# Pleasure ride  - Would you go?



## Pixie88 (21 July 2015)

Hi All

So I have just brought my new boy (2 weeks ago) and the yard is planning on going on an 11 mile pleasure ride on Saturday which I am invited to.

I haven't rode D a huge amount since I got him, I wanted to let him settle. Then once he had settled I got his teeth and back done as I didn't want to do too much until I know they were ok. 

I am more then happy to take him confidence wise, but I have received a comment today that I shouldn't go as he isn't fit enough as it is 11 miles. The reason he isn't 'fit enough' is because I have not yet rode him that far... But for a daily riding horse who does?

I have rode him a handful of times for around an hour or just over since his back & teeth have been done and he hasn't even broke a sweat or looked like he has been worked. This has mostly been field work, up and down hill ect.

Before he came down to me he was being used 3 times a week (sometimes more) and doing constant fast work. He lives out 24-7 and is always on the move. His breeding is Welsh/Arab and seems to hold his fitness naturally. 

It isn't a fast paced ride and we will mostly be walk / trot with the occasional canter. 

So I just wanted some opinions. Thanks


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## ezililaur (21 July 2015)

I would take him without a doubt. 
11 miles is nothing in the grand scheme of things, so long as you're not trying the gallop the whole way.
Is the person going on the ride? Some people really underestimate "fitness".


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## Pixie88 (21 July 2015)

Hi Ezililaur, thank you! I am so glad you said that! 

I have no plans to gallop the whole thing. I just want an enjoyable ride with him as it is the start of our fun together! I want to start how I mean to go on. I think even out of work he would hold his fitness as he is turned out in a herd of 4 in a large field all youngish geldings (him being the 'old' one) and they do have a good play (all the time!)

No, the person isn't going on the ride. It just made me doubt myself.


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## Gentle_Warrior (21 July 2015)

I would not am afraid. I would wait until you know each other better. I never plan to gallop round fun rides with mine, but he gets so excited. We have had to knock them on the head. His brain goes into overdrive! ! He does sound fit enough which would tempt me to. Mine acts so different though.

Just bear in mind


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## BSL (21 July 2015)

Give it ago, if you are confident in his behavior and your capabilities. The distance shouldn't be a problem for a healthy horse with good tack that is suitably mounted. Have a word with the people you are going with and see if things get a bit exciting,  if there is one person you could break away with. A nice steady trot ahead of the group should settle him. ( Obviously all horses are different, but i found that if my welsh d got overly excited, he soon settled after a few mile in a collected trot). Have fun, everyone has to start somewhere.


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## Pixie88 (22 July 2015)

Thank you both for getting back to me. 

I am not to worried behavior wise. Yes, he is very forward and fizzy, but in no way something that I can't handle. I took him out round our fields with 2 ex racers last night, and a youngster. One of tb's decided to start being a plonker trying to race and started napping/bouncing/cantering sideways (So one of the others followed as they do). As soon as I checked D to say no to racing/being silly he just pulled back and got out of the way until things were calm. 

We have a fair few going and we have kind of 'buddied up' reliable horses that we know will be chilled out regardless of the situation. Then have said if anyone finds themselves in trouble they can be boxed in if needed.

So I have put my name down, I will let you know how it goes!


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## 9tails (22 July 2015)

11 miles is _nothing_.  I struggled with the 20 mile Newmarket ride but my horse came back looking like she'd happily go round again.  Have a great time!


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## Pixie88 (22 July 2015)

Thanks! I have been looking at the Newmarket one we are hoping to do that one next year! x


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## 9tails (22 July 2015)

My issue with Newmarket was a really excited sweaty horse whose sweat soaked through my boots and made my calves sore.  She was ON IT from the get-go, far more exciteable than any fun ride or even the  hunting expedition we'd done before.   I think it was all the TBs, they drove her demented by flashing past her while she busted a gut to keep up.


