I would NEVER get on a horse that...[Fill in the blank]

Laura F · Well Schooled

I would NEVER get on a horse that...[Fill in the blank]

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Rears or blind-bolts. Not ever.

I can handle very little when it comes to safety stuff.

A bit of a buck or scoot here and there are fine, but that's about it.

MagsNMe · Advanced

...is dirty. And I mean flat out dirty.

How to explain... is quite happy to hurt you. Any horse will have it's share of reactions, and my little Maggie, if you've read things I've posted, you know, has a buck leap rear combination that is known to get you, but she only pulls it out rarely, and it's more message than mean.

I hate dirty, mean horses. I'm sure some were made that way, I'm sure some were born that way. And there aren't many out there, thank goodness.

dbliron · Advanced

is trying so hard to get you that s/he doesn't care what happens to his/herself. I agree with Mags - there aren't too many out there like that, but I've run into a couple of them. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, won't go again.

justice · Grand Prix

Ditto Mags and Dbliron. Not interested or brave enough any more to ride the one that won't look out for him/herself. I have an entire wardrobe : )

-- Edited by justice on Thursday 2nd of December 2010 08:31:53 PM

Barbara F · Grand Prix

justice wrote:

Ditto Mags and Dbliron. Not interested or brave enough any more to ride the one that won't look out for him/herself. I have an entire wardrobe : )

-- Edited by justice on Thursday 2nd of December 2010 08:31:53 PM

I have it too, and I'm much too old to wear it! I used to have a coach who made you feel so cowardly for any fear that you dared to show. I had to ride through situations when every instinct was telling me to GET OFF.
Anyone else been there?

dbliron · Advanced

You bet, Barbara, and I have done and do get off. I tell my clients to do the same thing. A lot of difficulties can be reasonably resolved on the longe or longlines, and I learned a long time ago to leave my ego at the door to the arena, and be sensible.

Anyone who thinks I'm a wimp for taking that line is welcome to their opinion. I've made my way successfully through quite a number of difficult horses this way, and I salute anyone who has to sense to do the same.

-- Edited by dbliron on Friday 3rd of December 2010 10:03:39 AM

Nikki Salo · Grand Prix

I would never get on a horse that my stomach says "no way!", I'm still young and dumb so don't mind the bolters/rears etc. but there have been a few horses where everything inside of me has said "run run run!" and you have to really listen to that.

Also, I wont get on a horse that is underweight/neglected/etc. or that I know isn't treated right by the owner, I'd rather not get involved with that situation.

-- Edited by Nikki Salo on Saturday 4th of December 2010 07:48:20 PM

Emiry · Advanced

A horse I'm not ready for.

Even if I am ready, if I don't feel ready, I psych myself out. That happened to be recently. There is only one horse in the barn who I don't feel safe with, and I was put on him for a lesson. Because I didn't feel safe or confident to be using him, I ended up getting nervous, and ended up crying...so I will now try to not get on a horse I don't feel comfortable around or near (Me and the girls in my lesson are famous for switching around horses so we all get a horse we feel like or feel comfortable on).

And there is only one horse at the barn I can't handle, she tucks her head down and goes what ever way she wants, and I haven't figured out how to catch her before she does it, so I'm not ready for her yet, but I love her. If she snaps at someone I just have to say her name and she backs off for a bit, and hasn't actually tried to nip me since the first few lessons I was with her. It's weird having the relationship that I'm the boss on the ground but in the saddle it's her.

justice · Grand Prix

Common sense abundant here, I am impressed : )

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

I am handicapped, with bad balance, weakness, and tremors.
Because of my faulty balance I do not feel that I can ride any horse finely trained to weight aids--advanced dressage, reining, or a lot of trained Western performance horses. I would also turn down confirmed buckers!
I've never been on a rearer, and would turn down a confirmed rearer.
If I felt uneasy about a horse I would try to ride it in a cross-under bitless so we could have painless discussions! This has worked for me before.

Mykids · Yearling

I would never ride a horse that had (as my Dad always said) that look in his eyes. I'm sure people on here understand what I mean. Its hard to explian but they just have a mean look in there eyes.

jessiereasmussen · Yearling

doesn't LET you get on! hahaha!

