This whole topic brings up the importance of all of us taking the time to be mindful of other riders. When my mare is so excited about the start of a ride, I ask riders walking by to stand still so I can get on; and I do the same. What is 30 seconds going to do to the finish time? Since I have done this with my new ride, she gets better and better at the start of each ride and we still top ten. I want to go out there and have a great day, not a wreck; and I don't want anyone else to have a wreck, either.
Same with watering during a ride, if you are joined by other riders, don't leave them without checking, first. I ask riders to give my horse a minute to drink or she won't if they leave her and vice versa.
It's just common sense and courtesy.
Thanks,
Sheila
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:04:10 -0500 Subject: [RC] re: lunging pre-ride From: michelle.antoinette@xxxxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Before Sandy's response, I was all ready to start my response with stating that I know I still have some work to do with my horse listening on the ground (though I still think this is true, ha ha). She CAN listen, she just knows she doesn't have to the majority of the time, ha ha. She's really smart though, and if I ask for something from her, and make it clear it IS necessary, she does very well ;-) But anyway, on my horse's most "Arab" days (she's only 1/2 Arab), I ALWAYS would prefer to be on her than on the ground, lol. But that's because I feel entirely safe on her, and it seems much more likely that she could accidentally hurt me when I'm on the ground. I don't think I'd lunge her at a ride unless I wanted to stand in the middle of a big swirling dust bowl, lol. Yeah, tack up, and get on, that's usually my routine ;-) ____________
an old cowboy ( I mean the kind that shoots the cougar and hangs it in his shower very near the loaf of home made bread behind the toilet) told me once that you are almost ALWAYS safer on a horse than off. Do far, he has been right in my experience. I do believe it assumes a horse who is trained to ride...VBG -- "Don't breed or buy while shelter animals die"
