Need pony training/riding advice...

Question
Hello.
I have been reading some of the questions and answers here, and have learned a lot, and your advice seems very sound and wise.

Here's our situation: We acquired a new pony mare (9 yrs) we were told was very good with children. My 9 yr. old daughter had ridden minimally in the past. When our pony came, we brought in a trainer to help us learn as much as we could. She stands well for us for grooming, seems to do well lunging, is getting better at standing still when cleaning her hooves. The trainer felt we could try saddling her and sitting on her, and that went well. She walked beside her while my daughter rode her, and the pony mostly needed a lot of cueing to keep going. One day when they were doing this, the pony bolted, and my daughter panicked and bailed off. She was okay. Now my daughter is fearful, even when she is riding and we are walking beside her with a lead rope.
My question is this:
Should I have my daughter train on a horse or pony that has more experience, so she can really learn riding skills and gain confidence, and so that she can handle this pony if it tries to take off again?

Is there a way to work this out of the pony, so that we don't have to always feel like she is going to run? Sometimes even when giving rides with the lead line, she still attempts to speed up and run.

I am disappointed because this seems like a sweet mare, however, her tendency to speed up like this is not compatible with an inexperienced rider. I don't want to get rid of this pony, but would just like to find the best way to make it work. If it is really not the right fit, I will consider it,  though. What are your opinions? Thanks!!

Answer
Hi Cadee!

The quick and short answer here is yes.  Green riders need to be on a schoolmaster under the supervision of a very knowledgeable horseman.  I use the term "horseman" to encompass men and women that really know horses; how they think, feel and react, how to keep the horse and human out of trouble and really know how to read and educate a horse.  Your "trainer" is not a horseman. The old saying, green plus green equals black and blue, really applies here.  Lets make some changes and get you on the right track!   

So, I'm going to tackle the issues that are really jumping out at me first and that is your "trainer".  Please get more qualified and quality help.  This person is missing VOLUMES in their skill and education.  You ALWAYS check out the skill set of ANY horse that is new to you, ESPECIALLY if you are involved with a green rider/owner.  You are green and so is your pony not to mention your daughter.  It really troubles me that your daughter had a bad experience and is now frightened, this too is something that needs to be addressed in a bit...I'll get back to that!

A basic skill set for a horse is the ability to yield the hind quarters, get the front to come through, understand how to respond to communication from the human in a confident, calm, and secure manner.  This is what I would be looking for in a schoolmaster.  A horse or pony that has packed for a million miles.  There are some important things are missing with your pony AND with your daughter/"trainer".  The horse is only going to rise to the level of competence of the rider!  Remember, the horse is NEVER wrong.  He is only doing what he thinks he needs to do to survive.  It is that survival instinct that motivates and drives the horse.  So, in that spooking episode, there was something that this pony BELIEVED he could NOT survive and the humans around him did not recognize the trouble he was feeling. They did NOTHING to support him and change his mind before the trouble he was feeling resulted in his need to bolt.  Your pony is not a bad pony.  He is just being a horse.  A knowledgeable horseman can see and read where he is lacking and needs to be supported and help change his mind and behavior.  He is not a ride at Disneyland, he is a thinking, feeling, very intelligent individual that is only trying to keep himself safe in a very insecure environment.

As an owner, you have to take on the responsibility of educating yourself in order to find people of quality to help you.  Ask for references from any horse professional.  Who were there teachers and mentors?  If names like Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Bryan Neubert, Tom Curtin, Joe Wolter and Martin Black pop up, then you are on the right track.  Ask for their experience and make sure they illustrate it.  Look at their horses, students and ask yourself the question "does this feel right, comfortable and secure?  Do I feel good in this environment?  Do the horses look and feel good?"

Another very critical element here is your daughter.  If she is that easily frightened, is this really the activity for her?  Horseback riding is a hobby that is listed on insurance actuarial tables right up there with bungee jumping and sky diving! It takes a certain personality to be really successful.  Your daughter is not able to be a leader and fill in for your very sweet mare, she will need more time and experience in VERY capable hands to figure out if this is the sport for her.  

Cadee, you can't be disappointed in your mare.  She is just being a horse.  This is what horses do.  ALL horses, every last one of them can and will bolt, buck, rear, strike, bite and a variety of other things.  It is a horse.  It is how they communicate, survive and live.  If the human can't offer the answers a horse is looking for, then they will come up with their own answers and often times the human does NOT like with the horse came up with.  It is all about leadership.  DO NOT BLAME the HORSE!!!  Absolutely there is a way to form a partnership with a horse where you are both on the same page.  Where bolting only happens when BOTH of you are really frightened!  Your mare is SO green and the handlers are SO green that she can't even lead on a lead line!  Please recognize that!  It is the responsibility of the HUMAN to teach the horse how to properly lead!  It is the humans responsibility to recognize when the horse is ABOUT to leave, with energy and speed and change things so that does not happen!

Here is what you must do...find a horsemanship clinic with Buck Brannaman, Joe Wolter, Martin Black, Tom Curtin, Ricky Quinn.  Search them on the web or go to my website, I have most of their web addresses listed there as well.  Attend a FOUNDATION HORSEMANSHIP clinic with your pony.  This is why these guys travel the country.  It is to help people with their horses.  If you are in Washington, Ricky just had a clinic in the Tacoma area, sorry you missed it.  He will also be having a clinic in my hometown of Philomath in September.  It is an H-2 clinic but if there is interest, he will always have a ground work class prior to the clinic.  If not, I usually do ground work classes and foundation horsemanship throughout the summer, call me.  

Your mare could be the best horse of your life.  It just depends on how you look at this little journey she has started you on!  Look up the folks I suggested.  Start going through the resource list on my website and please, feel free to ask more questions here.  I have only nicked the tip of the iceberg and I know how many questions you now have!  

Find the Joy, enjoy the Ride!

Denise