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"No one else ever rides my horse." Really?

Off Course
#41

I didn’t mean ‘no one’. I don’t let just any one ride my horses. Most people just want to do tricks and ride very poorly, and they don’t have any idea how much they screw up the horse doing what they do and having their little lark. Nor do I relish having someone sue my ass because they fall off my horse. I also feel very much that I don’t want a lot of different people on a young horse, each one with slightly different expectations of the horse and different ways of riding.

The bottom line for me is either I can ride my own horse frequently, or he can go out in the pasture and relax, or I need to sell him. And no, I’ve never had any problem selling any horse or having anyone else ride the horse when the time comes to sell.

#42

I agree with Sidepasser.

#43

I WISH I had people around to ride my horses! :slight_smile:

Although, I have learned the hard way that at the tender age of 4, you really should be concerned with the level of rider you let on your horse! I had a 4 y.o. mare who I let an intermediate rider work a few times and she let the mare bulge out towards the gate every time she went by it. With just two rides like that, it took me about a year to get the horse “deprogrammed” from thinking she could bulge out near the gate.

I have a friend coming to visit who only rides once a year - when she comes to visit me. I will have her ride my 12 y.o. jumper who knows his job. I keep thinking about how he’s going to be thrilled to just pack her around. He wont have to work much and I’m sure he’ll enjoy the break.

#44

My draft gelding is the anyone can ride/drive type, and I’ve had no problem letting other people ride or drive him over the years. He’s been the demo horse for 4-H clinics, the kids have borrowed him for shows, and he spent some time in a therapy program.

My mare, on the other hand, is hot and extremely sensitive. She’s awesome for a really good dressage rider, and it’s was fun to see my instructor get on her, but there are only a very few people I’d consider letting ride. If you don’t do things correctly, she’ll just race around like a lunatic with her head in the air. And since I got her after her previous owner fell off her and broke her back, the liability would be huge if I put someone else on a “known to be dangerous” horse. Not cool. :no:

Other than that, my two year old is too young, and once she is old enough, I’d like things to be consistant and correct while she’s learning, so I’ll probably limit who gets on her to my trainer and myself. And the old babysitter mare is retired, so I don’t even get on her.

And in the past, I owned a gelding with HYPP. He was managed very carefully, and I still rode him. He was fearless on the trail, and a blast to ride as long as you knew what to do with him. He looked easy, but he was potentially a ticking timebomb. So no one else on that horse, either.

So sometimes people are selfish, but sometimes we don’t want to have to clean up other people’s mistakes, or subject a horse to what may be an unpleasant experience for them, sometimes there’s a liability concern, and sometimes we genuinely want to prevent other riders from being injured on our difficult horses. Just because the owner makes it look easy, doesn’t mean it is.

#45

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;4262222]
Of my 4, anybody can ride the 3 mares any time they want. The stallion I won’t share because that’s a liability I just don’t need. He would undoubtedly be just fine, but if something “did” happen, I’d be at fault and I don’t need that.[/QUOTE]

I don’t understand what point you are making here. Are you saying that if someone were to get hurt while riding one of your MARES, you would not be liable, but if they were to get hurt while riding your STALLION, you would be liable? That makes no sense. I’m sure I’m missing something in your post.

I would let experienced riders ride my horse, and it was always a sobering experience to watch him go so much better with them than he did with me. :cry: But I wouldn’t let anyone just get on him and go - I didn’t feel it was smart move in this litigous day and age.

#46

Nope :no: I am very selective about who rides my horses. Perhaps the OTTB not so much because he’s so good about everything. However, the show horse I only let a few people on. He has a very sensitive mouth and can be a difficult ride. I do love watching my trainer ride him though because it’s nice to see what he can do :yes:

#47

Nope, no one ever rides my horse except myself. I was thinking recently of allowing one of the lesson students on my mare since the horse she normally rides has a bump on her tendon and is a touch sore on it, but then I watched her ride again - especially canter - and she cannot keep her butt in the saddle. One hit like that and my mare would buck and off she would go.

I think all the kids at the barn where I keep my horse just assume they are not good enough riders to ride her. That’s fine with me because I think it is better for her that she has one rider.

When I was in high school a boarder bought a really nice, championship quarter horse for her daughter. When the horse first arrived, everyone rode him. Then, the daughter and a few other students rode him - then the daughter and mom got annoyed because some people thought they could just take the horse out whenever and ride it and were found on the horse when they came to ride.

Within 10 months of this 10+ year old quarter horse coming to the barn, the daughter was the only one riding it. He would dump, or attempt to dump everyone else, including the very experienced mom. He just did not want anyone but that daughter on him.

I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong with being the only rider of a horse. Yes, you can have problems if you need to sell them, but if it comes to that, I will cross that bridge then. I strongly doubt I will ever be in the financial position that I need to sell the mare - this is judging from past experience of being out of regular work for a year…I know what I have to do to survive and keep my mare.

