Pam M
01-15-2006, 11:59 PM
I FINALLY got to take my mare out for the first time today and she was wonderful! This is surprising because A) she's crazy :D and B) I picked her up from the trainer's nearly a year ago and haven't really ridden her since :( It turned out she was pregnant then (misread ultrasound, long story). BUT today we had a nice day and a calm riding partner so we were good to go!
I did wonder how she would behave - even wore my helmet just in case! - but she couldn't have been better! A few small spooks but that's normal daily behavior for her as she's a huge scaredy cat. On the trail we crossed a stream, walked around a pond, scooted to the side for 4-wheelers, passed a dog and stopped to sniff lots of bear tracks and none of it fazed her. She even seemed to enjoy herself a bit!
Most of what little bad behavior she did show was my fault. After we crossed the stream, she did the dog-shake thing and I wasn't prepared for it to be quite such a violent shake. She took me off guard, I gripped with my legs and she said, "Oh! You want me to run? OK, we're off!" I'm used to riding a horse that needs leg pressure - have to retrain myself now!
I already emailed Hollis, who I lease her from, and Cindy G, who trained her, about how pleased I am with her behavior. She's a perfect example of what can be made of a horse with time and patience because 3 years ago, I couldn't even catch her. Literally. She ran the pasture for nearly a year because no one could catch her without her trying to commit suicide! She hated people. Today, just a whistle will bring her running. What a good girl!
I did wonder how she would behave - even wore my helmet just in case! - but she couldn't have been better! A few small spooks but that's normal daily behavior for her as she's a huge scaredy cat. On the trail we crossed a stream, walked around a pond, scooted to the side for 4-wheelers, passed a dog and stopped to sniff lots of bear tracks and none of it fazed her. She even seemed to enjoy herself a bit!
Most of what little bad behavior she did show was my fault. After we crossed the stream, she did the dog-shake thing and I wasn't prepared for it to be quite such a violent shake. She took me off guard, I gripped with my legs and she said, "Oh! You want me to run? OK, we're off!" I'm used to riding a horse that needs leg pressure - have to retrain myself now!
I already emailed Hollis, who I lease her from, and Cindy G, who trained her, about how pleased I am with her behavior. She's a perfect example of what can be made of a horse with time and patience because 3 years ago, I couldn't even catch her. Literally. She ran the pasture for nearly a year because no one could catch her without her trying to commit suicide! She hated people. Today, just a whistle will bring her running. What a good girl!