sunnyxanya

Taking my new boy to his first dressage test on Sunday and was just wondering what I should do with his mane? This is my first dressage test as well so we're only doing walk and trot, but i was wondering what to do. His mane is a good length, not below or covering his shoulders! Any advice will be greatly appreciated:)

So a little while ago i asked this question-

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ap...

about falling off my horse while i was out hacking. [BACKGROUND] Since then, i didnt ride for a week, attempted join up once, with horrible results of him charging and rearing. My instructor was watching and couldnt understand why, and we tried it a bit later on my older more reliable horse and it worked wonders, so we haven't attempted join up again in fear of my safety..

The day after that we attempted lunging him in the school, and after a few bucking fits he calmed down and started working nicely. Then, when we thought he was calm enough i decided to get on and see what he'd be like with me riding, which was a big mistake as half way through waling round the school he started to rear and almost came down on top of me, so there we called it a day.

Over the next couple of days we had the vet out, chiropractor, saddler; pretty much everyone out to try and see whether it was a physical problem that was causing him to act this way, and no one could find a thing so we attempted to lunge him with a saddle on to see how he would act, and yet again after a few bucking fits he would work quite nicely so i decided to try riding him again.

This time as soon as i was sat down he started bucking and eventually got me off, then when i went to go catch him as he was down the other end of the school he attempted rearing at me, and then charged me down the school..

I know its probably a cowards way out but i really dont feel safe around this horse and i honestly dont understand why he is acting this way as he does the exact same thing with my trainer, and she doesnt particularly want to spend time riding a dangerous horse as she has a problem with her back. So i decided to hire someone to come and ride my horse and try to sort out why he is being like this. I cant really do it as he was my first project horse and everything had gone well untill that fall..

Essentially the person i hired is just going to reschool him as it wont be too difficult, but someone said to me that i shouldnt have hired someone to do it for me and that i should have hired an instructor so i do everything with the help of someone else, instead of just getting someone to do it for me because that way he will respect me more.. But when the only thing he will let me do without kicking up a fuss is turning him in and out, i dont feel safe working with him.

Was i wrong in hiring someone? What should i have done? I really hope i havent messed him up in hiring someone else to do it for me..

We were out hacking on Wednesday on our normal route around the fields, all we ever do is walk and trot because the fields we ride round are next to the stable so he just grabs the bit and takes off if we canter. So we got to the third field and something about the hedge was bothering him so he started jogging and running through his shoulder to get away from it, at which point he bolted and continuously threw out bucks which eventually leaded to me falling under him and he stood on the edge of my chest, but i was wearing a BP so im fine, and he just bolted back to the stable.

I didnt ride yesterday, just did a lot of grooming and pampering him but i did ride today, and i was so nervous of everything i did. We worked in the school where he's normally fine but he just seemed a bit disconnected. We werent working as well as we had before on the flat and could barely hold an outline for more than three strides, and he was ducking out and knocking rails at about 2' when we normally jump about 3'. I darent try and take him out hacking yet when things are going out so badly in the school.

So how can i get back to we used to be? Will it just require a lot of flatwork and drills and pampering sessions? Are there any things i should try, because at the moment we dont trust eachother so its not really very enjoyable to be riding..

LQ: What is disunited canter used for? and when is it used, if ever?

Im attempting to film my GCSE horse riding video over this summer and want to get the highest marks possible, so could someone give me a list of all the possible transitions so i can do them when i next ride please? :-) I think i already know most of them however i just want to make sure i dont miss any out! Thank you!

So anything up to about three foot is generally fine and he'll jump them cleanly with no problems at all but as soon as the jumps start to get any higher he clips them with his back legs. His take off is generally spot on and even has the same problem with my instructor, so i was just looking for some ways to attempt to fix this, if possible?

I've been looking for a new riding instructor because mine is currently only available once every other week and id like to keep my weekly lessons up, and I've come across one who seems very good, qualified, lots of experience, for £7 per half hour. I thought this was rather cheap considering my other instructor charges £25 per half hour, so I wanted to see what everyone else got and see if one is ridiculously cheap, or the other is just very expensive. Also, both of them drive to my stable to give me lessons on my horse..

So how long are your lessons and for how much?

What is included in your lesson?

Do you have to go to them or do they come to you?

Feel free to add any additional information that you feel may be beneficial.

Im not sure how bad this is or anything, but my hands tend to travel to far up the neck of the horse, generally at the ears. I tend to ride horses normally and my position hasnt changed on them, but while riding a pony for a friend i have noticed my position go a bit off..

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/329...

this is how i look currently.. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Its gotten to the point where my old boots are too worn to be used anymore so i have been looking at buying some new ones, but now as im 15 my parents have said i have to buy them myself. Due to having a limited budget im not sure whether to go with an incredibly cheap pair, or go for something slightly more expensive. The boots i have been looking at are

http://www.equestrianclearance.com/westgate_efi/mt...

and

http://www.equestrianclearance.com/-just_togs/jt_e...

