Backing my horse - went wrong and i feel awful! =[?

H

honey

New member
I have had my new pony 1-2 weeks, she's been doing great with being lead around, over poles, past "spooky" stuff e.t.c. and today i thought i would make a start on her saddle.
I tried a numnah on her first with a surcingle and she was brilliant, like she barely noticed, i held the saddle on her back and again she was perfect, then after lots of time with doing these i did her girth up - again, absolutely fine, until i went to lead her a few meters up the field and she went MAD. i had a long rope on her and thought i would just let her buck (she was basically like an american bronco horse) but then she was just getting too strong and snatched the rope from me. She galloped up the field still completely insane and i caught her at the top. the saddle was around her side by now, i took it off and when she calmed down i took my time until she let my just sit the saddle on her back again then i finished and fed her.

I know that i was COMPLETELY wrong to rush her, i have no excuse if i'm honest.. i hate myself for it! Now i am just feeling to guilty, and scared that i ruined her. She is my first one breaking myself and i just have that feeling of wanting to crawl into a dark corner and never come out - that is how guilty i feel for her!

Please help!!!!!!!!!!!
had horses all my life, just never backed a young one before
x
 
Don't worry - sometimes horses freak out when being saddled.

Usually, the first time you saddle up a horse, you should have them in a roundpen, that way if they do freak out they can't get away from you. But the horse is not hurt and you will get there eventually.

All horses react differently to this kind of stuff - neither of the two I have broken in batted an eyelid at being saddled for the first time, but a mare I had been trying to retrain decided to rear up and jump around a little after being saddled again. She probably would have reacted this way regardless of whether you rushed her or not, and 2 weeks is not really 'rushing' - some people break horses in, in less time than that (not that I would ever advise doing that).
 
You seem pretty new to horses but, I'm no expert but I know plenty of them. Your horse is fine you need to get it used to weight on its back for a long time. You did not ruin your horse, it take ALOT more than that to ruin a horse, you are fine so is the horse. Read up a little more on training them
 
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