[RC] speaking arabian and trail talk - Kathie Ford
Got to post on this one too. One of my favorite trail horses so far is my arab/pinto. Full of energy and go, yet has a really good mind.
Some folks posted that they would not want to be on an arab if their life depended on it. If my life depended on it, I would be riding Cira my pinto/arab. She is extremely sensible, good minded, surefooted and I trust her instincts. She had a lot of heart, and doesn't like to get hurt herself and I know she'd protect her rider. And when I have fallen off, (my own blond moments!! :)...) she has never run off, but instead stood right beside me. I have usually reassured and thanked her for standing by me and not running off.
She's smart and sensitive, but demands respect in return which I feel she deserves, and I do give her.
We are just about ready for our first 50 if I can afford it, so many of you will eventually see her. She also has a lot of heart and has a kindness about her. I really adore her. The one thing I do regret about her is promising her to my oldest daugher as a graduation gift when she graduates from Davis in a few years. That is going to be hard for me to give her up. Hopefully, my daugher will "share" her with me!!
I do have another mare I got from a friend last April. She is the daughter and mother of two others I own. Neat to have the 3 generations. I can see many similar traits, however, this mare, Tawny is more of the reactive type of arab. She can spin and bolt if afraid. But, to her credit, she does have good learning retention and she is getting better each time I ride her. So far she has never "regressed" in our riding. Even though she is 9, she has only been under saddle about a year or so prior to my getting her. So to me she is just like a 4-5 year old. She was a broodmare first. The riding part is still sort of new for her and I try to remember that when I'm riding her.
Anyway, she does do well with praise and responds to a quick correction. Like, opps, sorry, okay, I goofed and then doesn't stay discombobulated. She does have a little temper but that also is short lived if dealt with properly and it seems to be more of frustration sometimes. She is really different for me, but she's also fun and I've been learning more in my own horsemanship skills. I figure more experience for me too.
Her best qualities are that she is a people horse and wants to bond with a human, retains what you teach her (so becareful what you teach her!), pees, drinks well, has a resting HR of 28, and is pretty comfortable to ride. Just needs more training. Very hardy and strong but petite mare, can take lots of work! I'm still forming opinons of her and decide later if I will keep her. So we will see, but so far so good. I haven't been able to ride her as much as I would really like to, and that has taught me that she isn't the type of horse to go balistic if she is not ridden. She's actually pretty good about that.
I love my arabs, and they are all very different personalities. I love them all for the different qualities they have, and for what they teach me. I have actually gained more confidence from them in my riding, and they never bore me.
All in all, I feel very lucky to have arabians to ride. I find them loyal, affectionate, proud, spirited, smart, and very tuned into people. So I think a lot of the time, the people that do have problems (but not all) need to learn to really listen to their horses more. Because they do really "talk" to us in very simple ways. And when one learns to really listen, it is quite a journey indeed!
My comments are only from my own experiences so far and I do realize that not all are this way. But I do feel lucky and in "awe" of the arabian breed mostly.
We do have 2 QH's, and a TB/cross. They are special too, but still the arabs are of a different mold.
Enjoy whatever you have, but besure to really learn to listen! And..don't forget the hugs too!
