I recently bought an 11-year-old Polish Arab who has only been ridden
in the ring -- and that by novices. When I started to condition her for
competitive trail, she kept stopping. After trying several
alternatives (legs, seat, voice, whip, reassurance -- not
necessarily in the order listed), I started getting off and
running with her. That seemed to give her more courage and the
episodes have diminished. On Monday, we did 14 miles with only one
stop -- but that was at a single-lane bridge with a falls running
underneath. There were boaters and swimmers on the other side and
vehicle traffic on the road. In my opinion, leading was the wisest
thing to do.
Share the work with your horse by running beside her/him and see
what happens. Good luck!
Helen Mason
Owner of Sarina Gwaliray, one of those beautiful and cooperative Polish
Arabs
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