i know how to care for ahorse and ride fairly okay..can trot and canter but sometimes still get it wrong, looking to loan a horse but the lady says her horse is a good all rounder but not for a novice, you need experience…what u think? am i too crap a rider?

If you sometimes still get it wrong and ride ‘fairly okay’, you are a beginner and need a horse suitable for a beginner. An experienced rider has ridden and probably trained ‘problem’ horses with success and confidence and can handle a horse that is headstrong, energetic, or inconsistent. They use cues with the minimum intensity that gets a response, with light hands, centered in the seat, etc. They are generally proficient in their discipline of choice and compete in that area on a horse they trained. They can get on and ride pretty much any horse put in front of them, and know how to deal with problem behaviors under saddle such as bucking, rearing, balking, bolting, etc. in the proper manner.

If the owner says the horse is not suitable for a novice, it needs confident handling by someone who knows what they are doing. He may be touchy to cues given improperly, he may have a quite high energy level, or he may try to run off with, or otherwise take advantage of, inexperienced people who don’t know how to stop him from doing it, or something similar.

There are some horses that will never ever, even with the best of training, have a temperament suitable for a novice. One of my mares is so sensitive that you just have to think about shifting your weight or make the slightest of movements with your hand or put ever so slight pressure with a leg, and she responds. When cued by someone heavy handed or that uses too much leg pressure or that can not remain centered in the saddle, she will either stop dead and refuse to move, or, if they are being particularly annoying or causing her discomfort by pulling on her mouth or thumping her side, she will bolt or dump them happily on the ground. Unfortunately the novice rider who owned her before me took her behavior as being unwilling to do what was asked and responded by pulling, thumping, etc even harder, thwacking her with a crop, and so forth, all of which were unsuccessful for obvious reasons. Cues of the intensity used by someone without the experience to use very subtle cues are confusing, frightening, and uncomfortable for her. Though she is well trained, responsive and incredibly nice to ride for someone skilled, she can not be ridden by a novice because of her incredibly sensitive mouth and sides.


3 Responses to “how do u define a "experienced horse rider"?”

  1. Reece Braveheart Aussies Says:

    Can you handle it if/when the house acts up? Bolting or bucking? If you can handle the big problems with a horse with attitude then you are fine.
    References :

  2. Bunny Says:

    Can you handle a horse when its misbehaving?

    I’ve fallen off 13 times, been bucked, reared and bolted across a 13 acred field and I jump, then I’ve been called an experienced rider xD. I guess your almost novice…So nearly there.
    References :

  3. oregano13 Says:

    If you sometimes still get it wrong and ride ‘fairly okay’, you are a beginner and need a horse suitable for a beginner. An experienced rider has ridden and probably trained ‘problem’ horses with success and confidence and can handle a horse that is headstrong, energetic, or inconsistent. They use cues with the minimum intensity that gets a response, with light hands, centered in the seat, etc. They are generally proficient in their discipline of choice and compete in that area on a horse they trained. They can get on and ride pretty much any horse put in front of them, and know how to deal with problem behaviors under saddle such as bucking, rearing, balking, bolting, etc. in the proper manner.

    If the owner says the horse is not suitable for a novice, it needs confident handling by someone who knows what they are doing. He may be touchy to cues given improperly, he may have a quite high energy level, or he may try to run off with, or otherwise take advantage of, inexperienced people who don’t know how to stop him from doing it, or something similar.

    There are some horses that will never ever, even with the best of training, have a temperament suitable for a novice. One of my mares is so sensitive that you just have to think about shifting your weight or make the slightest of movements with your hand or put ever so slight pressure with a leg, and she responds. When cued by someone heavy handed or that uses too much leg pressure or that can not remain centered in the saddle, she will either stop dead and refuse to move, or, if they are being particularly annoying or causing her discomfort by pulling on her mouth or thumping her side, she will bolt or dump them happily on the ground. Unfortunately the novice rider who owned her before me took her behavior as being unwilling to do what was asked and responded by pulling, thumping, etc even harder, thwacking her with a crop, and so forth, all of which were unsuccessful for obvious reasons. Cues of the intensity used by someone without the experience to use very subtle cues are confusing, frightening, and uncomfortable for her. Though she is well trained, responsive and incredibly nice to ride for someone skilled, she can not be ridden by a novice because of her incredibly sensitive mouth and sides.
    References :

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