I remember my first ride on a mare we
bred and raised. She was a hot animal and this was to be her first
ride. I begged a couple of women to help me get her started, to ride with
us for a few minutes until the mare settled in. I went back to my trailer
to get the mare and while I was there, the two women, who had agreed to meet me
at the trailer and help me, intentionally rode out of the starting line and
left me stranded with a mare flying around on the end of her halter rope.
I felt betrayed, but there wasn't much I could do about it, so
I finally managed to get on and hurried to catch up. I
could tell they didn't really want me with them, so I kept riding behind them
for a bit. Then, on a trail that had roller coaster little humps and dips,
the two women hurried up to get out of my sight. By this time the mare had settled, and I let them go on ahead. I was as happy to
be without them as they were to be without me. I rode almost all of that
ride by myself, quite contented, once the mare had settled. A few miles
from the finish, we crossed a road at a spot we had been in the morning,
and the mare recognized it. After she had watered and taken a few
bites of hay, she took off, full of purpose, and hustled on to the finish
line. She knew exactly where the trail went, even thought the chalk
markings were faint or non-existent by then. We were the absolutely last
riders, but I felt so pleased with her. As we came within 1/2 mile and
sight of the finish line, she let out a huge whinny as if to say, "I'm
here! I finished! Yoo-hoo, here I am!" It was quite a
thrill.
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"
