This message is from: Phillip Odden <n...@norskwoodworks.com>
This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin where what little snow we have is now melting due to a warm winter. Not much sleigh time this winter so far.
I both drive and ride my Fjords. The one rein stop has a chance of working when you are riding but much less of a chance to work when you drive if your horse decides to bolt. So for me safety means trust, respect and suppleness. But most importantly always having contact with both sides of the horse's mouth. By this I mean very light contact. If you have light contact and your horse is supple the horse will jump right into your hand and the supple neck and supple body will be manageable and can be directed. If you have no contact the horse can be gone before you can tighten up the reins and if you always have lots of contact your horse is bracing against your hand. Suppleness starts on the ground in everything you do with the horse. A bracing horse is the opposite of a supple horse. The horse needs to trust you to take care of it even when things get goofy or something unexpected comes up. Your horse needs to be able to trust and respect you especially at that time.
So for me safety, both riding and driving has to do with trust, respect, suppleness and light contact on both sides of the mouth all the time. It doesn't hurt to expose your horses to lots of stuff that might scare a horse. If you deal with horses things are going to get a little tense every once in a while. How safe things turn out depends on how prepared you are and how well prepared your horse is to manage the situation. I train for suppleness.
All the best and stay safe, Phil Odden Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH-L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
