I'm a horseback riding instructor and am wondering Why is my horse laynig down on only one of my students?

Question

To the ignorant woman that is questioning my abilty to do my job addequatly..... It is not a very common traight for a horse to repeadly lie down . Disciplining him while a 5 y.o. is on his back would be a bit unappropite don't ya think. This is why I'm asking this Q's. Go back to your trailer!

Answer 1

Defective kid.
Oh my, Glory! That's a weird one you have. Its your horse and it only lays down on one student?
I totally doubt you or the horse are to blame, as your both pros at what you do.
Any way you can put the child up on another horse? Something about that student is not right. I trust your horse and your skill to notice.
A different horse would sort the child out, and you might discover why. I'd get a release first though. Nothing like being sued when your problem solving.Good luck..and remember child protective services if the kid is parent abused. I mean, you do suspect the kid is abnormal right?

Answer 2

First make sure your student is putting on the tack correctly. It could be the girth is too tight or too loose, or the bridle isn't adjusted right.

If this is not the reason, most likely the horse senses that this is a different person on its back and is trying to see how much he can get away with. My instructor's horse is very peculiar about who rides him. If he feels he knows more about riding than the person on his back, he won't move no matter what. As soon as my instructor gets on him though, he's quite attentive.

This is because horses have an uncanny ability to "read" people. Your horse knows you and what you expect. You've established your relationship with him, and that's that. For this young boy however, most likely he's either nervous or unsure of his riding ability. Your horse can sense this through his body language, and has gone to the extreme to show the boy how much he can get away with. Although I do admit, laying down is a little unusual, but my horse used to do that too when I was nine years old and had no idea how to ride a horse.

My suggestion would be to find another horse that will carry anyone and allow your student time to learn more about riding and gain some confidence. Good luck, hope all goes well :)

Answer 3

There are some good books, like Centered Riding and Dressage books by Kyra Kirklund (depending on the discipline you will be riding). While books are good, a person right there to tell you your bad habits is better. You can start with books, but even if you can get someone to come out once a month or once every other month would be better, or at least a great addition to books. I know a lot of people that ride without ever taking lessons and they do well - would not pin in any shows, but they avoid falling off. If all you are looking to do is avoid falling off, you should be fine - to really learn the more complex points of riding, an instructor is necessary.

Answer 4

LOL at the smart Alic that made you tell her to go back to her trailer..That was amusing...
Anyhow..How long has your horse been doing lessons?
If it has been for awhile then my next question is..
How is the 5 year old doing with the lessons?
I've been helping my daughters riding instructor teach lessons for awhile now and I have seen a horse do that too. The reason was that the child on her back wasn't sturdy...Let me explain..The horse (being smart animals as far as I am concerned) can feel if someone isn't centered and secure on her back..While this child wasn't...She kept stopping and laying down every time the child would start to slide (even the littlest bit) She only did this when trotting or cantering...
So my guess is that the 5 year old has no weight on him/her and probably doesn't sit straight in the saddle. If the horse feels there is something not right, for the safety of the child the horse is laying down..
Does that make any sense? I know I kind of babbled a little bit! LOL Good luck with that...Time has gone on and our horse and rider are doing much better now!

Answer 5

That's interesting.....
I have never seen this happen or had this happen. But I think it would be a good idea to place the child on another horse to see if the problem has to do with the child. If the horse is only laying down when ridden by the one student, then there is something odd going on between the two of them. If the horse belongs to the student, it may be wise to advise the parents to sell it if the problem persists.
I believe you stated that the student is 5 yrs. old? Who is tacking up? Is it the same person who tacks up all of the horses or just this one?
WOW!! This is a weird one HUH?? Have you ridden the horse? Does the horse act odd or does it respond correctly with an experienced rider on him?
To be on the safe side, I would allow the student to use another horse until you have figured this out.
Have you checked to horse's back, sides & belly for sores, rain rot, stickers, etc.? Have you checked his mouth to be sure there is nothing going on in there?
I know this sounds weird, but when I was a kid we had a paint gelding that short legged people or kids could not ride because he would not respond to the pressure or ques given in the different areas of his sides. He would just stand there. But if a rider got on him that at least 5'6 or taller (like dad, it was "his" horse) the horse would do anything they asked him to do. Since the rider is 5 & most 5 yr. olds are short, that might be a reason. Have you tried to put the horse on a lunge line with the child riding him to see if he responded to the ques you give him even with a rider on board? That could be something to try. Then with the horse still on the lunge line, have the student again try to work the horse theirself & see what type of response the student gets. Even put another student on & try different sized riders.
I know I'm all over the place on this, but this is a very interesting problem. Good Luck with it. If you figure it out I would really like to know what the problem was.....

Answer 6

I understand where your comingfrom with doing anything infront of the kid but thats lewtting the horse get away with it

check the equipment that students saddle may not fit or if its the horses saddle the kid may sit in an odd way or be heavy and it causes pain if the saddle doesn't fit

Answer 7

My ex husband was morbidly afraid of horses and somehow I talked him into riding. My friend let me borrow a mare we both thought would be docile enough not to scare him further. Guess what? That mare laid down within 20 feet EVERY time he tried to ride her. I honestly believe she knew he just didn't belong up there and tried to get him off the kindest way she knew how.

Answer 8

It could be that student is uncomfortable around horses or afraid of it, and the horse is picking up on that student's discomfort. Or something about the way the student sits on the horse may be uncomfortable to it.

Answer 9

The little boy could be afraid of that horse and the horse could be taking advantage of that

Answer 10

The student is probably not confident enough or is afraid. A horse can sense that and probably feels like they can get away with behaving like that with them. I know that there's a girl at my stable who rides a horse that only misbehaves with her and her instuctor tells her its because she afraid of him. Maybe your student isn't confident or is scared. You can either get them on a new horse or try and raise their confidence or try and help them with their fears.