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[RC] THANK YOU! Was: Dealing with a horse that won't pulse down... - Karen CasemierI have received tons of responses to my original message about my problem getting my mare to pulse down after her first ride. It is so good to hear from those of you who have been through this... and the general concensus is that she just needs more experience at rides. I've also had many suggestions to put her in a 50, but that will wait until next season (it is my goal, but this season is just to learn the ropes).With a couple days behind me, I can focus on the positives, and there were MANY at my first ride. I think the most important one was that my mare drank like a fish on the trail... she NEVER drinks on the trail in training, and I've been trying all sorts of things to teach her to drink at every chance she gets. Well, she finally figured it out at the Wolverine ride. She also rode out alone at the start (although with plenty of rodeo moments), caught up with different riders and behaved like a real lady with strange horses (I had a red ribbon in her tail, but she never so much as pinned her ears at anybody), pulsed down fairly well at the middle vet check (I had expected it to take her about 10 minutes, and I was exactly right), and picked up the right canter lead on her own accord several times, something that has also been an issue for us. She was also quite obviously fit to continue at the end of the ride! When we returned home Sunday, she galloped out to her pasture, bucking and farting the whole way, and I checked her legs Monday morning and they were cold and tight - no heat, no swelling. And, most importantly, I had fun, and Mazzie seemed to enjoy the ride as well (just not the vet checks!). I was so impressed by how generous and kind both the other riders and the volunteers were to me. I was able to ride with different groups of riders that knew the trail so I didn't have to worry about finding the trail markers, and they graciously offered their crew support for me. And she did get very good marks at the vet check she actually made it through ;>) The vets put up with her antics with good humor and made me feel much better about everything. So, she is going to hang out at two dressage shows and attempt a CMO ride before the Tin Cup ride in mid-September. Her home life is quite serene, so this is the best thing I can think of to expose her to a competitive atmosphere. In October, I'm going to take her to a 3-day ride (25 miles a day). It is actually a CTR, which means I may set a record for the worst score each day, but I think repeated exposure over three days to the same situation will be great for her. I'm going to think of the rest of this season as training for next year. So thanks again for all your suggestions and kind words! Karen and Mazzie _________________________________________________________________ Overwhelmed by debt? Find out how to ?Dig Yourself Out of Debt? from MSN Money. http://special.msn.com/money/0407debt.armx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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