Riding!
Hiya Red, I am nearly 14 and have no place to ride. I am an experienced trotter and I would love to come and exercise your ponies / horses. I understand if you don’t need help, but are there any places you know of?
Hello! Thank you very much for your offer, but the majority of the horses and ponies at Redwings Horse Sanctuary cannot be ridden for many different reasons. Some horses and ponies that can be ridden often go into Redwings’ Guardianship Scheme. Click here for more information! If you live in Norfolk, then there are lots of different riding schools in the area where you can pay for riding lessons. Your best bet is to ask an adult if you would be able to do this, then have a look in a directory like the Yellow Pages for a riding school. Sometimes there are pony-owners who are looking for people to exercise their ponies for them – if this is what you would like to do, then your best option is to just ask around!
Hiya Red. There is a horse at my riding stables and once I rode him and he just did not listen to me and then went off trotting round the ring. What should I do to make him listen without being mean to him? Please help me.
Hello there and thank you for your question! To make the pony listen to you, you need to make sure that you keep a firm contact (that basically means make sure that your reins are taut and there is no slack between your hands and the horse’s bit). Also, make sure that you keep a deep seat (which really means make sure that your bottom is well into the saddle). If the pony starts to pull, then try to resist pulling back. It is very difficult, I know! If he gets very strong then ask your instructor if you can do a 10-20 metre circle. Also use your voice – make calming sounds to try to slow him down. If he is really REALLY strong, and goes trotting off with other riders too, then your instructor might change his bit to something stronger. You’ll be best to ask your instructor for advice, as they will know the pony better than me. I’ve never had the pleasure of grazing with him!
Hiya Red! I was just wondering what to do about my pony. He is a rescue Shetland and has been perfect up until a few weeks ago, he gave me mild concussion when throwing me off and he has been bucking at every chance he gets. He is still brilliant when I groom and muck out but in the school he is a nuisance. Why do you think he is doing this?
Hi there, thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear you had a fall from your pony and got concussion. Sometimes when a pony bucks all the time it may be because he is in some discomfort. He might have a sore back or it could be his saddle does not fit correctly. Your pony does not sound nasty so it might just be his way of telling you his in a bit of pain. My advice would be to get your vet or a specialist to come and see your pony to give him a check over. Ask at your local tack shop if they can recommend someone. It doesn't have to be expensive and your pony will be very grateful. If you would like any further advice you could also visit our welfare pages. I hope this helps and good luck!
I ride at a riding school and they recently got some new jumps for the pony club and the ponies I ride in rallies or shows are always scared of them. Is there any way I can help them be less scared?
Hello, thank you for your question. Sometimes ponies can be scared of new things and it may take time for them to get used to the new jumps. I think a good thing to do is lead them past the jumps so they can get used to them with you by their side to give them confidence. You could ride them around the jumps so they slowly get used to them, without having to go over them. If you school the ponies in the same area to where the jumps are they will soon begin to realise that the new jumps are not too scary and then you can slowly start taking the ponies over them. Remember it is always important to end on a good note so once they are getting used to working around the jumps, just pop them over it once and finish on a good note. You can then build this up to jumping a course. I really hope that helps. Have fun and good luck!
When I go riding and I am in trot I can't help bumping up and down. My instructor says I should lean back and tense my shoulders. Can you help me and give me tips please?
Hi there, thank you for your question. There are a few ways you can try and stop bouncing up and down. The main thing to remember is it does take time to learn how to ride and it does take practice. The first tip I would give you is to try and relax, it is a good idea to master a sitting trot first then start to feel the natural rhythm of the pony's trot. It is good to keep your hands soft, heels down and rise from your pelvis and not your legs. Try and keep your shoulders back, this will help your balance. I hope these few tips help. Good luck and remember practice makes perfect! Bye for now.
Can you please tell me what you describe to be light work for a horse and what I should feed my 13 year old mare who is in light work?
Light work for us horses means being ridden about three or four times a week, maybe just going out for hacks or doing a bit of schooling, nothing too strenuous!
