Re: Around the Mountain & mental conditioning

[Maggie Mieske <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

As much as I hate to admit this because we thought it was pretty foolish but
now I don't feel so bad... we have tried singing to our horses out on the
trail, too.  We, being my sister and I and neither of us can carry a tune in a
bucket.  We tried it on our way into vet checks to get our horses to relax and
it works!  (My sister knows the words to Happy Trails and is teaching me).   We
haven't really sung to them to get them going but I will suggest that to her...
at the last 25 LD of the season, her mare's first, we rode together the first
15 miles but my horse's pulse came down ten minutes before hers did... what a
dilemma.  Go on or stay for her... she convinced me to go because we had worked
hard all season and, God forbid and please no more mails about it, but we were
in a good position for a possible placement.  So I went on, riding with another
gal who went out at the same time.  My sister headed out on her mare but alas,
Jonathan and I were long gone.  She went along well for a little bit and then
quit!!!  She did consent to a walk, this the Tennessee Walking mare that had
NEVER been known to truly WALK!  Well, they still placed 6th for BC but I was
glad to hear we aren't alone in our musical meanderings on the trail!!  We'll
have to come up with a catchy tune for encouraging movement!!  :)
Maggie

"Flemmer, Linda" wrote:

> B. Miskimmin/J. Curtis wrote:
>
> > But how do people out there deal with perking up those horses that "don't
> > feel like it" right now? Is it possible to mentally condition a horse, or
> > do we just have to be lucky enough to have horses that have the gung ho
> > attitude in the first place?
>
> I pulled a mare from her first 50 years ago because she just STOPPED out
> on the trail.  She was simply depressed.  She didn't want to leave a 30
> mile check (going back out by herself), then she pooped out on me out in
> the middle of the Ocala National Forest.  I was sure that something was
> seriously wrong.  Blood work was normal, and she was perky again when
> she saw the other horses.  I think that she felt like she was the only
> horse out there.
>
> If my horse has "down time" (& I do too, sometimes), I sing with a good
> trotting rhythm to it.  Rocket seems to perk up and keep time, much like
> when we do dressage to music.  You <do> have to realize that he may only
> be going faster to get away from the caterwauling on his back.  I
> couldn't carry a tune in a bucket (with a lid)!  Oher times, we'll do
> some "exercises" (bends, lateral work, hop a log) to break up the
> monotony on long stretches.
>
> Experience seems to be the best cure for the horses that I've ridden.
>
> Linda Flemmer