Oh Sh*t

[ExitPursuedByABear]

DD (12) has just started riding a pony for someone, having spent nearly 6 years riding round in effing circles at the local riding school. She has had a couple of rides when we have been on holiday over open moorland, beaches etc, and a 3 day riding holiday in Anglesey.

A friend of hers has also been riding someone else's horse, so today they set out for the first time on their own unsupervised. They were so excited. I drove them round the route yesterday. Friend stayed over at ours last night. Much giggling and laughter all evening as they planned their outing.

DH dropped both girls at their respective yards, helped DD to tack up and watched her ride off to meet her friend.

45 minutes later they were both off. Total chaos on the bridlepath apparently. Friend wanted to canter to get rid of some steam (blame the chap she has been riding out with for that notion). DD struggling to control her pony. Eventually DD's pony bolted, onto a road in a housing estate. Friend fell off on bridlepath, and DD threw herself off her pony onto the pavement as they were approaching a woman with two small children! Fortunately DD's pony then stopped, and friend's pony stopped with hers.

The first question I asked when DD phoned me in tears was "Have you got both ponies?"

Both girls bruised. One of the ponies has a cut which may need stitching.

I just feel so sorry for the pair of them. Talk about coming down with a bump!

Poor girls! So glad neither of them was seriously hurt but they must have had a real fright.

Can I ask, why hasn't DD hacked at her riding school? I would expect them to keep children in an arena for safety reasons until they had reasonable control of the ponies and could walk/trot/canter unassisted, but after that why not take them on hacks?

Is there an adult that could ride with them next time? Or if not available could you go along on a bike or on foot?

Oh thanks for your reply. I don't know why I posted really, I just wanted to share with other horsey people as I feel so dreadful.

The school do not do hacks - no idea why. When I leant to ride, you had lessons until you could ride than graduated to the hacks. There was a slow one and a fast one. The fast one was brilliant .

Even our local 'grotty' riding school, which used to do a two hour trek on a Sunday has stopped doing those - I think it is the dreaded Elfin Safety and insurance.

I am a bit crippled (from many horse falls) so I cannot keep up in walk and my biking days are long past.

Definitely won't be going out alone again for some time. I will book her some lessons.

Lessons on the loan pony that is.

Don't worry too much - once the shock has receded it will be a tale often told "do you remember when.....?"

See if you can get her out on a supervised hack with an adult which should get some confidence back.

12 is young to let them hack out alone and ponies in spring can make for some interesting behaviour!! Esp asking them to canter in an open space!! At least no one was hurt and the kids were ok. My pony has pulled some pretty impressive moves each spring! The best galloping round 3 football pitches! that was after a sedate canter by the river she just went!!! They all do it sometimes x

Oh no! Although I bet in a few days,once the shock has worn off,they'll be laughing about it and put it down to experience.I agree with the suggestions of a supervised hack if it is possible and a few lessons on the loan pony is a very good idea.I hope that you all feel better [ponies included] soon.

Feel free to repeat this to me when,in a few years time,I fret about my two hacking alone.

horsylady makes a good point,spring grass can have some very interesting results.Dpony who never takes off and has taken DD1 hunting all day with no problems showed us her heels on Saturday.They were at the PC bunnyhunt and she and her friend overtook the Master when their ponies just decided to go for it.

Are the ponies out 24/7? We have dpony on a starvation paddock during the day and on a new paddock overnight and she is still feeling pretty fine despite this.

Bless them! And you! It's awful watching them go off alone, and then to get in a mess,
It's taken dd13 many years of pottering about in fields and then hacking out with my most trusted friend to be allowed to ride out alone with her friend. They are very sensible generally, the most they usually get is walk and trot, and we don't have many bridle paths round here. however they did give me a coronary when my friend went on holiday. They rode every horse on the yard, and their own on a huge hack, covering several fields I didn't know existed, and galloped!
I was at work at the time, and didn't find out until I got home!! I was alternately and proud! And relieved that they didn't manage to get into trouble!
I think this is something we have to bear as parents of riding kids. We have to make sure that they are as safe as possible, and then just stand back and bite our nails! My big thing is that they aren't over horsed, and their ponies are road safe. She wears fluorescent from head to toe, and so does her horse.
I think your dd has probably learned a valuable lesson, and will be a lot more careful next time, but I'd still probably not let her out unattended for a while.

Thanks all for your understanding. I did mention Spring madness to the owner, as it can add an extra frisson. I realise now that they were too young and inexperienced, which is why I feel so stupid as I am not! The injured pony has had to have staples and box rest for a week. It didn't look that bad to me but better safe than sorry.

I just keep thinking about what could have happened. It seems that DD's pony bolted and just kept on going. It was probably about 500yds before the pony turned off the bridlepath and DD decided to throw herself off - off the wrong side which surprised me.

DD did not realise that to stop a bolting horse you need to turn it in a tight circle, or into the nearest obstacle - but I don't think anyone ever told me, it was just instinct when it first happened to me.

Curious to know - a bolting horse, does it get stronger the longer it goes on for? I have always managed to stop them fairly quickly by turning, but in discussing with people today I have heard of one horse that galloped about 2 miles before being stopped.