With horses in light work it is better not to feed anything with too much energy in it - keep to feeds like chaff, hay and basic pony nuts rather than anything with too much sugar in it. Unfortunately I cannot advise exactly what to feed your horse as it depends on her size and what type of horse she is; every horse is different you know. The best thing to do is check out Spillers at www.spillers-feeds.com as they have a feed finder and loads of advice on what to feed your mare. Otherwise you can phone the Redwings welfare advice line on 01508 481008. Hope that helps, good luck!
Before my mum bought me my pony he was mainly used for lead rein showing classes so when I take him to a ridden class I can't get him to move away from the other ponies. If the judge walks over to me my pony just wants to follow him instead! Most of the time it seems that he prefers human company to other horses. When I hack out with others he is very forward going and is always happy to be in front. I think the world of my pony and if he is not happy in the show ring then so be it, I will enjoy hacking him out and looking after him.
Someone has suggested that we try taking him back to basics and long reining or lunging to get him going away from a handler, do you think this is a good idea or can you suggest something else? By the way I love the website!!
Thank you so much for your question and glad you like the website! It sounds like you love your pony a lot which is great to hear. It also sounds like he definitely prefers people to other ponies which can sometimes happen. Actually it sounds as though he is used to living on his own and not with other ponies, is that the case? Horses that are used to living on their own quickly learn to treat their humans as their friends and leaders and look to them for love and support instead of other horses.
Us horses can be quite unconfident and we are always used to having a leader - your pony looks to the nearest human for that leadership and that security, whether that's you or sometimes the judge!
Lunging or long reining sounds like a very good idea to help him to get his confidence and learn that it's ok to go it alone. Also if he does live on his own you could try turning him out with other ponies to see how he gets on as horses quickly regain their herd instincts when they are with other horses again. If you continue to have problems, you could get a professional horse handler to help you - log on to www.kellymarks.co.uk to find out more or phone our Welfare helpline on 01508 481008. Good luck!
My friend's pony has rather flat withers and his saddle doesn't fit properly. Is this a massive problem or just a minor one?
Yes, this is actually a big problem and could be causing your friend's pony a lot of pain. All horses should have their saddles fitted properly and checked regularly in case they change shape - even if this pony has flat withers they should be able to find a saddle that fits. Please tell your friend not to ride their pony until they have seen a professional saddle fitter. They can even come to your house and make you a saddle specially - ask your local tack shop if they can recommend someone. It doesn't have to be expensive and your pony will be so grateful.
My friend's pony is only 4 going on 5 and they can't find a saddle to fit him. Every saddle that is put on him, he starts to rear. They have had the vet out to check his back and it is fine but we don't seem to know what the problem is?
It sounds like your friend's pony is in some kind of discomfort when he has a saddle on. If the saddle doesn't fit him correctly then it will cause him some pain. I would tell your friend not to ride their pony until they have seen a professional saddle fitter. This doesn't have to be expensive and will rule out that the saddle is the cause of their pony's rearing. It could also be that their pony has a problem with their teeth, this can often cause a pony to rear when being ridden. If his back has been checked and is fine and a saddle fitter has correctly fitted a saddle and he is still rearing then I would advise your friend to get her pony's teeth checked by an Equine Dentist or your local vet - ask at your local tack shop if they can recommend someone. Your friend's pony will be extremely grateful for you help. Good Luck!
I ride every day at some stables and the pony that I ride bucks and seems to always be moody. Why is this?
Thank you for your question. Some ponies can be cheeky when ridden and often buck when excited, just acting naughty really! However he/she may be in some discomfort which is causing him/her to buck. If this is the case the pony may also act moody as it is in some pain. The best thing for you to do is talk to the stable owner about your worries regarding the pony. It could be the pony has a sore back which is causing it to buck, which in this case it would need to see a vet. It may be the saddle does not fit him/her correctly which would cause it discomfort, it would then need to see a saddle fitter. Both these problems are serious as the pony maybe in pain, I would recommend it is seen by a vet as soon as possible. It doesn't have to be expensive and the pony will be so grateful. I hope this helps!
