getting the fizz out

[LovePinkBitsOfMyHorse]

due to being very nearly a grandmother I suspect am now of sufficiently advanced age to try to avoid being bucked off by mental excited and underworked horses and ponies - it is just the time of year and the lack of work, not feed or naughtiness - what is best way to cut down on rodeo? Lunge for half an hour before riding? Please disclose all your tips, my sharer got buried today and am worried she might bail out entirely and I need her!

You're not really going to be happy if it's not a bit like a rodeo though, are you! I'm a grandmother, and a total wimp, and admire your bottle.

Lunge, lunge, and lunge some more (but 10 mins on each rein) and do lots of schooling.

Good luck, and grandchildren are a huge pleasure, so enjoy!

Thank you!

It's not bottle, just lack some of those self preservation skills or instincts! I hate falling off actually, especially the pony because am scared that if I get hurt it will put daughter off riding him. I never fall off my horse no matter what he does, except for the first time I tried him and was unprepared for his weird movement and sudden bursts of speed, oh and the time he fell over on a hack but I bailed out voluntarily. Through a brambly hedge into a ditch, of course!

I feel there is nothing in front of me with the pony and I come off so easily, especially now he has mastered the twisty buck. Am rubbish at schooling and wondering if I just do loads and loads of road work each day, after lunge, he might behave bit better?

They've had big changes in past month and it is always bit hair raising at this time of year isn't it?

When you say 10 mins on each rein do you mean no more than 20 mins in total? Was wondering if bigger circle = potentially longer lunge session

Have you tried a daisy rein? My sister used to use one for her little bronco. It wasn't a total cure but did stop the more lethal bucks.

Like this

Oh I think you might have suggested that once before, for the price it wouldn't kill to try it, even if just when daughter is on board. Won't stop the bolting sudden forward movement or rearing dicking about, but this is just excitement. Or strop if you ask for something unspeakably complicated like 'round up a bit' or 'do fancy sideways walking'.

Seriously he is a good boy 98% of time when in regular work. I might print that out and laminate it so I can refer to it next time I get a mouthful of soggy sand. Grrrrrrrr.

(aka shoulder in)

Can you do a regular session each day of lunge, schooling, road work, etc, so he knows what he's supposed to do? (need someone more expert thean me for this though) And definitely laminate that thought!

I know just what you mean by nothing in front of you, I only ride wide loads!

My horse has been much more mellow and loveable this week. Could be something to do with the Christmas Guinness he's been having in his feeds.

Guinness is a great idea, I think I will treat them tomorrow. They didn't get any presents apart from being set free from riding school and relying completely on me, poor things.

It is working out shockingly cheaper than I thought, glad I am rubbish at sums as sometimes this leads to pleasant surprise.

Lunge, school and road work every day is probably the way - hopefully will get own riding fitness back up to ok level too. Shocked at what a difference it makes if you don't ride most days

We've got loads of Guiness left over. I'd love to give them some as Christmas treat. Are you sure it's ok to give to them? Won't they get pissed and silly? (visions of horses staggering through village)

Free schooling and what I call 'active' lungeing (where you don't just lunge on the circle but move around the school with them) always work for my ponies to get the initial fizz out, then a nice, active hack afterwards.

He was rodeoing on the spot when he saw me approaching with his breakfast and all I could think was 'am NOT getting on THAT' but obviously I will. Then for some reason he decided to chase the dog round the field, dog is traumatised now actually, horse attacked pony, daughter went face down in the mud and came up like some mythical lagoon monster.

Suspect lungeing will be fairly active however I play it!

Ok, here we go, wish me luck. If you never hear from me again I want to be fed to the hounds (or tigers).

I mean tigers preferably, they are even more endangered than hounds. Don't want my death to be in vain etc

Guinness is fine, unless you are thinking of giving them a barrel and a straw.

When we had a pub we used to save the dregs for the horses and they had beer several times a week in the winter. It kept their weight on a treat and there were never any ill-effects. They lived to be 35, 31 and 28 (last one was healthy but went blind) so I wouldn't worry about the odd little treat.

dd's loveable little sod of a pony wouldn't be caught yesterday so full of high spirits. finally cornere dhim , then he was as sweet as anything, nice and springy dd said, he looked gorgeous in an outline, no snatching at bit and stepping otu beautifully, even cantered nicely for her . maybe not seeing us for 3 weeks has doen him good ?
then found out yard manager had lunged the socks of him for an hr 2 hrs earlier

argh what a day

They are both fucking mental bastards quite high spirited, even on the ground (but the problem is keeping at least some of their feet on the ground and not, say, near my head or face) never mind to ride. Goodbye £all Hello schooling livery for a while.

Why not try a calmer before hand or turn out before you ride?

May just take the edge off

He lives out! Am sure he would blame it on cabin fever if he could but he hasn't been near a stable for weeks! Think the snowy icy weather just went on for longer than usual, I know it's not just my two because the others are also acting hilariously full of it. He's on a quiet mix, don't really want to dope him.

Mine were sweeter and calmer today though, they just need work, even just four hours a week each will do it. Yesterday all it took was a gag and a heavier rider (is it bad to wander around looking for confident fat generously proportioned riders and then proposition them with a smelly £10 note?) who could stay put and make him (pony) pay attention until it's safe for a child to get on?

Three expensive schooling sessions a week, plus sharer schooling/hacking plus me letting him take the piss should give us back our genuine, forward going pony.

All at our yard are a bit crazy atm after the snow. I just take ages to warm up if I think it will be an issue, and have a bit of a 'schooling' hack. But I know for some horses that could just really annoy them.

Oh - and I wear a body protector if I think my horse may be a little mad :)

Oh yes must make daughter wear hers even if not jumping, at least in winter. If he wasn't ultimately a child's pony I wouldn't worry, although have never had something rodeo in hand before and it scares me.

As luck would have it someone just called asking if she can ride the horse while hers is lame, she has ridden him once and I did spend the obligatory four hours in a and e with her afterwards so that will be a big help.

(it wasn't the his fault, she hadn't jumped for a while and got behind the movement. Honest)

Haha, you are making this pony sound a really 'fun' ride LovePink :)

well that was the horse but they are both lovely really, they are, they really are, they are lovely (new year new mantra)