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Re: [RC] Rider Fear (and trail manners) - Agilbxr

Hi and thanks to everyone who has sent me notes and encouragement about my 
little issues.

It took a good friend (you know, one of those people who can get on any horse 
and make it look like you paid $10,000 for it...) to tell me what's up with me 
and the Wild Child I ride.  I've been working 60-70 hour weeks for about 5 
months now, and have been pretty stressed.  Hmmm....seems alpine started doing 
this strange behaviour, oh, 5 months ago. (DOH!)

Ok, makes perfect sense, and I feel much better.  Soooo... yesterday we went 
out riding, and everytime I felt him get tense I took a couple of deep breaths, 
wiggled my toes (you can't keep a tense leg if you are wiggling your 
toes...learned that doing hunter jumper of all things) and "softened" my eyes.  
AND IT WORKED!  Granted, I was doing it every hundred feet down the trail (my 
toes are tired and my eyes are positively mushy...), but we had a reletivly 
relaxed, nice ride.  

Today we went out with some new boarders at the barn, and learned that I won't 
ride with them again.  They wanted to ride with me cause they want to train for 
a 25, and I've been slowly (my only speed lately) conditioning for a 50 in the 
fall. My horse had just eaten his breakfast, and they came out the gate 
running.  After I asked them to walk for at least 10 minutes, they continued 
trotting/cantering their horses away from Alpine (who earned a halo today).  I 
would have gone out on my own, but they had borrowed one of my friends horses, 
and I promised to keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't overworked (fat, 
out of shape pasture pet).  Anyway, Alpine handled everything fine...he's in 
pretty good shape right now, and we didn't kill the fat mare, but I won't ride 
with them again.  I've got too much respect for my horses tendons to just get 
on and start running.  I think I'm spoiled from riding with people with good 
trail manners.....

Juli and Alpine (yay!  she finally relaxed.....)
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