Help! What to do when people don't have the same view

[buckthorn]

Okay so, i have a new horse. He is five this month, 15hh and a really lovely sweet and calm boy (most of the time). I live on a farm, and have spent the last year and a half doing ground work with and finally backing my other horse using intelligent horsemanship methods of course. Now, I am not rich or lucky enough to afford an menage (I currently work in a small paddock or my round pen costructed of herras fencing! !) But there is a small livery yard next door, and the owner lets me use her school im exchange for putting her retired horses in our hay field over the winter. She is very much a traditional horse woman and thinks all the things I do are crazy, so I tend to stick to doing all my groundworl on the farm. However, now with my new horse the lady from the livery yard has started giving me a few lessons. I am keen to improve my riding and think its a great addition to Teddys (new horse) training. My problem is that Teddy is rather laid back in the school, I think he was 'broken' in a way that didn't teach him to respond very well to pressure. So of course, as soon as I get to my lesson she shoves a school whip in my hand and tells me to give him a smack throughout the lesson, in which case I respond to giving him feeble tickles or taps. I am not fond of whips, but I did used to use them before I discovered these methods. The instructor will not listen to me, and laughed when I turned up with my giddy up rope and took it off me :/ now I don't know what to do, as I can't get a different instuctor as she wouldn't let me have another instructor in her school, and I ccan't have someone give me a lesson in the fields as the ground is so temperamental depending on the weather. Should I just stop having lessons? What shall I do?

[portiabuzz]

I would not have lessons with her. I know her type and it won't do you or your horse any good. Sounds like your doing better on your own then with her IMO closed minded types are best avoided.. good luck on your journey

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[lesleyking1]

1. Don't have her for lessons
2. RA are expensive but worth every penny, and economic in the long run, my lady gave me so much info and homework it keeps you going for months
3. Whips are not always a bad thing, your horse needs to be used to having one carried as other people you ride with May well carry them and wave them about around you and I don't use mine to punish or with any force, it's a tool to explain to your horse what bit to move, so you need a more knowledgable teacher to be more constructive, unless you are lucky enough to have a boy who knows how to yield every thing by your aids alone.

So if you are worried about using fields because of conditions then we are heading into the spring so not much longer and every where will dry up. I suggest you get your RA in and get going without using your neighbour and then borrow her manage if you have to for schooling, I had similar problem with my instructor, so I spent a long time doing IH ways and when I went back to using her she was blown away by how bonded me and mare was and the schooling went on in leaps and bounds, mind you she doesn't believe in chasing a horse round with a whip
My lady went through a sluggish stage which I got her through with lunging, but you must use side reins and lunge to school not just running round in circles, get her doing transitions with your voice and this will really help when you ride

[marychick]

I would echo comments about getting an RA out while you can use your field when the weather is nice and taking it from there.

There is more to teaching a horse to understand how to move of a leg than reinforcement, whether it be a giddy up/whip (although giddy ups are actually far more effective). You need to look at whether your horse understands what the leg means, motivating them (or making it fun) when they do go forward and building up the length of time you expect them to maintain this for gradually. You also need to consider whether you may be blocking with your body/hands or constantly kicking without realising (and thus desensitising them to your leg). Fitness may well be an issue too so you may find it helpful to do some longlining to build up fitness. There are a lot of things that will contribute to a horse being behind the leg and personally I would want an instructor to look at the whole picture and not just go to quick fixes for short term gain without really addressing the issue.

I have been in your shoes. When I got my mare you were lucky if you could ever even get her out of walk I had countless instructors who just made it worse before I found IH. We can now do backup to canter with just a voice aid a tiny adjustment of my seat and no whips were involved at all!! Good luck

[portiabuzz]

How are you doing ?

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