Horse Behavior, First Loop

[Lynne Glazer <lynne@glazer.org>]

At 11:24 AM -0500 1/23/01, Howard4567@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 1/22/01 10:08:31 PM Eastern Standard Time,
>bobmorris@rmci.net writes:
>
><< All my life I have lived on the edge, sometimes a bit over and just hanging
>  on. My horses are like this as well. Any other kind of life would be dull.
>  But then those few of us relish our life and live it to the utmost! >>
>
>Bob, that was beautiful.  The day that I don't still have bugs crawling in my
>stomach the night before an endurance ride, trouble sleeping, and continuous
>thoughts about the run to come is the day I quit the sport.   Damn, if it
>just doesn't make you feel alive, like a young teenager run amok, all over
>again.

I'll agree with this part.

>
>I'm glad some of you have your horses under control during that first loop. 
>I, for one, don't think I could say I do with a straight face.  My idea of
>horsemanship, during that first loop especially, is to point Dance in the
>right direction and hang the hell on. 
>
>Please, leave this equine etiquette bs <ed> on the show ring where it
>belongs.
>
>cya,
>Howard

Oooh, Howard, there we have to part ways.  It's just dangerous to 
have a horse that isn't in some sort of control at the start, and 
thereafter!  Think about the new riders here and how many of 'em you 
want alongside you at a ride espousing your belief--

At Fire Mtn last weekend, I saw three riders come off *before* the 
start, one of them even lost his glasses.  Horses were each hopping 
around, rider got unseated, made valiant effort to stay aboard, and 
boom.  None of those three let go of the rein.

Another, I heard, got loose, ran around camp 10 times not wanting to 
be caught and then hit barbed wire,laying his shoulder open badly.

Another got loose but that was a corral accident.

Their spirits are so high, and cold weather seems to bring it out in 
'em.  I'm minorly famous for a mount at a '99 fall ride when before I 
even had my leg over, my mare took off through camp at a run.  Bad 
Ember!  I managed to get on and stop her.  Dangerous!  She'd stood 
quietly, and then exploded, no malice, just glee.

In the first five miles of a ride is when it's both most exhilarating 
and the most dangerous.  These days, I do the equivalent of "tapping 
the brakes" to make sure I still have a handle on my horse--the 
Dray-sodge folks call these half-halts.  I know, if she's being 
resistant, that I have the option of doubling her (doing a 180) if 
the terrain allows, in order to stop her if she's not listening, 
because I don't want her to be a menace to others.  We've practiced 
that a lot in "peacetime".

It's a bad thing IMO when people pass unsafely because their horse is 
a runaway, as well as when people just don't show good manners.  The 
first ride I ever did was on a borrowed horse, and there wasn't a 
chance of stopping her for the first 5 miles.   Shotgun start, 35 
miler, we were all off in the semi-darkness, pounding along a fire 
road.   I was too stupid to be scared.

Etiquette consists of mere courtesy--"On your left!" (just like 
runners do), and "sorry!"  if there's a transgression (like my mare's 
"ugly faces" when she gets competitive while passing.)

My recommendation is for people that have horses who become raving 
maniacs, to start behind the pack (and not just 5 minutes worth), and 
to have the courage to get off and walk if the horse will not listen. 
And wear a helmet.  <grinning, ducking and running>

Lynne
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