LazyARanch
Well-known member
Bought a big buckskin mare about 5 years ago. She is a registered QH and has points in youth classes. Not a lot but enough so ya knew she was good when she wanted to be. I bought her just to trail ride and the young gal that had her rode her all over the place out in Vancouver BC area.
I took her on a few trail rides and she was pretty good, easy gaits, pretty calm and responsive to aids. I consider myself a pretty average rider. No cowboy for sure!
Anyhoo... one ride through some woodsy area with some friends, she started acting like she was freaked out about something in the woods. Would throw her head up, paw, and then start backing. I had a heckuva time getting her straightened out and made me nervous some too as some of the trails had a drop-off right along the path. I ain't one for bungee jumping or tumbling down hillsides on purpose let me tell ya!~
Anyway, I did get her straightened out on that ride and we finished uneventfully after the one little struggle. Then I took her on a longer trail ride in a group. Going down the road yakking, totally at ease and riding about 3 abreast, she suddenly stopped and started pawing. Then started backing up. I thumped her with my heels and pulled her in circles but she kept backing, or would stop and paw. I had the group continue on without me as I figured she'd maybe get anxious to get back with the other horses but NOPE.... kept pawing and backing. She finally settled down and continued on behind the group but we had ANOTHER episode before we got back to camp. Same kind of thing! Finally made it back to camp and she had another fit right alongside a barbwire fence so I got off and walked her around for awhile before I went back to the trailer. Next day we had a short ride and she was fine.
Then a friend of mine leased her for her daughter (who had ridden and shown for several years) and had her for about 4 months... brought her back and said she had turned into a total B-otch and wouldn't lope either in the outdoor arena or the indoor one, and was having her balky hissy-fits again.
So much for that.... I had thought regular riding with an experienced girl and her experienced family would do wonders for her but NOPE... she's worse when she gets home than she was when she left.
She's now been standing unused for the past couple years. I'm not anxious to get on her, don't want to get into a battle that I'm not sure I can win.
One other note, she's good to handle other than she'll fight being tied once in a while. I have to make sure she's got a good halter and stout rope when I tie her.
Any suggestions? (OTHER than sell her for dog-food) :???:
thanks for any help in advance
I took her on a few trail rides and she was pretty good, easy gaits, pretty calm and responsive to aids. I consider myself a pretty average rider. No cowboy for sure!
Anyhoo... one ride through some woodsy area with some friends, she started acting like she was freaked out about something in the woods. Would throw her head up, paw, and then start backing. I had a heckuva time getting her straightened out and made me nervous some too as some of the trails had a drop-off right along the path. I ain't one for bungee jumping or tumbling down hillsides on purpose let me tell ya!~
Anyway, I did get her straightened out on that ride and we finished uneventfully after the one little struggle. Then I took her on a longer trail ride in a group. Going down the road yakking, totally at ease and riding about 3 abreast, she suddenly stopped and started pawing. Then started backing up. I thumped her with my heels and pulled her in circles but she kept backing, or would stop and paw. I had the group continue on without me as I figured she'd maybe get anxious to get back with the other horses but NOPE.... kept pawing and backing. She finally settled down and continued on behind the group but we had ANOTHER episode before we got back to camp. Same kind of thing! Finally made it back to camp and she had another fit right alongside a barbwire fence so I got off and walked her around for awhile before I went back to the trailer. Next day we had a short ride and she was fine.
Then a friend of mine leased her for her daughter (who had ridden and shown for several years) and had her for about 4 months... brought her back and said she had turned into a total B-otch and wouldn't lope either in the outdoor arena or the indoor one, and was having her balky hissy-fits again.
So much for that.... I had thought regular riding with an experienced girl and her experienced family would do wonders for her but NOPE... she's worse when she gets home than she was when she left.
She's now been standing unused for the past couple years. I'm not anxious to get on her, don't want to get into a battle that I'm not sure I can win.
One other note, she's good to handle other than she'll fight being tied once in a while. I have to make sure she's got a good halter and stout rope when I tie her.
Any suggestions? (OTHER than sell her for dog-food) :???:
thanks for any help in advance