Mistake?

SadDad · 01-05-2005, 06:27 PM

Hi all,
I purchased a 3y/o Horse for my eight y/o daughetr for XMass. She has been taking lessons for about two years and does well.
I went to a recomended horse trader and brought the woman who gives the lessons and her older daughter with me when I shopped for this horse.
They both rode the horse as well as my inexperienced wife did. There was no clue of a problem. She responded to every comand.
The first few days we just let my daughter walk the horse in the ring, no problems at all. Then her next lesson she rode the horse, again with out incident.

Monday she rode and was thrown, the teacher thought the horse was spooked by a gunshot. (there is a gun club near by) She attached a lead line and put the kid back on the horse. A while later the horse tried to throw her again.

Today we went for lessons and the horse acted very well for about 45 minutes. All of the sudden the horse ran to full sprint and would not stop. There was nothing noticable that could have spooked her and no comands would stop her. Well the end result was my daughter went about six laps with the horse at full speed before being tossed hard into a wooden bench. Thankfully she was ok, a few bumbs and bruises.

The teacher had no information to offer on why this could have happened.
I dont know a thing about horses, I trusted her judgement and dont blame her but she has no idea what the problem is.
Should my daughter be spending more time just grooming and walking this animal before riding her again or is this horse just to young for a young rider?

monica-n-shiloh · 01-05-2005, 06:39 PM

Im sorry to say but a 3 year old is still a baby herself... A 3 year old with an 8 year old beginner rider just spells trouble in my mind. Inexperience + inexperience = somebody getting hurt.

Is there any way you can get a different horse? Take her back? Trade maybe??

Im sorry your daughter has taken some spills. I started riding lessons at the age of 4. Took a few nasty spills off a full size horse (who we now think was abused because she suddenly snapped) and that ended my riding for a while. Still had the love, but no desire to be on a horse. I hope your daughter does not lose her faith, courage and love.
I suggest getting her a much older horse and one who is kid safe and for beginners.

Goodluck...

Dawn · 01-05-2005, 06:39 PM

A horse that young has almost no chance of being experienced enough for a rider that young and inexperienced. You say that she has taken lessons and done well, but exactly how well has she done, what level is she at, and what type of lessons are they? There are so many variables on that. I know that you trust the trainer's judgement, but just how qualified and educated is her judgement? The fact that she has no thoughts, solutions, etc...on this would make me think that maybe she is not as experienced or qualified as you might think.

WhisperingStar · 01-05-2005, 06:43 PM

SadDad, I hope you do not mind if I am blunt, forgive me if you do.

We are talking a three year old , very young horse for a fairly inexperienced rider... ok Inexperienced rider plus inexperienced horse ---- spells disaster.

A horse should not even be trained until it is three, so lets say this horse was started at 2 it still would not have the training required for a rider of two years. Lets say the horse was started too young and is now experiencing pain in it's back , knee's, that would explain the unexpected spooking etc.

Is the saddle fitting properly and not pinching, causing pressure points etc ? Maybe the horse doesn't respect your duaghter either ? Could be .

What you need to do is re-evalute the horse, in the hands of an experienced rider this horse would probably be fine but for a young rider just learning a 3 year old horse is probably " too much horse ".

What you need is a experienced horse that can help " teach " your daughter , rather then your duaghter needing to teach the horse. I would recommend a horse at least 6 years old that has had lots of training. Horse will be happier, your daughter will be happier and you will be too.

IMO, this horse you have now is just too young and really needs more time to grow. Horses grow till they are 5-6, and so do thier minds. If you really want to keep this horse , let an experienced rider train this horse and do it very slowly or this 3 year old horse may suffer chronic injuries from being ridden too hard too early.

Sorry if I came across strong but to make this a good experience for you , your daughter and the horse I needed to....

Good Luck, I wish you the best.

