Should I let me daughter ride my horse again, because...?

Question

I got a horse for my kid to learn on and this horse is great with my kid. She is calm, older, and usually tries to please, but she is new, so we don't know alot about her. She is actually a great horse, but the other day she bucked me and gave me major attitude. When I was done working with her, she was acting better, but now I don't trust her with my daughter as much... Should I even put my daughter on this horse again?

Answer 1

As many of the answerers have said....check that your equipment is fitting correctly.
Remeber that the better rider you are, the more the horse can sense this, and is more likely to "act up". You as a better rider will demand more, maybe causing the mare to be reluctant to perform.
However if this behaviour continues then i would suggest the mare is not suitable for your daughter, as (im presuming) a young, inexperienced rider.
I dont think NOT allowing your daughter to ride her is necessarily the right move, especially as you say the mare is usually well behaved and gentle.
I had a horse that when i first got him i was inexperienced, and he was an absolute horror in the stable, but a dream to ride, really looked after me. but as my riding improved i was able to handle him better...but i never did this without supervision in the beginning, and i fell off ALOT!!!
your daughter is going to fall off horses, it's one of those things that come with the territory, along with being bitten and kicked occassionally. If she is truly passionate about horses, this will not deter her. but becareful you dont allow it to deter YOU!

At the end of the day...supervision is PARAMOUNT, until your daughter is competent, and confident in her own riding abilities..and its not just about getting on and riding, its also about all the little bits inbetween...she should b allowed, if not to ride her immediately, but to learn to handle the mare, grooming, cleaning the stable etc....

Answer 2

Depends on the kid. If she is very young or inexperienced then no, don't let her alone on the horse. Supervise closely until you are comfortable that he will behave.
If she has a little experience, just tell her what happened and to watch out for his misbehavior. Chances are, she knows how to handle horses (you seem like a horse family)
You might want a vet to check the horse. Any sudden misbehavior, or any behavior change may signal illness or injury. Look him over carefully. You will be amazed at what some animals will put up with before they "say" anything.
Good luck, hope this helps.

Answer 3

A horse that is known to have a good disposition will not act up without reason. Her saddle might have been too tight or she might have had a stomach ach, or a stone in her shoe. Keep working with her and if it happens again check her from head tail to make sure there is nothing wrong. Also check your own ways to make sure you didn't do anything to upset the horse. For example, you must always mount from the left. You are wise to hold off on letting your daughter ride her. You might want to consider pro riding lessons to make sure she can handle the horse.

Answer 4

she was probably just having a bad day or and off day. As well trained as my horse was, I still had days where he just would not listen, would buck and rear, would fight everything just because he was feeling a little off. That was just his personality. If it is osmething that you are worried about, try lunging the horse and possibly riding her yourself next time before you put your daughter on. make sure that all of her tack fits right, that her blanket is brushed free of debris, and that she isnt having tack related issues. if she still keeps acting up, have your vet check her for a pinched nerve as well as her teeth. she may need floated.

Was she in heat when you rode her? That can be a major contributing factor. Think how cranky you are at that time of month. Some months are worse than others.

Answer 5

We had this same problem when I was a little girl. My dad bought me a great pony. Very gentle. Then she began to get an attitude. We ended up selling her and she passed through several other owners. The absolute best horse for a kid? A gelding. Studs are often mean, and mares are just like women....they have hormonal changes and are moody. My best friend agrees, and she trains horses....

Answer 6

How old is your daughter? A lot of horses will have attitude towards you, but put a child on and they become gentle as a lamb. 1 of my horses was like that, it was like he could sence they were young and needed protection. Trust your own judgement, nobody on here can see your horse to make a good judgement for you

Answer 7

i've trained horses for many years. horses actually tune in to your mood. my daughters horse is absolutely crazy in my opinion she's scared of everthing and bucks all the time. my daughter says it's because when she rides her she has a hiper vibe and loves it when the horse does that. were you in a bad mood when you rode the horse. maybe you were too strong with your legs and the horse doesn't like it. maybe she had a bug on her butt. a lot of times horses will buck during the somer when bugs are out. maybe it was too hot outside. were you jerking on the reins. if a horse is used to gentle hand they get pissed off when people jerk their mouths about. and besides my daughter has fallen off of plenty horses and she's fine. never had a broken bone. it's gonna happen if you have a horse. let her get on and if she's too scared to get back on if she falls off, she's not a real rider anyway. i've taught horseback riding lessons forever and all of my students have fallen off of even the most gentle horses atleast once.

Answer 8

I think it would be wise to have a little more time with the horse. Mares often are nicer to children than adults but I wouldnt count on it. I taught children dressage and vaulting for 20 years. If the mare works quietly on a line in a circle around you, that would be an excellent way to introduce them. You could also make suggestions about her form like sit up straight, keep your legs long,etc.

Answer 9

Was she stung by a bee or bitten by a fly? There may have been something under the saddle that was hurting her. Are her feet okay? Check for rocks or a cut. She also could have been having an off day - was is hot? Just make sure you let her know who the boss is and it should be safe for your daughter to ride her.

Answer 10

where did you buy this horse? Horse Traders or notorious for using ace to quite a horse down when they sell and when the buyer gets the horse home they have an outlaw on their hands. buyer beware. i would ride the tar out of this horse before i would take a chance of getting my daughter hurt.wet saddle pads and lots of them , or sell the horse and start over remember it costs as much to feed a good horse as a bad one.