Ask a Friend to Ride or Not?

'is there anyone here who COULD handle pony?"

Greetings from Sunset Beach, NC! One of the hardest parts of vacationing is leaving the pets behind (Thank you Erin for watching my cat and lizard this week)!

When should you decide to ask a friend to ride your horse while you are away? In my particular experience- never. At one point I was working on site for a project for 3 months...when I came home to ride my horse after having asked 3 other girls to exercise her for me, she was a complete train wreck. It seems someone did not know how to ride her and she got to the point where she was refusing trot poles...TROT POLES?! I know have some serious reservations about letting others get on her especially when I am not there to supervise...

For those with horses who aren't quite as complicated, all I can suggest is this: find someone you really trust and who knows your horse before you ask them to hop on unattended. I encourage you to watch your friend ride a few times to make sure things are going smoothly. Make a list of things you want them to work on with your horse, and make sure they know the limits (i.e., no jumping above X height or Y spread). I tend to be on the controlling side, so I would ask 'how did the ride go' to get some feedback. In cases where I have been asked to ride someone's horse (or even show), I followed up and let the owner know how the ride went- it is just polite.


Since I will only be gone for a week, it did not make sense for me to bother with the situation. For longer periods of time, you will have to think about if the risk is worth it! Remember though, sometimes a short break can be good for your horse :)

Can't wait to see my pony when I get home!