On of them is leather and the other is imitation leather (i think) but could anybody give me any advice as to which ones to buy?

http://www.bernhard-vogel.at/fileadmin/content_ber...

I know that the image has been done using acrylics, however im a bit unsure of how he's got the lines going all over it.. Im supposed to be doing a study of it and i really have no clue how he got this effect. The artist is Berhard Vogel, if that helps.

Any help would be great!

Recently our yard has been taken over by a new owner and has imposed some new rules while being in the school. The time slot when i normally ride has now been scheduled for two horses and can only be used if two horses are in the school, im not sure why but this is the rule.

However, my horse and i have never been in a school with another horse and im not really sure of how it works.. are there any specific rules or anything you have to go by? Just any information really would be helpful as im completely clueless.

Every wednesday we go in the school for an hour and do flatwork and have been for about a year now. (I ride four times a week varying hacking and lessons, but wednesday is solely for flatwork and EQ) Lately ive been getting a bit bored of doing the same thing, well not bored but used to it and its become a bit too easy and i dont feel like im gaining anything from it.

We normally go in and do a 10 minute warm up, then focus on circles, using different gaits and transitions for about 20 minutes, and then i do 20 minutes of stirrupless work which again is just circles, different gaits and transitions and then we do a 10 minute cool down.

But as i said this is getting a little bit repetitive for both me and my horse and i am looking for some new things to do, so if anybody has any idea then it'd be much appreciated!

Starting tomorrow i am going to a two week work placement as a stable assistant. I phoned up but as the man who runs the stable is very busy he didnt have time to give me many details and all i actually know is what time i have to be there tomorrow.

So what type of thing should i wear? Ill be there from 9-5. Should i take my hat just in case im dealing with difficult horses? What things do you think i could be doing? I just want to get a rough idea so i know what to take/wear tomorrow!

me and my friend are going to a show tomorrow, its her first show and we'll be competing against each other, but she gets really nervous. What pieces of advice can i give her to try and relax her a little? She's a good rider and can do well, but as ive been to shows before and she hasnt she doesnt want to do it tomorrow as she fears that she has no chance against me when she really does.

So anythings i can say to her would be of great help, thanks.

I ordered some breeches for a dressage show im doing, its only a small show but we will be marked on attire.

I ordered a pair of beige breeches and when they arrived the came sort of greeny beige i was just wondering it that would be okay? They're going to be worn with a white shirt and grey tweed jacket.

I would've ordered white but whenever i've bought a pair they've only lasted one show so its a bit of a waste.

Many thanks in advance.

So ive got my first show in quite a while this Sunday and i went to try on all my show attire and my jacket ripped, it was too small for me and i cant actually wear it anymore, so now im in a bit of a crisis.

Im not doing a huge show, its just with the prelim dressage tests, but you will be marked on appearance and im not sure what to do.

My parents wont pay for me to get a new jacket as my old one was fairly expensive and only lasted a year before i outgrew it, and i cant afford to buy one before sunday.

Would it matter an incredible amount if i did the dressage test in just white breeches, black long boots and a shirt and stock tie? or would i have to be able to get a jacket?

Thanks in advance. I was just panicking as its not at my barn so i wasnt sure how theyd react.

Okay, a its getting colder ive started rugging my horse again, but theres one slight problem. He' terrified of them. It never happened before, but for the past couple of weeks the only way i can get a rug off him is by undoing the straps and letting him spook while holding onto the rug, and then putting it on i have to have very skilled aim and try to get it on while he is running in circles.

This isnt happening because this is his first year of having a rug, he has had them for all 14 years of his life, its just ridiculous, and its not like the rug is different in any way at all.

Its not my method of putting on/taking off the rug either, no one at my stable can do it without him spooking.

Just wondering though, is there anyway i can desensitise him to this? Or find a better way to get the rugs on and off?

For my pe homework, i have to write a code of conduct for one of the sports i am doing, and i chose horse riding. ive currently got 17 points and i need 25, so could any of you givc=e me a couple points to add please?

Im doing a kenya case study and i am completely stuck on these two questions.

- what are the stratigies for maintaining the importance of tourism in kenya

-strategies for reducing negative effects of mass tourism

So for each question, what should i be searching cause i have no idea? Maybe im thinking it too much, or just reading it wrong, but i am completely clueless. So what things should i look for?

Im writing to a stable for work experience, but every time i write it out i seem to have written either too much or too little.

So if you were going to take someone on at your stable for work experience what would the letter have to include? And what shouldnt be included?

So my horse is a brilliant jumper, but i am giving lessons on him, and when it comes to teaching the girls, we start off at very small jumps, that are large enough for him to jump, but small enough for the girls to handle.

Recently though, he seems to have become bored of jumping the smaller jumps and doesnt put any effort in and clips the jumps with his hind legs.

He doesnt knock the poles down though, he just sort of clips them, and then my girls all think they are doing something horribly wrong, when theyve done everything they could..

So what would be my best way to get around this? If there is any..