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## Pixie88 (22 July 2015)

9tails said:



			My issue with Newmarket was a really excited sweaty horse whose sweat soaked through my boots and made my calves sore.  She was ON IT from the get-go, far more exciteable than any fun ride or even the  hunting expedition we'd done before.   I think it was all the TBs, they drove her demented by flashing past her while she busted a gut to keep up.
		
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Oh bless her. That will get most horses going! D is getting used to TB's flying past him at the yard. Although he has the speed to keep up with them!! He is good in the respect he will go to go, but stop as soon as I ask him to.


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## BSL (22 July 2015)

Good luck, most importantly have fun. I'm hoping to go to the Newmarket Ride this year. My 2nd time with this horse. I agree i find the 20 miles a lot harder than he does.


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## Tirna (22 July 2015)

I was in the exact same situation whehn I got my 6yo connie X a few months back, I was invited on a 10 mile BHS fun ride after only having had him for two weeks. The same as you, I had his tack checked and teeth done and was happy that he had been worked enough in his previous home to be easily fit enough to cope. I decided to go ahead and we had a great time! We did lots of walking with a few trots and canters, he was an absolute star and led the others past scary tractors, haylage bales etc. I'd say if you're confident then go for it and enjoy!


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## Pixie88 (22 July 2015)

BSL - I hope you get there this year. The Newmarket ride looks really good. 

Tirna - God I am glad that I am not the only one that does things like this after 2 weeks of owning. Thankfully I have known him for a long time and he came from a family friend. I am definitely going for it, I am really lookig forward to it!


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## Barnacle (22 July 2015)

Not particularly relevant now, but if a horse is living out, it will keep its fitness (provided all else is equal - food etc I mean). A recent study showed a horse will actually stay fit when left to its own devices in a field rather than worked daily and stabled... They may not seem like they are doing a lot but all that walking and grazing, walking and grazing - they cover quite a distance! So that length of ride, mostly walk/trot would be fine for pretty much any healthy field-kept horse. It's only the behaviour that would ever concern me.


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## Pixie88 (23 July 2015)

Hi Barnacle, this was also my understanding. He lives out 24-7 during spring/summer/autumn and the way the boys play in the field I would be shocked if he wasn't fit! 
Behavior wise I am expecting him to be a bit of a ****** at times, but we did a 'test ride' last night with multiple horses and he was very good. We kept them in order as we had a nervous horse at the front who takes off if anyone over takes (not coming on the ride) and even after the 6th 'canter' which turned into a walk, bounce, bounce gallop I was quickly able to pull him back to a controlled extended canter and keep our place at the rear of the ride. Him and the horse in front (who was desperate to go) were just playing off each other a bit. Then as soon as he was asked to trot he went back to being chilled out and on a long rein, while the others prances around us. Even after all of that we only had the tiniest of sweat patches under his girth.


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## Pixie88 (26 July 2015)

Hi all, just a quick update! We did the ride yesterday and he was amazing! He didn't react to anything had a few gallops and he hardly had a sweat and was still ready to go at the end! 

Really glad I went, we saw heavy traffic and other scary things that he didn't react to even when the others did. He also had great fun riding through the ford and splashing the water over everyone!


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## katherine123 (11 August 2015)

Great! Glad it went well. I was reading through this thread and wondered how it went. Sounds like you've got a good one there!! It can be so hard to decide on these things sometimes, especially as everyone seems to have different opinions!! Sounds like you're sensible with him and made the right choice


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## Pixie88 (11 August 2015)

katherine123 said:



			Great! Glad it went well. I was reading through this thread and wondered how it went. Sounds like you've got a good one there!! It can be so hard to decide on these things sometimes, especially as everyone seems to have different opinions!! Sounds like you're sensible with him and made the right choice 

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Hi Katherine

He really is fantastic! He has a few moment, but nothing major. I have since hacked him out on the roads by me in company (in very heavy traffic) and he is a star. 

