Novice questions... please reassure me!

[Tigersteeth]

Hello, my daughter is pony-crazy, so we have a one day a week pony share. She loves it, but he's a bit more lively than the riding school ponies I'm used to, and I'm worried I'm doing something wrong! The other people on the yard say we're fine, but are we?!
When my daughter rides, he often shakes (like a wet dog!). Why? Is it a friendly thing or is he fed up?
He often jumps/bucks/fusses when going from walk to trot. No-one else seems to think it's a big deal! Shall I just ignore it?
How can I get him to stop barging me when I'm leading him?
I'm doing my best but I'm feeling a bit out of my depth today! Have I just got too used to lazy old school ponies, is this just what proper ponies are like? Do I just need to toughen up?!

No-but if you have a pony for a day a week when the owner is on the same yard you need to be very careful what you're signing up for.

It's really very common for people - especially children from non-horsey backgrounds - to share a pony for a day or two a week, while it continues to live with, and largely be cared for and exercised by, its current owner. Obviously, the OP shouldn't be investing in anything beyond what she needs for her child's own benefit, and should make sure that their position is defined in a legal contract for the terms of the share - but those aren't hugely relevant to her questions (unless you presume that the OP is going to jump to booking saddlers in and buying new tack before discussing it sensibly with the owner).

LadyLance I really think this could go either way - it could be a sign of discomfort, or it could be completely normal pony behaviour - hence I've also said that the only decent outcome is a good, professional opinion of the pony, seen in person. I don't, however, think it's overly helpful for posters upthread to say that the pony isn't right for the OP, or state that headshaking and bucking = pain (given that there is no mention of headshaking, and the bucking isn't necessarily actual bucking). It's really impossible to tell those things over the internet, and I'd be really sad if someone was panicked into ending their share / raising issues badly with the owner and causing friction, just because of a miscommunication on the internet

“It's really very common for people - especially children from non-horsey backgrounds - to share a pony for a day or two a week, while it continues to live with, and largely be cared for and exercised by, its current owner.”

I know- we had exactly this arrangement with dd’s mare when A levels hit. But there seemed to be a lot of people suggesting that the OP should do all sorts of things- I just wanted to sound a note of caution.

Tigersteeth she definitely shouldn't have a crop.

In the nicest way possible I don't think you have the knowledge to say it's not pain. The barging may be a separate issue, or it may be trying to avoid coming in to do work. It sounds like he is hunching his back maybe, which is a sign of discomfort. 90% of behavioural issues are down to pain or fear ime.

BTW there are 4inches to the hand so your pony isn't 13.4, 13.2 maybe?

OP sorry but the more you say the less knowledgeable you sound and really I think the owner should be helping you more or you need an instructor.

It's true LadyLance, I don't know, and I will check.
Every day''s a school day!
I do always get someone to check him when we've tacked him up, and they always OK it before dd mounts. Thanks for your help, again.

Could one of those people have a look at the saddle fit for you? This will be different than just checking the tack is on correctly. It's not a professional opinion but a quick check by someone experienced should spot any obvious pinching/problems and they may be easily solved.

I feel slightly differently to other posters in that if you are riding the pony you have a duty to make sure it isn't in pain. Obviously you can't get the vet in, but there are basic checks you can do yourself.

When do you next see the pony?

But there seemed to be a lot of people suggesting that the OP should do all sorts of things- I just wanted to sound a note of caution.

God yes, I entirely agree - the OP can't just go booking in people without a friendly chat with the owner, and that's not one in which she goes overboard on the "pony is clearly broken/ has issues / tack doesn't fit" line. The easiest and least contentious way to get to the bottom of the situation is to say to the owner that her DD needs some lessons and book a good instructor. Then ask for the instructor's opinion - on the pony's behaviour, the tack and the whole situation. If there's an issue, the OP can then say that the instructor thinks the saddle needs checked and avoid putting the owner's back up - and discuss whose responsibility it is to pay for it. That's, in essence, the other side of the coin of my point - it's not helpful for some posters to go off the deep end and presume it's a pain / tack / serious issue when at present, the OP doesn't know what it is, and it may be nothing much. Get things checked out, absolutely, but there's no need to think about ending the share or looking for a new pony, on the strength of the OP (in my opinion).

I entirely agree that the OP sounds very novice, but I also think she's willing and trying to learn, which is very admirable.

Apart from anything else, when ds's mare was a 2day a week loan, dd would have been incandescent if the loanees had done anything without consulting her first!

BertrandRussell

Understandably so - I know how I'd feel if I had a sharer who booked anybody (instructor, saddler, physio) without asking me. I'd be furious - I have specific people I use who are well qualified and competent, and I don't want any old idiot who claims to have a certificate meddling and causing a problem.

I also know that I would be pretty grumpy if there was a basic handling or riding issue and the sharer claimed it was a result of my tack, or the training / soundness/management of my horse - and actually, in my experience most issues (up to, and including, many physical problems other than field injuries and genetic problems) are actually caused by poor handling and poor training / incorrect work.

@BetrandRussell @DiseasesOfTheSheep I do see what you are saying, and I agree that OP shouldn't just book professionals without consulting the owner.

However, would you really leave someone who is not confident in their own ability to tack up basically alone to get on with things? Would you be happy with someone of this ability supervising their 7yo's riding alone? And would you accept liability if ultimately their lack of knowledge caused an accident?

I agree that a lot of health issues/injuries can be made worse by incorrect work- but then equally what 7yo can work a pony correctly?

Maybe I am just being paranoid because of some of the situations I have seen IRL, but I feel like the whole thing is an accident waiting to happen.

Would I allow a novice to tack up a child's pony unsupervised? Yes, though I would show them how it needs to be fitted first time, then check all was ok before mounting after that. The OP says that it is checked after tacking up and OKed - not sure if that's the owner, or other yard people, but someone "trusted" is looking at it.

Would I allow a novice mother to supervise her small child bimbling around on a safe pony either on the lead rein or pottering around off it? Yes, if I was confident that the pony was a good one and the mother was sensible, and there wasn't going to be any silliness. I would worry more about a less novice combination who might be going faster / jumping higher / over-estimating their abilities. I would have half an eye out in case I saw something concerning, but that might just be me or a trusted person on the yard wandering past the school every now and then to check there's nothing silly going on.

I genuinely don't know if the pony is good, or not - I don't know that this isn't a recipe for disaster, but I don't know that it is either. And I maintain that the safest and most sensible way of dealing with it is to have a good instructor assess the situation in person, and go from there. If the pony is a good one, and these are trivial teething issues, it would be a shame for the OP to be worried into ending it, and moving onto a pony who might be far more problematic. And again, in my experience, really good kids ponies are not at all common - and nothing in the OP convinces me that this definitely isn't a good pony.

Very few 7 year olds can work horses correctly, but neither do they routinely work them very incorrectly - since 7 year olds tend to be smallish and light, and not asking horses to work against their mechanics, that's actually fine. There's more of an issue when adults interfere and try to make things "pretty", in my experience!

We have a pony on loan who has a very thick coat and gets very hot and does both the body shake and attempts to roll whilst being ridden if hot and sweaty. I would clip her if she was mine, but am not allowed under loan agreement.