 |
Re: [RC] Tailgating on the trail - heidiACK! NO WAY JOSE! I can't imagine letting my young mare, whom I've worked with and trained from day 1, be on a dude string with all those incompentents yanking on her mouth, whacking her sides, sitting off balance... and undoing all the work I've put into her! No way. I can't think of a worse thing to do to a young horse. No, no, no, Chris--that is not what Bonnie suggested! :-) She said to use him as a guide horse for rental strings--that means YOU ride him as you guide the dude string. I'm with you 100%--I wouldn't let dudes ride my younguns either. But having to be ridden WITH a dude string is a great way to teach a youngun some group etiquette, never mind that it also teaches control and the need to go YOUR pace, even if that pace is slow. JMHO, but endurance horses have their "lower gears" greatly neglected for the most part, and that is one of the big reasons why they get out of control at starts, etc. I'm not in a position to guide dude strings (and likely neither are many other members of RC) but I agree with Bonnie that it is a GREAT training opportunity! We do the same thing, pretty much, by going on BCH trail rides (out all day, entirely at a walk). My dad used to do this with our young horses by pulling a pack string with them during hunting season. Lots of situations you can find to do this sort of thing, if you look around. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|