#48

[QUOTE=hitchinmygetalong;4262394]
I don’t understand what point you are making here. Are you saying that if someone were to get hurt while riding one of your MARES, you would not be liable, but if they were to get hurt while riding your STALLION, you would be liable? That makes no sense. I’m sure I’m missing something in your post.

I would let experienced riders ride my horse, and it was always a sobering experience to watch him go so much better with them than he did with me. :cry: But I wouldn’t let anyone just get on him and go - I didn’t feel it was smart move in this litigous day and age.[/QUOTE]

I think the point is that stallions tend to bring extra liability. Someone dumped by a mare or gelding was dumped by a mare or gelding. Someone dumped by a stallion is often dumped by a “crazy, wild stallion”.

#49

I’m with SBT. I’m at a wonderful barn, and have offered Ted up for lessons and clinics because I absolutely trust my barnmates. I will ask my trainer to get on to feel where there are “holes” from time to time - a good report card.

But this has been the only barn where I felt comfortable with this. I was briefly at a “show” dressage barn where they absolutely refused to let you watch when they worked your horse. And with good reason, as they were abusive. I learn a great deal form watching my trainer, or a barnmate, work with him.

#50

I have two 4 year olds. One, I’ll let other people ride, including my hubby who isn’t much of a rider. He’s the quiet sensible one. One of my ‘riding’ friends has ridden him also. I’ve asked a couple people if they want to get on the ‘other’ one, and they all look at me in horror and say, “Um, no thanks.” He has his moments and requires a lot of confidence, patience and a somewhat sticky seat, and at the moment, none of the horse people I really know fit the bill. If however someone who did meet the requirements came along and wanted to hop on him, I’d not hesitate. I’d love to be able to watch him under saddle and see how he goes for someone else. I broke both boys myself.

#51

EXACTLY!

I was on a trail ride with a friend and it was in the winter with about 12" of fresh snow on the ground. My friend’s horse spooked at something, spun, and she fell off. That little jerk took off down the trail and went all the way home without us!

So there we sit - 2 people, 1 horse. My friend is older than me and I felt rotten to think of a 50+ year old woman trudging through the deep snow, 2 miles back home while me, the 24 year old gets to ride. So I got off and walked, and she rode my horse. I was younger and fitter and felt it was the right thing to do.

Now to be fair, “my horse” actually belonged to HER so there was no issue. But what if I’d been on my own horse that day, then you’d have a new rider on a horse that aren’t accustomed to each other.

I ride trails and horses MUST be able to do ANYTHING they’re asked to do. Maybe its different when you show huntseat and ride in a groomed ring, I don’t know. But out on the trail, anything can happen and horses have to be able to do whatever is asked of them without drama. Getting them used to other riders is just part of that.

I did a conditioning ride last year with another endurance rider. After a few miles, my horse was misbehaving so horribly and I was about to scream. My friend jumped on my horse and rode her to see if it was just me, or if the new saddle she was wearing was the problem. She went perfect for him! So we determined the saddle+horse+different rider = fine. But saddle+horse+me=disaster. The saddle didn’t fit me, and put me in a horrible position so my riding was bad, thus the horse was bad.

How do you find that stuff out if you never let anyone on your horse?

#52

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;4262483]
. . .
I did a conditioning ride last year with another endurance rider. After a few miles, my horse was misbehaving so horribly and I was about to scream. My friend jumped on my horse and rode her to see if it was just me, or if the new saddle she was wearing was the problem. She went perfect for him! So we determined the saddle+horse+different rider = fine. But saddle+horse+me=disaster. The saddle didn’t fit me, and put me in a horrible position so my riding was bad, thus the horse was bad.

How do you find that stuff out if you never let anyone on your horse?[/QUOTE]

Any good trainer could have told you your position was messed up and your saddle was wrong for you just by watching.

IMO you guys are comparing apples to oranges in some respects. When you have a horse that has a specialized job that requires refinement – dressage, for instance – you do not put a Jane or Joe Blow on them unless they know what they are doing.

My mare will NOT halt unless you do a proper half halt. Period. She will blow right through. No, I do not want that to change. I do not want my horse to “dumb down” because Jane Blow cannot do a proper half halt. I do not want Jane hauling the crap out of my mare’s mouth because she has no clue about using her core properly and has bad timing. I can do enough damage on my own, thank you very much.

One of my trainer’s students is an awesome dressage rider. She is the only other person at my barn that I will let ride my mare. She has been riding one of the lesson horses for the past year and is schooling her 1st level. EVERY BLOODY TIME that horse gets used by one of the other kids in a lesson – flatwork or jumping – it takes her TWO HOURS to get that horse back to where it was before.

Some disciplines, yah, it can work. Just don’t rag on those of us who don’t want to go back to basics because Jane or Joe rode our horse.

No thanks.

Eileen

1 Like
#53

I have 4 horses.