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

I agree with Nikki - I would never get on a neglected/abused/underweight/unsound horse, or any horse that my gut screams, "no!". I, too, am still "young and dumb" so I don't mind the occasional flight over the pommel. I still bounce back pretty well ;) but for the most part I think the only horse I will refuse to get on is one that is unsound in any way. I've had my fair share of buckers, rearers, kickers, toe biters (you know those ones that like to reach around and bite your toes...), rooters (the ones that simply refuse to move.. their hooves grow roots and they aren't moving for anything), wild banshees that take off at the drop of a hat, and so on and so forth. Like dbliron said, I leave my ego at the door and use common sense when riding, but I guess I've just got a little more "dumb courage" in me!

Barbara F · Grand Prix

Lol, Ash, even when I was in my teens and twenties, I was not as brave as you! Glad you've been wearing your helmet!! :)

justice · Grand Prix

I miss my courage. Used to be brave and confident... now, because I tend to pool instead of bounce, I have become selective as to what kind of ride I will voluntarily engage in. The desire to ride the greenies and harder cases is still there, just not the flexibility and athletic range.

Agreed: I wouldn't ride a debilitated horse, either. Not until they show clear and progressive signs of weightgain, mental stability, soundness within reason and physical energy.

-- Edited by justice on Sunday 12th of December 2010 09:35:26 AM

Barnmouser Ash · Grand Prix

Barb - I'm sure glad I've been wearing my helmet, too. If I could afford one, I'd have a protective vest to wear, too. A stomp to the chest or gut can be just as deadly as cracking your head off a fence post (luckily that one just hurt...).

Glad to see so many people who have genuine regard for the horse's well-being.

Goatgirl · Advanced

I'd not get on anything abused, unsound, sick, Dirty, a 'blind bolter',

we had a pony a few years ago that was Dirty, mean and dangerous - a really bad purchase - after two attempts to break him - slowly slowly slowly - I don't believe in rushing horses - after two attempts to break him and being put into the hospital once and watching his eyes go from soft to scary within a breath when my son was simply sitting on him on the lunge. Watching the pony bronc with enough fury to put a rodeo horse to shame. And seeing my son flung into the fence so hard he bounced off it into the hogfuel we made the hard decision to have him put down (the pony not my son). It was better because we thought we could sell him as unrideable, but someone would try and get hurt. And since he was a pony, the last thing we wanted to be responsible for was a child getting hurt. Neither did we want him to end up in a field somewhere starving, or sent to slaughter. If we'd thought there was a chance that someone could 'fix him', but the look in his eyes even after he'd dumped my son and myself was just 'mean' - not fearful or uncertain.

NaturallyUnbridled · Well Schooled

...looks depressed

Kairen Jamieson · Yearling

A unsound or horse in pain.

Insanity is still in my cards...I have the T-shirt...but I keep forgeting to put it on...lol.

Marlene · Advanced

I wouldn't get on an unsound horse or one that was determined to get rid of me, or probably a bolter. I have put up with a certain amount of mild bucky-reary, cinchiness, spookiness with my current horse because he had a few issues when I got him a year ago. I always said, every horse has a trick. Once you get past it, they generally stop and everything is fine. He had a few tricks. But I was too stubborn to pack it in. I'm not saying that's the smart way, I just can't resist a challenge I guess. I did swear if he dumped me AND ran away and left me, I'd sell him.lol. But he never did that, so maybe he knew where I'd draw the line. We accomplished a lot this summer, I really hope we won't be back to square one when I get back to it next spring.

-- Edited by Marlene on Saturday 18th of December 2010 01:54:10 AM

justice · Grand Prix

My sacred, explosively expressive, 26 yo, OTTB, ALPHA mare is still no free ride but I am, after 12 years with her, now familiar with her limits and comfortable within them. I don't always relish her air time but I know I can ride it thru and that getting me off is NOT her goal tho toobadsoosad for me if I do go off: ) To get on a horse that even thinks about HALF of what she will present, well..... I prob'ly wouldn't ride for long.

Not ready to say I would NEVER ride an unfamiliar horse but it is certainly being considered from time to time...I admit being far more thoughtful now before mounting than I used to be.