Re: Mental Checkout//Riding///

[Spiritdog2 <Spiritdog2@aol.com>]

Jerri

I could hardly be called someone with experience but.........while my mare was
in foal I rode her regularly around the neighborhood to keep her muscle tone
and circulation up.  Just at a walk mind you,  sort of a stroll around the
block sort of thing.  Then after she foaled I left her to take care of the kid
until weaning.  After weaning I slowly began to build her back to her former
great self.  She was VERY attached to her foal though so taking her for rides
really upset her.  It took the better part of a year to get to leave home
without screaming her head off.  The foal weaned fine,  she had a bit of a
problem.  In fact the "foal" is now a three year old and she still gets
apoplectic if I take the baby somewhere.  However having said that,  I think
it's perfectly fine to ride your mare before the foal is weaned.  Lots of
folks around here will pony their babies around the neighborhood giving mom
some excercise and baby some desensitizing.  I don't know if by "ride my mare"
you meant race.  I didn't enter her in any competition until the foal was a
year old.

Don't know if this helps, but it's what I did.

Good Luck
Randi/Spiritdog Ranch