The FEI dressage horse is safe to be ridden by anyone. I no longer let anyone ride him, although he has been used for paralympic and young riders competition in the past.
However, other people have not cared for him properly and he has returned home with career threatening injuries and illnesses. So I let a competent rider exercise him at my home for a few months. She taught him to change leads in the middle of a long side canter. Not on purpose- she kept looking in the mirror on the long side, which changed her seat position, causing him to change. Now every time I pass the damn mirror I have to be very conscious of keeping him straight.

My appaloosa mare is similarily of good “anyone can ride” temperament. She has been loaned to a therapeutic riding children’s camp, who taught her to pull back while tied and uproot fence posts. It took me several months to cure her of that habit. Then I had a nice trail rider part lease her. She taught her to snatch grass while trail riding. The rider actually said “I was too lazy to keep the contact and it was easier just to let her eat”. We are in the process of correcting that bad habit and the lady no longer rides her.

Then there’s the appaloosa gelding I trained for someone else, who taught him to rear and balk, because they rode either with completely loose reins or a death grip when things were not going right. I have him back in training and am correcting the problem.

Then’s there’s the quarter horse PSG horse I sold- dead quiet trail horse. Lady phones me after 3 years and complains the horse is spooky and bolting on the trail and its my fault. Well, it turns out she hadn’t taken him on the trails since she bought him 3 years before, hadn’t ridden him for several weeks and first time out, he spooked and ran back a ways. How is this my fault as a trainer?

The current horse I am working on is a spoiled OTTSB who rears and bucks and kicks out with little provocation. No one else will ride her until I get that fixed, a legacy from 3 previous trainers who didn’t do it right.

So, um, yeah, you want to ride one of my horses, please buy him first. When you screw him up, I may consider training him again. But months of training can be wrecked by a few rides with someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.

1 Like
#54

Well Mr. Equilibrium rides “my” horses from time to time. Um, besides wanting to tell him the “proper way” to ride, he’s a heck of a rider. Other than that, trainers are allowed to ride my horses from time to time. They’re professional’s for a reason.

But mostly, at the moment, I have all youngsters and I wouldn’t want people getting on willy nilly to just flop around on my horses that I’m investing my time in money in. But at the same time, horses should get use to having an odd qualified different rider on their backs. I quite like watching them go as well.

Terri

#55

Several states (including mine) don’t have equine liability limiting laws. A hold harmless agreement MAY mean you’d win any lawsuit (no guarantee), but it doesn’t mean you cannot be sued. Defending a lawsuit is EXPENSIVE.

#56

As soon as Quattro is backed and past the baby-greenie stupidity stage, I have every intention of letting every CAPABLE person on him that I can find. I’m not getting any younger; in case anything happens to me, he’s got to be a horse who is easily rehomeable. He’s never going to be a beginner’s horse, but competent ammies and older, more experienced juniors, heck yes. That way he’s getting used to a variety of rides, which will stand both of us in good stead.

1 Like
#57

[QUOTE=sidepasser;4262335]
Just curious - if you never let anyone else ride your horse and one day something happens (like it CAN happen - accident, illness, loss of job/income) and you must sell - don’t you think it will be harder to sell such a horse that is a “one person horse” or to rehome such a horse?[/QUOTE]

  • If I had to sell all my horses, yes they are all fully capable of being ridden by other riders. - do I let other people ride my horses while I own them, no. They can go buy their own horse.

I don’t believe my horse(s) are one person horses at all - I just prefer to not let others ride them while they are in training/competition. My money- I get to choose what to do with it:) Is all.

I figure if my 9 yr old beginner rider son can ride every horse I own at a -w/t/c around the ring and over xpoles- but my personal horse,(which he could probably ride as well- I’m just selfish about him) I’m pretty sure they are all capable of being ridden by anyone.

#58

I very rarely let other people ride my mare. She is a hard ride, and she takes a very specific type of rider. If I find someone who I think is a good match for her, I have no problem letting them ride her. In fact, I love it, because it’s nice to see her go, and it’s good for her to be ridden by other people :yes:
But for the most part, riders for her are hard to find. She’s difficult and she can be very sensitive. She is not at all child-friendly, and most adults are too large for her.
She really does go best for me, probably because I’ve done all of her training and I’ve pretty much been her sole rider for the past 5 years.
I would love it if she was one of those everyone-can-ride horses, but she’s not.

#59

I used to let other competent riders on my horses. Especially younger riders who were wanting saddle time… providing they were respectful of my horses and my equipment and were experienced enough to ride the horse. So many adult ammies let me hack their horses for them when I was a junior, and their generosity inspired me to share my own horses with the younger kids when I was able.

No one ever rode Dan except for my trainer, who hacked him for me once when I was sick. I had no intention of ever sharing that horse, I’d waited too many years for him!!

#60

I have let about 5 or 6 people ride my 4 year old since I got him last year. They were all better riders than I, so I figure it can’t be anything but good for him :slight_smile:

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