Re: Mares vs. Geldings

[Truman Prevatt <truman.prevatt@netsrq.com>]

Actually if the animal trips I think it much better to let him sort out
his balance.  There is no way the rider can time a quick jerk and very
few humans have sufficient strength to make any difference.  Also if you
think you can stand in the stirrups while the horse goes down under you
and keep your balance, then you really have not been on a horse that has
seriously triped.  

I've had a horse roll when she jumped a very small ditch and the bank
caved in under her feet.  She made a gallant effort to recover and would
have if the bank had not of collasped yet again.  I stayed with her till
the last minute and bailed the opposite way she was rolling.  I only
broke three ribs on that one.

More recently old Jordy and I were galloping along on a trail we have
ridden many times.  There was a root hiding under the six inches of
loose sand and he triped.  He went down and I pitched forward.  It was
the deceleration that caused me to pitch forward not his going down. He
recover and poped up, met my chin and put me out.  This all happened in
probably a half a second, too fast for any reaction on my part that
would have helped.  

Truman

Lynn Kinsky wrote:
> 
> >As far as the tripping - you should NEVER try to pull your horse up when he is
> >tripping.  How many horses in the pastrure do you see fall down from tripping?
> >You should give your horse the reins if he starts to trip so that he doesn't
> >have to fight you to regain his balance.  If you have your weight mostly in
> >your feet and not in your seat, it will be impossible for you to fall off just
> >going down the trail unless your saddle slips.  My horse once triped at an
> >extended trot and went down to his knees on both front legs.  I let him have
> >his head and just rode with it and he recovered himself just fine.
> >
> >Rita, Fadaar, and Athena
> 
> I'm sorry -- I disagree. Yes, my horses occasionally take a stumble in the
> pasture (it's very rocky and rutted with gentle hills) and they don't go
> down.  But they also don't have 30% of their body weight riding on top of
> them -- which is the situationm when the saddle and I are there.  I praise
> your agility and balance but when my horse takes a dive at a 45 degree
> angle (butt up and knees on the ground) the odds are that I'm going to
> pitch forward no matter whether I'm riding on my feet or my seat and load
> the horse's forehand (for as long as I'm still on top . . .).  And no way
> do I want my horse's knees slamming into the ground:  best case it's just a
> scrape -- but I've seen a horse with synovial fluid leaking out of a busted
> joint capsule also!
> 
> Pulling a horse up doesn't involve fighting the reins and trying to
> physically haul a horse up -- it involves giving the reins a quick jerk so
> the horse reacts to the bit by pulling its head up, and the force upward of
> that very heavy head lightens the front so it's easy for the legs to get
> back underneath (if you did that and the horse wasn't stumbling he'd
> probably start to rear).  A simple, quick movement -- and it has saved both
> the horse and I from hitting the ground more than once.
> 
> -- Lynn K. (Santa Ynez, CA)
>    http://www.silcom.com/~lkinsky
> 

-- 
Truman Prevatt
Mystic “The Horse from Hell” Storm
Rocket a.k.a. Mr. Misty
Jordy a.k.a. Bridger (when he is good)
Danson Flame - hey dad I'm well now and ready to go!

Brooksville, FL