I had to take the lead on our first hack out as the other two horses who are always sensible and sane wouldn't leave the driveway because of a plastic bag! We have cars flying past us far to fast and he was on his toes and bouncy, but very good. Then a huge tractor came over the hill with a trailer on the back and he didn't slow down. Dan had a moment of panic when it got close (noise and size of it, there was something in the back banging around too), but all he did was dance on the spot then move forward when I told him to. One of the others took the lead a few minutes after and he was 100% relaxed after that. We have a lorry with tractor on the back over take, multiple motorbike and a 4x4 with a caravan on the back that I could have touched it was so close. None of it fazed him.

Took him out the next day and saw the tractor again and he jumped towards the pavement I pushed him on and that was that. Forgotten about within 2 steps! Then we were out Sunday morning and the 2 I was with are scared of cows, there happened to be a cow half way through a bush (very quiet country lane) so they both freaked out. Dan bless him spooked because they were, I made him take the lead and he was clearly looking around trying to work out what was scary! But he will lead past most things even if he is nervous. 

Off out on a another sponsored ride on Sunday!!!! You may see I have another post in training about the monkey he is in the school but that is improving already.


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## applecart14 (11 August 2015)

Pixie88 said:



Hi All

So I have just brought my new boy (2 weeks ago) and the yard is planning on going on an 11 mile pleasure ride on Saturday which I am invited to.

I haven't rode D a huge amount since I got him, I wanted to let him settle. Then once he had settled I got his teeth and back done as I didn't want to do too much until I know they were ok. 

I am more then happy to take him confidence wise, but I have received a comment today that I shouldn't go as he isn't fit enough as it is 11 miles. The reason he isn't 'fit enough' is because I have not yet rode him that far... But for a daily riding horse who does?

I have rode him a handful of times for around an hour or just over since his back & teeth have been done and he hasn't even broke a sweat or looked like he has been worked. This has mostly been field work, up and down hill ect.

Before he came down to me he was being used 3 times a week (sometimes more) and doing constant fast work. He lives out 24-7 and is always on the move. His breeding is Welsh/Arab and seems to hold his fitness naturally. 

It isn't a fast paced ride and we will mostly be walk / trot with the occasional canter. 

So I just wanted some opinions. Thanks  

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Eleven miles is nothing to a horse that in the wild travels 15KM a day in search of food.  Don't you wish people would mind their own business and stop sticking their noses in??  A horse doesn't have to be fit to walk eleven miles, my horse often hacks for five or six miles at a time and I prefer fun rides of 12 or 15 miles, ten miles always seem to be over really quickly!  It always makes me laugh when people think 12 miles is a long distance for a horse to walk.

When I go on fun rides I would spend at a rough guess 65% of the time walking, about 25% trotting, 2% jumping and 8% cantering!  My horse is always full of running at the end, the last ride we went on there were a couple of little jumps at the end and he got so excited he tried to bolt with me over them!


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## Pixie88 (11 August 2015)

applecart14 said:



			Eleven miles is nothing to a horse that in the wild travels 15KM a day in search of food.  Don't you wish people would mind their own business and stop sticking their noses in??  A horse doesn't have to be fit to walk eleven miles, my horse often hacks for five or six miles at a time and I prefer fun rides of 12 or 15 miles, ten miles always seem to be over really quickly!  It always makes me laugh when people think 12 miles is a long distance for a horse to walk.

When I go on fun rides I would spend at a rough guess 65% of the time walking, about 25% trotting, 2% jumping and 8% cantering!  My horse is always full of running at the end, the last ride we went on there were a couple of little jumps at the end and he got so excited he tried to bolt with me over them! 

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He didn't even break a sweat bless him, we had a few canters / gallops. Had to go through a ford which he loved and was splashing around. To the point he started dropping his shoulder so I had to get him out.


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## applecart14 (11 August 2015)

Pixie88 said:



			He didn't even break a sweat bless him, we had a few canters / gallops. Had to go through a ford which he loved and was splashing around. To the point he started dropping his shoulder so I had to get him out.
		
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haha, glad you had a good day. Well done for doing your own thing, sometimes people interfere too much in others business. x


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