Every time I try to pony another horse off of Gabe's back, no matter how
hard I try to keep the lead rope away from his tail, the rope will
inevitably get caught under his high Arabian tail. Boy, does one wicked
rodeo start then! He clamps his tail down so hard, that no amount of
bucking will get the rope free. He ends up pulling it all the way
through, and getting one really nasty rope burn under his tail! (Really
nasty)! It's not always feasible to pony with the other horse's head
closer to Gabe's rump or barrel, as the trails are usually narrow and
only one horse can pass at a time.
I've had some wild rodeo's and have done some spectacular dismounts
while Gabe is bucking and the poor pack horse is getting kicked at and
jerked all over the place! I've pretty much given up on ponying off
him, but still like to pack in the backcountry. Any advice?
I also just thought that this could be endurance related because those
of you who have multiple horses must pony a lot to get both horses
exercised at once ; - )
Thanks!
-- Deanne Del Vecchio & Gabe /\ /\ Living and Loving in Lake Tahoe / \ /\ / \ delvecchio@geocities.com / \/ \/ \/\/\ Visit My Home Page: Trail Riding in the High Sierra http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5157