Paint_luver · 01-05-2005, 06:43 PM

I'd hate to say this too, but I agree with monica-n-shiloh, sounds like a dangerous combinaton. I'm 16 years old myself, and only been riding steadily for a year and a half. I got a 3 year old gelding in January, and although he rode very well when I test rode him and for the first few months I had him, he started bucking and having some other behavioral issues in the summer when I began working him harder. I would recommend looking at something a little different for your daughter, and maybe a new trainer. It seems very odd to me that a reputable trainer would think a 3 year old horse would be a good match for an 8 year old rider who's still fairly inexperienced.

monica-n-shiloh · 01-05-2005, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paint_luver

and maybe a new trainer. It seems very odd to me that a reputable trainer would think a 3 year old horse would be a good match for an 8 year old rider who's still fairly inexperienced.

Yes! I second that! Forgot to mention those 2 things....

John · 01-05-2005, 06:48 PM

I agree with Monica and Dawn . When a rider gets on a horse for the first time they can expect a challange from the horse and if the rider does not respond in a firm manner the horse will keep going further as you have seen.

JumpsxGlory · 01-05-2005, 06:49 PM

IMO, purchasing a 3 year old for a eight year old child is deffintly not a good idea. Even if there is an experienced instructor. 3 year olds are meant for experienced riders or intermediate riders with an experienced instructor.

3 things are popping into my head as to why the horse may be acting up.

1) When you went to check out the horse, the owners may have given the horse medication of some sort to hide the horses vices.
2) The horse may be sore (I don't think it's that though...)
3) With the horse being so young and with so little experience, it could be a lack of respect and when there is a lack of respect the horse will try to get away with almost anything and will act up quite a bit.

The best thing to do is to send the horse back because getting the horse to an exceptable level for an 8 year old rider would take a long time!

SadDad · 01-05-2005, 06:54 PM

Thanx for all the responses. I dont really blame the trainer she told me a young horse probably wasnt a good idea. I just figured the two would grow together instead of me trading horses down the road.

I guess I need to explain to my daughter my mistake and trade this animal for an older version.

Shes a great horse and very loving, I guess thats what caught my eye more than my common sense.

Again thank you all.

JumpsxGlory · 01-05-2005, 06:55 PM

Anytime and I hope everything works out! Good luck!

01-05-2005, 06:27 PM	#1
SadDad Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 109	Mistake? Hi all, I purchased a 3y/o Horse for my eight y/o daughetr for XMass. She has been taking lessons for about two years and does well. I went to a recomended horse trader and brought the woman who gives the lessons and her older daughter with me when I shopped for this horse. They both rode the horse as well as my inexperienced wife did. There was no clue of a problem. She responded to every comand. The first few days we just let my daughter walk the horse in the ring, no problems at all. Then her next lesson she rode the horse, again with out incident. Monday she rode and was thrown, the teacher thought the horse was spooked by a gunshot. (there is a gun club near by) She attached a lead line and put the kid back on the horse. A while later the horse tried to throw her again. Today we went for lessons and the horse acted very well for about 45 minutes. All of the sudden the horse ran to full sprint and would not stop. There was nothing noticable that could have spooked her and no comands would stop her. Well the end result was my daughter went about six laps with the horse at full speed before being tossed hard into a wooden bench. Thankfully she was ok, a few bumbs and bruises. The teacher had no information to offer on why this could have happened. I dont know a thing about horses, I trusted her judgement and dont blame her but she has no idea what the problem is. Should my daughter be spending more time just grooming and walking this animal before riding her again or is this horse just to young for a young rider? Last edited by SadDad; 01-05-2005 at 06:47 PM.

01-05-2005, 06:43 PM	#5
Paint_luver Senior Member+ Join Date: May 2004 Location: Central Iowa Posts: 5,881 Images: 297 Blog Entries: 135	I'd hate to say this too, but I agree with monica-n-shiloh, sounds like a dangerous combinaton. I'm 16 years old myself, and only been riding steadily for a year and a half. I got a 3 year old gelding in January, and although he rode very well when I test rode him and for the first few months I had him, he started bucking and having some other behavioral issues in the summer when I began working him harder. I would recommend looking at something a little different for your daughter, and maybe a new trainer. It seems very odd to me that a reputable trainer would think a 3 year old horse would be a good match for an 8 year old rider who's still fairly inexperienced. __________________ "Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed ." Ralph Waldo Emerson

