Today we went on a group trail ride. We split into two groups; the advanced (balls-y) course, and the easy going course. My dad took the easy going course, and I took the advanced...not because the size of these hills we were climbing made me want to piss my pants, but because I knew that my horse was very herd bound to my dads horse, and they needed to get away from each other. I needed to take Sunny wayyy out of his comfort zone. And Sunny protested. He protested hard. Rearing up on a near straight vertical incline, and tossing his head while angling his body sideways on the way down, when it was critical to keep the horse in a straight line to prevent falling. I had never experienced such bad behavior from this horse in my life, but I knew if I hung in there, hed eventually settle down. After about 2 hours, and having to climb off and readjust my saddle because he was so sweaty, he finally calmed down. I did some one on one work with Martin Black (our instructor) on how to handle Sunnys protests and hissy fits in a way he could not brace against. I used a lot of triceps, and we did a lot of tiny circles, but he eventually realized he couldnt brace against me any longer, and he was getting nowhere, in fact further from the other horses. By the 3rd hour, I was riding him at an easy going walk, by himself away from all the other horses. I had him on a fully loose rein, and he had his nose practically to the ground. Today made me realize the importance of standing my ground. I could have easily gone in the group my dad rode in, and Sunny and Bubba could have been together and wed have had an easy ride. I also could have avoided my fear of steep inclines that Ive had since I was 4 when the snowmachine I was driving flipped over on top of me. Not only did I have to face these intense hills today, I had to do it on a horse who was losing his mind in a fight or flight response. He could have easily fallen down the hill or flipped over on top of me. His threats were convincing. But I still had faith in him, and I knew we could push through it. I pushed through it without the use of a bit too. I did it in a hackamore, without pulling back on his face. Its taken many years to learn not to lose my temper with a horse (especially a hot blooded, sensitive breed), but I kept still and calm. Several people in the group I was riding in commented that I was incredibly brave for staying on that horse, while at the same time I was telling myself that Id never be brave enough to ride some of their horses who in my opinion were more dangerous. I know my horse, he knows me. I know his bark is worse than his bite, but I will say that Im glad I kept calm for 2 hours of horsey tantrums and pushed through.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:04:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015