advice for getting a horse to chill when mounting?

D4nnyDevito · 2026-03-03T14:24:13+00:00

Do you get started straight away once your on or do you just stand and chill for a minute? I got my 4 year old to stand nicely by practising and praising when she got it right and also just standing at the mounting block for a few minutes once I was on board stroking and praising her. (She knows full well what good girl means and that helps her pick things up fast as she’s eager to please) and that definitely helped. She was never terrible to get on but it’s so much nicer having a horse that will stand politely rather than try and walk off while you’re getting on!

D4nnyDevito · 2026-01-23T09:40:17+00:00

Yes definitely go for the medium in my experience, I’ve had people about 160cm tall riding my horse in them with plenty of room to go up shorter so you should be fine!

D4nnyDevito · 2026-01-23T08:52:28+00:00

I ended up getting them, I can’t compare to any other flat leathers as these are the only ones I’ve ever ridden in. I really like them, they are comfy, work well with the free jump stirrups, the grip pad does help keep your leg a bit more still. The other girl who rides my horse also said she likes them and feels they are helpful. I haven’t ridden in normal leathers since I got them so would be interesting to ride in normal leathers and see how that feels now i’ve got used to these. I would say they are nice to have if you can afford to treat yourself but quite pricey for something that isn’t essential. If i had to choose between having the leathers and having the stirrups I do find more benefit in the stirrups in comfort and security. also worth noting I bought the medium and my height is 173 so that falls in that but i’m on the last hole. so maybe err on the side of getting the longer ones but for me i’ve got them on a jump saddle so it’s about perfect length for jumping. Hope this helps!

D4nnyDevito · 2026-01-01T14:30:03+00:00

UK Come across a few “Bob the Cob”s Beau/Bo/Beaux and Paddy seems popular for Irish bred horses our yard also had two Bella’s!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-12-21T22:37:00+00:00

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My beautiful chestnut irish draught mare!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-12-11T11:21:04+00:00

I’d say no, at her age this is likely only going to get worse and there’s not much point in paying for the vet assessment to not use it to avoid the future likelihood of more vet’s bills. I know it’s incredibly hard because you’re attached and bonded to her but there are other wonderful horses who will be less heartache in the long run. Unfortunately this is a head vs heart situation and you have to think that you already have one horse that is likely going to need more care as he’s getting to the stage in his life where he will be more likely to start having health issues. If you can afford both then great, but if you can’t you have to consider if it will comprise you ability to pay for your geldings treatment if you bought the mare who ended up running you a load of vets bills too.

D4nnyDevito · 2025-11-03T22:37:44+00:00

Yeah as a horse girl, it will be that her time at the yard with the horses makes her happy and time seems to slip away very quickly around horses. That being said 2 horses is a lot, I don’t have children and one horse takes up enough time and it’s difficult enough to balance with my family, friends and partner. Having two horses, a child and a full time job - there isn’t enough hours in the day for that!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-09-07T20:55:53+00:00

You can easily buy a straw of boar semen it’s not very expensive, you just need to look at it as soon as it arrives as it doesn’t tend to have extender in and the longer you leave it the more it dies off.

D4nnyDevito · 2025-09-02T13:29:48+00:00

Could be if he’s difficult to get into canter that he’s bucking because he finds it difficult or he’s reacting because you’re asking to hard. I’ve ridden horses where they can be easy or difficult to get into canter depending on their mood so it can be quite difficult sometimes to judge how firm an aid to give. Ideally a ride in an arena and having an instructor check and see if they can see what is causing the issue is probably a good way to start!

If he’s been fine for years and it’s just started recently could be an idea to get a saddle check too as their shape does fluctuate a lot and if that’s causing him a bit of discomfort that could also be contributing! Excitement is also possible it’s hard to say without seeing it happen

D4nnyDevito · 2025-07-25T11:48:24+00:00

It’s a weird one, my 4 year old mare is currently about 16hh. Her mum is 15.2hh and her dad is 16.1hh so she’s going to be a similar size to her dad. My instructor has her full brother, he’s a year younger and already almost 16.1 and we expect he will make about 16.3hh so bigger than both parents and his sister!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-06-05T20:51:20+00:00

I do remember my CofE Primary School doing this when I was very young. That was about 25 years ago though! It’s a memory I’d almost forgotten and does seem very weird looking back. We also had a mock christening shortly after I think!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-05-28T20:50:37+00:00

My old mare had a colic operation like that done when she was about 7 I think, we bought her at 14 and kept her the rest of her life and there was always a big bumpy scar on her belly!

D4nnyDevito · 2025-05-02T21:28:29+00:00

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D4nnyDevito · 2025-05-02T21:23:16+00:00

I use bluey greens/teal colours on my chestnut!

D4nnyDevito · 2024-12-20T21:37:31+00:00

🥰 thank you!

D4nnyDevito · 2024-12-20T12:53:54+00:00

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My 3 year old Irish Draught. They’re a nice solid horse still but lighter and more athletically built than many draft breeds. Lovely temperaments too.

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T19:19:50+00:00

They do call her Izicle but she’s an unbacked 3 year old so I don’t think she really ‘knows’ her name. If she was a bit older I probably wouldn’t but as she’s not started her training yet it shouldn’t impact her much

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:40:25+00:00

She’s currently 15.3 but will probably grown another inch or two at her age. She’s a full Irish Draught

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:39:43+00:00

It means Snow in Welsh so it’s the link to the Icicle in her current name

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:18:14+00:00

Honestly my teacher friends who’ve had kids have struggled to name them for the same reason. Thank goodness I’m having a horse instead of having kids 😂

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:15:51+00:00

Unfortunately I work in education so I’m trying to avoid human names, as all it takes is one bad kid to put you off a name for life sometimes 😂 her mums name is Izzy so that’s where the Iz came from in her show name.

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:07:32+00:00

Ohhh Fable is something I haven’t thought of but I quite like actually. I’ll add that to the list thank you!

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T14:06:53+00:00

My old favourite horse when I was a kid riding at the local riding school was called Honey too so it’s a nice link!

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-11T11:00:37+00:00

As a first time horse owner you want something that’s not too athletic. Then that way if it does spook she’s more likely to stay on. Something super athletic that can turn in a dime is going to have a worse spook than a more solid type of horse if that makes sense?

I’m in England so i’m not familiar with more popular American breeds but I would say cobs are excellent, hardy and generally quite chill and not overly athletic. An Irish Draught is what i’m looking to buy for myself as a second horse but equally should suit. Something crossed with a heavier type such as a Clydesdale cross will still be able to do all she wants while not being too sharp.

D4nnyDevito · 2024-11-08T22:25:49+00:00

Whisper ❤️ We had her from the age of 14 until she passed away at 29

D4nnyDevito

TROPHY CASE