Ridecamp: [RC] another elyte question

>a little over a mile  into it> he kept stopping. I noticed that the last
few rides I have taken him > on he> has done this too. This time however,
it was the worse. he just kept> stopping and turning his head into my
boot.

First thing I'd check would be tack.  Double check to make sure you're
not catching any hair in the girth buckel as you tighten it or anything. 
Is your saddle into his shoulder?  When he balks on the downhill...have
you tried it at an angle or doing switchbacks? Some hate to go straight
down a hill.  Some get used to you getting off and wait for you to get
off (I know you said you were off this time, but that's for someone else
who may be reading)

>and I told her that I was going to have to cancel the 
> season as I> just don't think the horse has it in him. 

I'd take him to a ride and see.  Some horses burn out on training *far*
faster than their riders do.  Especially enthusiastic riders training for
their first ride.  When I was training my first Arab I started out
trotting up the mountain behind my house and he'd make it to a certain
point and he'd stop, rest a minute, then have to walk.  We kept this up
for maybe 5 weeks and he always had to walk at that point. You couldn't
urge him past that point. I was so paranoid about hurting him I took his
word for it that he had to walk. 

 About that time I started training myself on a mountain bike and my goal
was to make it to the top of the mountain without stopping.  At first I
had a place where I had to stop...but it moved forward within a week.  By
two weeks I could go twice as far before stopping. It finally dawned on
me that I'd trained him that he got to stop.  The next time he told me he
had to stop there I said, "No way" and got after him.  After that he just
sort of sighed and kept trotting. He was fit enough to go twice that far
by that point, but trained to stop.

 Sure, there's a chance that your horse's metabolics were a *little*
strange...but how many times have you seen horses take a big bite out of
a salt block?  It's not that big of a change for their system.  Do you
think that if you'd turned your horse loose he'd have stood there or
would he have trotted off and left you with his tail in the air?  I'm not
saying don't watch your horse closely. I am saying, try him in a
different setting. I've seen plenty of kids feel really sick when you
tell them it's time for school who can leap out of bed and run three laps
around the house if it's Saturday morning.  P.S. I've never e-lyted
before a training ride.  Ever.

Angie

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