bit the dust........long

["Karen Sullivan" <greymare@jps.net>]

Okay guys and gals, I have a glass of wine in me to dull the pain and am hoping for opinions on what I should do next-here is the story!  Endurance related hopefully in introducing potential endurance horse to trails.

 

Some of you know my mare Passion, age 4 and a half. We got her in March 99, as a really skinny, undeveloped filly, the daughter of one of our mares (we didn't breed), that had a wonderful disposition.

 

In the first year, we brought her back to good weight and health, took her on short going to longer trail rides, and introduced her to saddle and very short round pen lessons. We were probably on her back 40 times. Never did she seem annoyed or irritated......took it all eagerly and with lots of treats and encouragement.

She got trailered and either ponied, or run free on the trails at least twice a week. Wonderful disposition!

 

This year I started the roundpen lessons up again, and some very short trail rides, with someone to babysit me.  I did several rides of an hour to hour and half,  not asking more than I thought she could comfortably do, and often getting off and walking the rocky or very steep parts.........Things were going GREAT!!!!!  She had shown NO signs of annoyance or discomfort! She was uncommonly docile and calm!  I was thrilled, "Hey, maybe I actually DO know what I am doing!"  We had her moving off leg pressure, stopping and turning, both in a rope halter and light apple-mouth snaffle.  She had carried rattley and noisy stuff on her saddle when being ponied, no reaction to gun-shots, carried loose cans in a bag and used to dogs running along, with no problem!  She was trail wise and sacked out!  I was riding RELAXED AND CONFIDENT!!! She had also built up some muscle and balance to carry a rider, and go up and down hills.

 

Till yestereday.......my friend and I hauled up to a state forest with ridng trails.  The plan was to do a very short loop on this filly, with my friend babysitting; then we would do a longer loop on the older horses.

We rode about 45 minutes.  I got stung lightly twice by some sort of fly or wasp, but not really bad.  The mare, Passion was a little annoyed by the dogs following, but no real deal.  We walked, trotted some slight hills, and a short canter. Everything was WONDERFUL, she never showed any goosiness, though she did kick towards one of the dogs once, but she is used to them.

 

At the top of a little hill at the trot, she slowed to a walk   GREAT, I thought.  A slightly tired horse will not act up.  I was going to get off at the top and hand walk her a bit, as she had done really well (quit while you are ahead), when I found myself flying through the air, hitting square on my pelvis on very hard flat ground, fortunately not the rocks. 

 

Still not sure if she was kicking/bucking at the dog, or if she got stung. But, it was a high buck, with absolutely no warning.

 

I hit so hard I immediately developed a screaming migraine..........my friend hoisted me onto her horse and wlkaed me out......drove me home..

 

So...........now as a wimpy 44 year old, what the heck to I do?  Do I round pen her longer...........pony my kid on her back, send her out for training?  Or just get back on and try it again?!

 

I am not pleased she might have learned she could dump a rider...........This blows my two theories I had developed:

 

1:  a tired horse will not spook or buck!

 

2:  If you get over 50 rides on a new horse without anything bad happening, then they are pretty well trained and have not learned bad habits!!

 

3:  I rarely come off horses (last time 7 years ago!)

 

Any 40-plus women out there care to give me their opionions on what to do?

 

Thanks,

 

Karen (very sore and bruised pelvis, but still breathing!)