk, get a new trainer. No PP won’t solve those issues. More saddle time, more lessons and maybe a more suitable mount are the better and safer choices.
3 Likes
OP you are correct that going into a fetal position most likes makes the pony go faster.
I would find yourself an intelligent instructor who can re-school your child.
2 Likes
Just to be clear, if this is a 12 year old “been there, done that” pony from the hunter ring and doesn’t have a history of being a runaway (or constantly flipping its head around, or constantly getting bad scores because it’s not hitting the strides consistently) it’s probably not really a question of the pony’s behavior and attitude needing to change. It’s a question of the rider learning how to use her aids effectively and staying calm enough to do so when the pony gets a little excited.
6 Likes
My daughter had this issue with her mare. The horse was great with adult amateurs, but got fast when jumping a course with my daughter. Ultimately, it seemed like the horse was used to more finesse (leg, hand, and seat) than my daughter was capable of at that stage. In particular, she had to really work on the timing and style of half halts. As you’ve surmised, just pulling on the rein made it worse.
We made some progress on this problem, but it definitely required a trainer to (1) give the horse regular schooling rides, and (2) work hard with my daughter to raise the level of her eq. enough to satisfy the mare.
This is why we typically put little folks on somewhat deadhead ponies. Is this pony stepping down from rated?
Turning Turtle WILL make the pony go faster.
Lunge lesssons (lots), Simon Says, RedLightGreenLight can amuse a small person and teach a fraction of independent leg.
The best thing a non-horsey parent can do is find a trainer they trust and let your kid be the expert. Even professionals have difficulty coaching their own kids- especially as they hit adolescence and it’s just not a good plan for your daughter’s riding or your relationship with her for you to make suggestions from the sidelines. Let the trainer do the training, engage with your daughter about horses by asking questions and letting her explain her riding - it’s a much healthier dynamic for teens and parents. If you’re worried that the trainer isn’t doing a good job fixing the problem, take her for a lesson with another trainer and see if it’s a better fit.
1 Like
I agree that your daughter is unintentionally asking/telling the pony to go quicker and her instructor can best figure out how to teach her to sit up and stay relaxed.
1 Like
How to slow a quick hunter pony is a million dollar question! Despite all of us on the rail jumping the jumps with them, we still have to rely on the child to actually ride the pony.
Sounds like this one might be a bit much for your daughter to take on at this point in her career. Your trainer is the one responsible for getting them together, but sounds like that’s not happening since you’re asking for help here? If it isn’t working, and ESPECIALLY if your daughter is getting scared, you might be better off sitting this show season out and working on her riding in a lower pressure atmosphere.
Ponys can be great and smart and hard and fancy all at once. It’s one of the reasons they’re such a good education. But a situation like this can escalate quickly. If she’s hunching forward and clutching and that pony stops, she could pop right off. Maybe that’ll teach her to sit up, but maybe it’ll break her arm. Make sure you’re not setting her up for that.
there’s also the distinct possibility that as with many riders of all ages, pony isn’t going fast, rider just feels that the correct speed is too fast.
lessons.
time.
good trainer.
1 Like
