A couple of questions for English riders, vaulters, and people who generally think they might be able to help.

Question

1. Do vaulting horses always have to be big draft horses and whatnot? Will it hurt a small horse to try the same thing?

2. Is vaulting the hardest thing in the world to learn?

3. Why the heck might my horse hold onto her bit when I take her bridle off? I feel like I'm playing dang tug of war! :D

4.Can anyone tell me why my English saddle pad bunches and the velcro straps don't line up with the leather ones of the saddle? I've never ridden English before and I wanna get it right and not learn wrong...

5. Is there any reason my horse pulls down on the reins when I ride her in the arena?

6. I remember seeing somewhere on TV a thing about teenage girls who did Western Trick riding at high speeds. Anyone know anything about that? Like a website or something?

I think that's it. To anyone who answers, thanks for your help or at least for trying!!

Answer 1

to #3.. hm.. thats weird. my horse usually wants it out of his mouth asap.

to #4.. haha. ive noticed that. i have a saddle blanket that the girth velcro thing didnt line up with the girth straps so i just didnt put the girth in it. it kept bunching up so i just got a new one. i use a pacific rim international saddle pad now and it lines up perfectly.

to #5.. my horse does that sometimes. he just starts letting his head hang on the reins. i just pull a little on the reins and squeeze with my legs until he picks it back up.

Answer 2

1. Vaulting on bigger horses is generally easier (if that's possible) because they have a long rather slow stride. And because they are high enough off the ground that you can do most of the tricks without worrying about being stepped on.

2. Vaulting is pretty hard to learn, but its amazing when you get the hang of it! (no pun intended)

3. Someone at some point in your horses life was not gentle about removing the bit. She's most likely trying to protect her teeth from having the bit dropped onto her teeth. Try feeding her a mouthful of grain or treat of some sort to get her to open her mouth then hold tension on the bridle to keep the bit from dropping.

4. My English pad did this too, its been years since I've ridden it...so I can't help you on this one. Never did find a remedy for it.

5. She's pulling to get away from the pressure you are putting on the bit. It can be habit or something actually wrong, have someone at your barn help you with this one!

6. Trick riding is mostly at Rodeos, but I've not seen them in a VERY long time. Its pretty dangerous, but its a rush!

Trickriding.com is a school. rodeotrickrider.com sounds interesting...sorry I didn't go look at it.

You can also check prorodeo.com or cprarodeo.com.

Answer 3

1. Generally speaking yes the horse should be a larger bred horse. Drafts are preferred because they have a larger stride which means less bopping around. I do however have a 16 hh arabian that vaults with younger children.

2. I would not say it's the hardest thing to learn. But most vaulters have taken Gymnastics or done some kind of tumbling BEFORE they vault.

3. You may not be taking her bridle off correctly and it could be getting caught on her teeth. If she has a sensitive mouth, it could be making her mouth sore and causing her to clench down.

4. Your pad is to big.

5. She's escaping the bit. Lighten your hands and loosen the reins.

6. The girls you are talking about are Weatherford, Texas own Cowgirl Chicks. They do the rodeo circuit and open for most Texas and surrounding state rodeos. Their website is as follows.

http://www.cowgirlchicks.com/

Answer 4

I'm not  vaulter, but..

1. its easier on big drafts since they have large, long, strong backs... will it hurt a smaller horse?-maybe not in the beginning, but drafts are probably a better choice for it

2. couldn't tell you, but you basically have to do gymnastics on a moving horse.  I personally wouldn't try it!

3. probably because your pulling on the bit.  Take the brow band off her ears and let the bridle "fall" off her face.. Don't pull, just let it come out once she opens her mouth

4. the Velcro straps attach to the billet straps (the ones on the saddle) this keeps the saddle pad from bunching up.

so the billet straps go vertically, and the saddle pad straps attach horizontally to the billet straps where they fit best. (so any of the three)

Picture:http://owendaly.com/hf/SaddlePad.jpg   see how the saddle pad straps go underneath the part of the saddle where your legs go?

5.  probably because she want to stretch her head down/avoid your constant contact.  Try releasing the reins a little bit every few strides so that your not constantly pulling on her mouth.

6. not a clue! sorry..

-i don't want to sound annoying since i don't know how much training you have, but you might want to invest in a few riding lessons. the instructor will help you and your horse, and you can ask as many questions as you would like!

Answer 5

Here goes!

1. Yes. The reason they have to be big and hefty is to withstand the shock of having 120+ pound people jumping on and off their backs at high speeds repeatedly, as well as having to carry said people in awkward positions. Please do not try this with your horse - both of you are untrained (I assume) and would both end up being severely injured at best.

2. Couldn't tell you, but it's one of the many horse-related things you cannot and should not try without a trained instructor.

3. Again, I don't know. It could be her just being contrary - do you have a hard time getting it into her mouth? Try giving her tons of praise when she lets go of the bit, and instead of pulling on the bridle to make her let go, use your thumb and stick it into her mouth at the corner like you would to get her to open her mouth for the bit - she should open up and allow you to remove it.

4. Some saddle pads just don't fit certain saddles - the best I could tell you is to get another pad and try a couple different styles until you find one that works.

5. If she's extremely heavy on the reins, you need to encourage her to carry herself. When she starts to lean on you, drop a large amount of rein. When she lightens up, take the reins back. Doing a lot of transition work (halt to trot, trot to halt, walk to canter, canter to trot, any combination) would also help a great deal.

6. This is another thing that looks really cool, but shouldn't be tried without an adult trainer to assist. There are so many things that could and will go wrong, it's far safer to find someone who will help you in the ring with this sort of stuff. Keep in mind, that girl has probably been riding since she could walk and a horse that has been trained specifically for those tricks.

Hope that helps!

Answer 6

1. I think they usually usebug draft horses because they are generally very calm. Plus, vaulting kills a horse's back, so they probably use drafts because they're stronger and it takes less if a toll on them.

2. IDK???

3. She's not ready to drop it yet. Stand next to her head (facing her) and grab the reins and the browband. Pull them forward and slightly drop them, then your horse will open her mouth and drop it.

4. That never happened to me...

5. She wants her head, give her more rein.

6. It's called trick riding...and it's very dangerous, but oh well.

http://www.rodeotrickrider.com/

Answer 7

1. Yes -skinny little horses don't tend to put up with people dropping on them.

2.no idea never tried it - have fun.

3.Mine does it too, only possible suggestion is that at some point he got bashed in the teeth ( mine used to be ex-school so anything is possible)

4.Some of them do, most straps don't line up,, it's annoying. Buy a good (English) brand ( Shires etc) and you should have more luck.

5.Stretching - do you warm up before asking her to go into a frame ?

6.sorry no- try Googling for it.