Ring Manners and Riding

I've been riding for the last few weeks with a lady, Sue, who came into my work. She is a really nice woman and her daughter, Stacy, who is about 30 is also really sweet. They have three horses, two TB's and a TB/hanovarian.

Andy is a flea-bitten gray 19 year old OTTB. He's a little lazy but not at all difficult, but has some nerve damage due to EMP and needs a little extra work to keep him collected. Carousel is a 22 year old TB mare who is no longer ridable due to, I think, Founder. They told me but I honestly don't remember.

The TB/Hano is 6 years old, the daughter of their mare, and a bully of a brutish (beautiful) mare. She kicks when you ask her to move forward, she's pushy on the ground and she's not afraid to walk up to you in the field with ears pinned and a menacing look on her face. I'm still gaining trust and respect so I'm not asking for much, but I would really, really like to give her some serious ground manner training. Both of them are really nice, solid, intelligent horse women, but I have a feeling dealing with this sort of an attitude is probably something they're not quite used to.

They did let me ride her today, though. Just briefly and after my ride on Andy. Stacy rode her during my lesson and I felt she did a pretty good job of handling her. She rode her through their hiccups and didn't let up when she tried to kick out and suddenly drop to a standstill. But she's a serious "pretty-pretty princess" mare with a dominance complex and I have a feeling a couple solid whacks with the dressage whip when she kicks out may settle her a little bit. I feel a short, solid negative reaction would be more effective than ignoring the behavior.

When I got on her I asked her for a trot, all I got was a sidestep (in an effort to scrape me off on a jump standard) and a defiant toss of the head. Several kicks and clucks only resulted in her cow kicking and tossing her head back at me. I grabbed a dressage whip and tapped her shoulder and that got her trotting a little, but she'd randomly just completely stop and pin her ears.

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Now.

Ring manners.

Stacy and I were in the large jumping arena when three women came in to join us. It's a big enough arena (it's huge, actually) that 5 horses would barely have any issues. The jumps add a little problems, but nothing crazy. They didn't warm the horses up at all, just immediately started into a various trotting patterns, circles, randomly changing direction, etc. They were all friendly and introduced themselves to me and said hello and such, but one lady walked over to the trot poles Sue had set up FOR TODAY and starts to move them again. Sue goes "alright Kara head over the trot poles" and I said "actually, I can't, she's moving them" and Sue turns to her and goes "actually we're using those."

The lady continues moving the pole and goes "right NOW?" and Sue was like "yes, right now. I set them up for us to use. What did you need it for?" and she was like "I just need a pole."

Did you notice how I said we're in a large jumping arena? With SEVERAL jumps set up? And poles lying around EVERYWHERE? She huffed and dropped the pole without bothering to put it back where it was and went to the other side of the arena and moved one of the like 4 poles lying by unused standards. Then they'd randomly all stop and gather in the middle of the arena (blocking the ability to use the trot poles) and stop and talk.

They commented on how "nicely" Andy was moving, but you could tell it was in a "...for him" sort of way. Andy is a fairly well put together horse, nothing super special, but for a 19 year old OTTB he's damn good looking, and healthy.

I was so annoyed by their incredibly snobby, bitchiness I could puke.

On to a happier note.

The first time I rode Andy I felt so unbalanced and discombobulated and disjointed I was wholly disheartened by my inability to ride more than effectively. I used to be effective AND pretty. I was good. Damn Good.

But i consoled myself by reminding me that I haven't been in a regular lesson program since I was about 18, and only taken sporadic lessons since. Granted I rode Katie fairly regularly she was NOT at ALL a confidence builder. Working at camp this summer gave me a completely different riding experience, was an incredible confidence builder and gave me a much better outlook and seat.

However it did nothing for making me a pretty dressage rider.

Two lessons later I feel like I improved 500%. I'm not back to my 17 year old self, but seriously?! lol, not going to happen for a while. I don't have the muscle tone or consistent riding time I did then.

That being said, I cannot express the excitement and happiness I feel having a riding routine.