In a message dated 12/19/2005 8:19:03 PM Pacific Standard Time,
ridecamp-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
A friend
rode her big TWH gelding up alongside, but out >>of reach...my mare
pinned her ears and tried to kick. I'd bought a >>crop (just
for this) and immediately yelled QUIT!! in my meanest >>voice,
kicked her forward hard, and smacked her hard on the >>shoulder with
the crop.
Nick is a kicker and this is what I did also the first season that we rode
endurance. When I first started him I was not able to use a crop on him to
reinforce my leg cues. I had always ridden with a crop to reinforce my
leg, but it just never worked with him, it just became a big argument. So that's
when a friend suggested spurs, which I had never ridden with, but they really
worked for him. So, when we started endurance riding and the kicking
became an issue, I could usually tell that it was happening and correct it with
my voice, but it was always there, it wasn't going away, so I pulled out the
crop and if he even put his ears back or tensed his back when another horse
approaching. It was Whack! Whack! Whack! 3 times with the
crop. And then that was it. That seemed to work in that horses could
approach and he wouldn't automatically threaten them and after about a year
I pretty much stopped carrying the crop. I even would forget to put in a
red ribbon sometimes. Then we were riding with a group on a pleasure
riders and climbing a rather treacherous hill that had been clear cut.
Having to concentrate on the best place to go and I didn't notice the horse
behind get way too close in a hurry. Man, Nick let out a huge kick,
luckily he missed the horse, cause I'm sure he would have injured her if he had
made contact. It really took me by surprise. I felt really bad cause
I hadn't warned her about him possibly kicking and we had never ridden together
before. Now I always try and remember to put a ribbon in his tail, cause I
just can't really trust him even though he's been really good for a long time
now. When you're concentrating on the trail sometimes it's easy to miss
those things. And you can't really trust other riders to stay back
especially at an endurance ride.
