Re: [RC] was shadow rolls, now, riding the "big spook" - Ericka Nelson
well said, ed. when i first took up riding,
seven years ago, i thought i had a pretty good seat. well, i did. i
just had not been shown how to use my legs, so i came off frequently
at every little spook and shy. i now ride with my calves securely
glued to artie. he is spooking less. maybe my legs on his sides
gives him comfort and security or maybe it gives me comfort and security so i'm
more confident so he's more confident, etc. you get the picture. and
the balls of my feet are also heavy in my stirrups, as you said.
arties' last big spook was a 180 at a big rock on a
windy day. i rode it out and scolded him and off we trotted! what a
great feeling.
Subject: [RC] was shadow rolls, now,
riding the "big spook"
ok, i have read about a lot of y'all getting dumped when your horse does
the big spook. i have a couple of ideas about working the big spook out
of a horse, but i am not done with the experiments yet. i will share
when i am done.
in the meantime, if you are getting dumped a lot due to the big
spook, be thinking about your body position on the horse, center of
gravity, etc. if you know your horse is capable of the big spook,
put more weight down on the balls of your feet when you are riding. i
work with lots of young horses, and have to expect the unexpected.
i probably put about 20-25% of my weight in the stirrups when the horse
is walking, and that percentage goes up as the speed of the horse goes
up. too much weight on your seat puts you in a more vulnerable
position to be unseated. also, if your feet are too far back, and your
horse spooks, you are more likely to get dumped. another
thing, if you find that you are trying to hold on with your legs,
especially your knees, then you dont have enough weight down in the
stirrups. until we cure the big spook, for safety's sake, learn how to
ride it. ed
