> Pamela...may I ask something, and if you don't want to answer, that's fine. > Have some people told you that incident was your fault? The reason I ask, > is that of all the years I've been involved with horses, I've NEVER seen > such a strong tendency to "blame the owner" or "blame the rider" as I've > seen within the "traditional" Icelandic community. At this point, I'm not > really talking to you literally, but for all the other inexperienced owners > who have been "blamed and shamed." > Karen Thomas, NC
Hello Karen, Actually, I have never been blamed or shamed by anyone by this incident. It happened when I was taking Blessi off alone on a trail ride. I thought I would tell the tale as an amusing anecdote. I hope the readers of this list take the story that way. Perhaps, I should explain a little more. When I bought Blessi, the seller explained that Blessi was trained in the traditional Icelandic way to respond by going faster with any leg pressure. I was coached very carefully to avoid leg pressure unless I wanted speed. It took a couple months to de-sensitize Blessi to not react to leg pressure. The water bottle hit Blessi right where my leg would normally go and it was to be expected at that time that he would react by going faster. Plus I started yelling (as you said novice overreaction) and this made the situation even worse. This is a good example of how a novice rider and different training methods (Icelandic versus US) can lead to some unexpected incidents. >I see what you described totally > differently - that's NOT an "owner stupidity" situation if you ask me. We > were ALL beginner riders at one point, and even when we're past our > rank-beginner phases, "sh*t happens" sometimes. Any horse who's had a > decent start under saddle should have had a gradual exposure to things > flopping about above him, below him, between his legs, whatever. That's no > reason for a horse to take off. A well-trained horse SHOULD expect an > occasional klutzy episode from his rider, even if the rider isn't green. A > horse shouldn't just run off when a water bottle flops from the saddle - not > unless the horse has HUGE holes in his basic training. And...beginner > riders WILL overreact. That's almost inevitable - no reason to point > fingers. That's not your fault - really, it's not. And, to be perfectly > fair, and I suspect you'll agree, it most likely wasn't Blessi's fault > either. > The incident was totally not Blessi's fault and his training was very good except for the not standing still when mounting as I mentioned in the earlier email. He really is a very non-reactive horse and took cats jumping on him, rabbits bolting between his feet, branches geting stuck in his tail, deer jumping out, etc, quite in his stride. > Good for you and for Blessi! It's not easy to have a horse with holes in > his basic training. And it's not easy to be a novice owner/beginner rider. > And it's certainly not easy to deal with both disadvantages at once. I > admire your courage for sticking it out. I'm glad you're on the list...and > glad you'll talk about these things! Actually, I have confused the situation. My intent was really to try and show all imported Icelandics are not bolters and I am making a muddle of the situation. (As discussed in an earlier email, I fell off Blessi and got hurt because I took him right out after a week long stay in the stall, got on him, he moved forward with enthusiasm, and I fell off. This created a cycle of fear.) Blessi had some nice training except for standing still while mounting and stopping easily. As a novice rider, I was able to go on trail rides with Blessi by myself and deal with rabbits, deer, tractors, ditches, water crossings, small tree branches stuck in the tail, etc. A trail bike popped out of the woods before us and he never blinked. He has never spun on me, bucked, or kicked, etc. I think in my case it was a novice rider running into some rough spots due to lack of experience and riding ability. As I mentioned earlier, Blessi was trained to increase speed with leg pressure. Imagine how confusing it was to him to have a novice rider ride him with a constant death grip asking for speed and yet the rider keeps checking him with the reins. He did an excellent job ignoring the noise from a beginning rider trying to ride him and take me safely on the trail. When I first got Blessi, he responded to the slightest shift in my weight and changed directions. I almost didn't need the reins. It was like riding a dream horse. However as I rode him , I made some typical beginner mistakes through ignorance--I wanted to go right and he wanted to go left. I left him go left thinking why argue about it- -both ways were pleasant rides. You more experienced riders can probably predict what happened. My dream horse became a little stubborn and independent. Luckily before matters got dangerous, I went to a stable where I could get training and Blessi could get a refresher. I am being really open with this, despite all the potentially embarassing moments, because other beginning riders may learn from my mistakes. Imported Icelandic horses tend to be trained to go faster from leg pressure and novice riders may ride with a lot of leg pressure to keep their balance and keep checking the horse. Novice riders may be inconsistent in what they ask of their horses and even the best trained horses may take advantage. As you said Sh** happens and I needed to learn to expect and deal with it. The more I learn about riding, the more training I get, and the better the relationship I build with my horse, the more likely that controlable sh** happens. As a beginning rider, I would have had worse incidents with just about any other horse than Blessi. In fact with any other horse, I probably would have had so many bad experiences I probably would not be riding right now. I regret that my previous email portrayed Blessi as "green" or "untrained." Regards, Pamela