01-05-2005, 06:49 PM	#8
JumpsxGlory Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 8,696 Images: 1014 Blog Entries: 2	IMO, purchasing a 3 year old for a eight year old child is deffintly not a good idea. Even if there is an experienced instructor. 3 year olds are meant for experienced riders or intermediate riders with an experienced instructor. 3 things are popping into my head as to why the horse may be acting up. 1) When you went to check out the horse, the owners may have given the horse medication of some sort to hide the horses vices. 2) The horse may be sore (I don't think it's that though...) 3) With the horse being so young and with so little experience, it could be a lack of respect and when there is a lack of respect the horse will try to get away with almost anything and will act up quite a bit. The best thing to do is to send the horse back because getting the horse to an exceptable level for an 8 year old rider would take a long time! __________________ 2008 USA Olympic Equestrian Team "I had an uncle who was kicked in the head by a horse"... "What happened to him?".... "He got into politics!" Carpe Diem (Ollie): TB Dressage gelding Member of Dressage Club!

01-05-2005, 06:55 PM	#10
JumpsxGlory Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 8,696 Images: 1014 Blog Entries: 2	Anytime and I hope everything works out! Good luck! __________________ 2008 USA Olympic Equestrian Team "I had an uncle who was kicked in the head by a horse"... "What happened to him?".... "He got into politics!" Carpe Diem (Ollie): TB Dressage gelding Member of Dressage Club!

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01-05-2005, 06:39 PM	#3
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,652 Images: 1283	A horse that young has almost no chance of being experienced enough for a rider that young and inexperienced. You say that she has taken lessons and done well, but exactly how well has she done, what level is she at, and what type of lessons are they? There are so many variables on that. I know that you trust the trainer's judgement, but just how qualified and educated is her judgement? The fact that she has no thoughts, solutions, etc...on this would make me think that maybe she is not as experienced or qualified as you might think.

01-05-2005, 06:43 PM	#4
WhisperingStar Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 416 Images: 11	SadDad, I hope you do not mind if I am blunt, forgive me if you do. We are talking a three year old , very young horse for a fairly inexperienced rider... ok Inexperienced rider plus inexperienced horse ---- spells disaster. A horse should not even be trained until it is three, so lets say this horse was started at 2 it still would not have the training required for a rider of two years. Lets say the horse was started too young and is now experiencing pain in it's back , knee's, that would explain the unexpected spooking etc. Is the saddle fitting properly and not pinching, causing pressure points etc ? Maybe the horse doesn't respect your duaghter either ? Could be . What you need to do is re-evalute the horse, in the hands of an experienced rider this horse would probably be fine but for a young rider just learning a 3 year old horse is probably " too much horse ". What you need is a experienced horse that can help " teach " your daughter , rather then your duaghter needing to teach the horse. I would recommend a horse at least 6 years old that has had lots of training. Horse will be happier, your daughter will be happier and you will be too. IMO, this horse you have now is just too young and really needs more time to grow. Horses grow till they are 5-6, and so do thier minds. If you really want to keep this horse , let an experienced rider train this horse and do it very slowly or this 3 year old horse may suffer chronic injuries from being ridden too hard too early. Sorry if I came across strong but to make this a good experience for you , your daughter and the horse I needed to.... Good Luck, I wish you the best.

01-05-2005, 06:48 PM	#7
John Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 3,254 Images: 35	I agree with Monica and Dawn . When a rider gets on a horse for the first time they can expect a challange from the horse and if the rider does not respond in a firm manner the horse will keep going further as you have seen.

01-05-2005, 06:54 PM	#9
SadDad Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 109	Thanx for all the responses. I dont really blame the trainer she told me a young horse probably wasnt a good idea. I just figured the two would grow together instead of me trading horses down the road. I guess I need to explain to my daughter my mistake and trade this animal for an older version. Shes a great horse and very loving, I guess thats what caught my eye more than my common sense. Again thank you all.