Riding Issues

[yewtree]

Hi

A friend of mine has just brought her daughter a pony (13.2 Welsh x Arab mare, 9 years old).

She was fine when they tried her but the woman who owned her seemd to handle her rather than letter my friends daughter handle her.

She's now been at our yard for 3 weeks and has been ridden a couple of times. The first time she was ridden in the menage she started rearing (small ones) if she didn't want to do something but we got her out of that and got someone else to ride her last week to see if it was the pony or the way the girl was riding her.

On Sunday we were all hacking out together - the young girl got on the mare and the mare proceeded to then walk off, when the girl tried to stop her she started to rear then would march off again. We think it was because as soon as she went to walk off the girl tensed, shortened her reins and leant forward causing the pony to then start rearing. So my boyfriend got on her and the pony went to walk off once, he turned her round and brought her back on the yard where she stood with no rein contact.

Also when we got back to the yard we all turned in to the gate way and the pony carted the girl up the other lane in walk. The girl just sat there leaning forward and shortened her reins but didn't try and turn her back.

The girl said that she couldn't turn her back as she was just pulling against her.

Also, when handling she plants and will be stubborn but as soon as a confident adult handles her she's fine.

Is there anything anyone can suggest or anyone whos had experience of this.

They are going to get the back man and saddle fitter out to her.

[baymare]

They're doing the right thing to get back, teeth etc checked, but I suspect the answer may lie in your comment that "She's now been at our yard for 3 weeks and has been ridden a couple of times." How often is she actually being ridden? Is she being turned out? If she's not having enough exercise then she's likely to be fizzy, which causes the negative cycle you talk about with your friend's daughter tensing up/leaning forward/getting hold, etc.

[KneesUp]

It doesn't sound like the girl is very confident with handling? Is she usually a confident rider? Maybe she could try riding a different pony (if possible) who is more laid back in order to build up her confidence. Maybe doing some ground work with your friends daughter and the pony, eg leading in/out of the field with someone else present to help etc can help them to build more trust with each other and show her that she does not need to be nervous around the pony. As said above it's one big circle. I suspect the more she is ridden and the more time they spend bonding the easier it will get

[nia2311]

Could be teeth issues if contact is making her rear. How old is the daughter? If she is young she may just be too nervous with a new, bigger pony and this nervous tension is transmitting to the mare? I'm sure its a big step up for a child/young person to handle a 13.2 after having a 12hh, for example. I think some adult assistance and supervision while the young girl is handling and riding will help, but also get everything else checked out to rule them out.

[brindlerainbow]

It sounds simply as if the child isn't a very confident handler or rider and she has been bought a pony that needs a confident handler/rider. I think if I was buying a pony for a young child I would want the child to handle,groom,tack up etc when the pony was tried at the sellers yard. The fact that the seller wasn't keen to let the child handle the pony would have immediately rung alarm bells with me