Re: RE;Pony prices and training (long)

[Chris Paus <paus@micoks.net>]

Surely older horses are a better bet than green horses, but not alwasy.
Star was 10 when I got him last year. I have ridden my older horse Cisco
for 12 years and in that time have fallen off of him only ONCE. I've fallen
off of Star more times than I can count in the short year we've been together.

I think part of it is familiarity. I knew Cisco's gaits and knew how he
felt under me. He is very powerful and strong (a Morgan), but slow and even
pokey sometimes. He also has along back, so his gait is kind of ambling.

Star has a short back, long legs and is very quick. I fall off because I
haven't caught up with him. He can stop on a dime and I'm still in
mid-post. I'm getting better though. We are together more now. My riding
coach said, "Cisco is the old comfortable Cadillac and Star is the sports
model Ferrari."

Now that I understand how quickly he moves, I am riding with him instead of
behind him and it makes all the difference. I just had to gear up myself!

The Aussie saddle helps! Yesterday he had a big jump because the dogs made
a bunch of noise in soem tin in a dump. they chased out a rabbit adn Star
leaped sideways. The poleys did their job, and I stayed on!

chris paus & star



At 09:05 AM 1/12/98 EST, Trishmare wrote:
>In a message dated 98-01-12 02:18:44 EST, you write:
>
><<  I'm keeping your posting for the know it
> alls who think I should keep my young horses.>>
>
>Tell them to go ride them!  The folks up here who told me I wasn't
approaching
>David's training aggressively enough all seem to be riding old, broke QHs!
 My
>friend Linda who actually has trained a baby has supported me 100%.  In fact,
>she told me NOT buy a greenbroke horse!  She told me that if I did go ahead
>and buy David, I'd get hurt.   A month after buying him, on the way to the
>emergency room--I thought about Linda's advice!
>
> <<After getting hurt twice this
> summer, >>
>
>David hurt me more in the first year I owned him than I had ever been hurt in
>20 years of riding.
>
>
><<and finding all kinds of excuses not to train,>>
>
>The second summer I owned David I sent him to the racetrack--partly because I
>was intrigued with the idea of owning a "racehorse," but in a good part
>because it gave me a good excuse to not ride him myself!
>
> <<I'm going to look
> for an older horse thats trained. I also found it funny that one of the
> people giving me unsolicted advise, turned me down flat when I offered to
> let her ride my young ones!. >>
>
>I'm still determined to see it through with David, but next time, I buy a
>trained horse!
>
>Trish
>
>
>