She is in my bed with a hot water bottle. Off to join her.

I did say to her tonight, after Bastarddog had disappeared after a Canada Goose, "How dull must life be without animals".

Turning works sometimes, sometimes it's not safe. When I was bolted with, 3 months pregnant it was turn into a newly flailed hedge, (spikes everywhere) or a field of sugar beet! I chose just to sit tight. They should Peter out after a while, but I suppose it depends on what spooked them. sometimes bailing out is just the right thing to do. I've told DD that she needs to assess each situation on its own merit. Careering towards a dual carriage way? Bail out. Your life is more important. Handy hedge, steer into it.
Fwiw, steering Into an obstacle is ok, but walls and trees are not sensible. DBF got serious concussion from a tree trunk!

I have turned into a bale of haylage (comfy) and someone's garage (they were surprised).

Agree - maybe DD chose the best option in baling out - they were heading towards a road and she was worried they would meet traffic.

Oh shudder. You just want to take their place.

SOD THAT! I can't ride on the road anymore. My nerves are SHOT! Dd is as safe as I can make her. She wants to hack, she is accompanied by a responsible teustworthy person I've done my bit!

I don't even ride anymore. As we limped back to one of the stables today, me leading damaged pony, DD and friend tearstained, followed by friend's mother and sister, a chap sat in a car asked if I had fallen off (I was wearing jods and wellies). I told him that I always walk like this. Twas up bloody big hill and I was knackered. I did think at one point "Oh why don't I just get on the bloody thing and ride it back?" but my bone are not up to it anymore .

I hate riding on the roads as well, too many close calls with totally inconsiderate riders. Unfortunately we don't have any other choice round here...

Regarding the bolting horse my first thoughts are that if a horse is truly bolting in blind panic there is nothing the rider can do. True bolters lose all sense of self-preservation and will slam into obstacles, fall over, continue forever, etc. Luckily true bolters are very rare though! For horses that piss off there are a number of approaches. Some will panic more if you try to hold them so it might be better to give them their head for a short while and then pull up. Others will get heavier on the forehand with this technique so they are best kept more collected with frequent half-halts. Some need a martingale to make sure they can't chuck their head in the air.

Best place for a horse that pisses off is a very large, even footed field, as personally I prefer to pop them on a large circle, let them run out of steam and them keep them going for a while longer. Some people try the one rein stop but it is possible to pull a horse over on slippery ground so it depends on conditions. I have been stuck on a horse pissing off on a very narrow road following its riderless friend and that was pretty awful - not much I could do and bailing out did not seem that easy either!

Thanks Booboo. Just checking - did you mean inconsiderate riders - or drivers?

I have palpitations at the thought of DD coping with some of the idiots that are on the roads now. I suppose that is why the riding schools rarely hack out any more.

Well done you for handling it with such aplomb.

Yes, we were once young and stupid too - took far too many risks. One which springs to mind is going out on a long hack on a school night - in winter! My friend's dad was furious driving around dark lanes looking for us ... This was decades before hi-viz!

I was 13 when I got my first pony. I rode him home in the dark on a school night the day I got him. On my own. Not a high viz in sight.

My parents had no idea

My mum rides so she knew what we were capable of, but it was very much a case of "fgs don't fall off and create a scene", or, "get back on and stop your crying!". ;)

Ooops sorry! I did mean "drivers"!!! This is what comes from typing one handed with a baby on the other arm!!

I'm glad all ended well, and hope dd and her friend haven't lost too much confidence. It's why I ended up riding again after a 30 year gap, so that I could hack out with gd (now 12) when she got her first pony 3 years ago. She and a friend are allowed out on their own now, having hacked out supervised for 3years, but I still spend all the time they are out scanning the skies for the air ambulance until they are back safely.

Is there anyone else at the yard who would take them out to get some experience?

I have been known, once or twice, to 'pop down to the Coop' for a drink in order to scout out where dd has got to!

What an anxious day for you Exit!! Glad they are all OK and no-one came to harm (apart from a few bruises and the cut)!! So it was a bit of a mad escapade but they did take the time to plan and take the correct evasive action when necessary!!! They'll learn a lot from it.

I always think the skills needed for hacking out are under-estimated and that much more emphasis should be placed on them being taught properly in riding schools.

Came across this link the other day and thought there was a lot of truth in it!!

Btw agree with Booboostoo about true bolters (as opposed to carters) as I found to my cost when I aimed my horse at a tree in the hope that it would stop .. and er ... it didn't ... Still have a wonky nose to show for it!!

What a great link sanguine I have printed it off and given it to DD.
There are others at the yard, but mainly teenagers. The lady who owns the pony is happy to go out with her, but it sort of defeats the object of her wanting someone to exercise her pony iyswim.

DD has decided she is too bruised and battered to play in a netball tournament tomorrow. I am going to try and encourage her to go out for a hack (accompanied!) as I think the sooner she gets back on the better she will feel.

Here here!

If the lady who owns the pony is happy to go out with her then take her up on it! The pony still gets exersized. I take old pony's part loaner out sometimes, it's nice to encourage children to develop their skills and confidence, and keeps me in touch with the pony's ridden stuff. Sooner the better is dead right, get her to sing if she feels nervous (works for me)