This message is from: laura fisher <laura_fishe...@hotmail.com>
This is Laura from Oregon with Elisie.
Well, we went on our second beach ride. what I really I really like about the
terrain is that the sand is relatively deep and the sides of the trail are
relatively low. I have owned Elisie for about 90 days. I ride about five to
six days a week. We do tons of ring work , which is a breeze, learning wise
unless a canter is expected on the lunge line or any other time except free
lunge, but we are successfully working on that.
My question is that my mare has definite issues on the trail. Her previous
owner used her as a kids horse trail horse. A first she would not take a
bridle or pick up her feet. We fixed that pretty easily. While she will gladly
work with me in the ring, she behaves differently out side.
#1- If you want to lead the trail ride she will(it seems) happily do that for
quite a ways so you would think the problem has been overcome.. then all at
once she plants her feet and refuses to go forward. I am glad I have done tons
of disengaging of the hind quarters and limbering exercises and riding of
circles. She will start spinning and tend to want to get off the trail and
into brush or hilly areas, but if I start the suppeling exercises she will
quite happily do them and quiet down. Then I ask to go forward and the fight
begins. Backing her up doesn't work. I have tried yelling her forward,
smacking her and last resort kicking her. nothing. Finally I settle for two
and a half steps forward. I patted her and followed my husband. It looked like
she thought I had "won".
#2- my husband says I ask too much of her on the trail. Ask her once or twice
to hold back and stop, but don't keep doing it during the whole ride. Don't
try to lead far at all, just lead a little and then follow for the rest of the
ride. She does quite well standing still while my husbands' horse goes ahead,
but not when I keep asking. I guess I would like a time perspective of how
much and how long should I bring the things we work successfully in the arena
into "real life"
Also, I don't know why but all of a sudden she flew up in the air like ( I
hope) a bee had stung her. I stayed on fine but shoulders and arms were sore
afterwards...I had been in the middle of letting her catch up to my husbands'
horse .Of course she was bolting ahead not listening to me which I was trying
to work on at the time... I don't know if I caused the explosion , she stood
still after that and we followed my husband back to the trailer. She was
really sweaty and since I keep her in great shape she must have been stressed.
(?)
At least I feel much safer on the sand. I guess I should say I am a classical
musician with a pretty fierce drive towards my own perfection and I think that
can really get in the way. (practice perfection more practice perfection. you
get the idea)
How much should I do ? Just ride the winter following my husbands' horse ,
concentrate on the indoor and nothing else, or continue to work on these
problems and how much?
>From some of what I read in the forum there are people that take the
imperfections in stride,even laugh about it. Then seem to enjoy the ride in
spite of the rodeo. Maybe don't even try to correct them. Sometimes I think
they are just way better riders than me.
Well, time to get working and clean stalls! Have a great day/night everyone!
Laura :)
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