On Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 10:38:19AM -0600, Janice McDonald wrote: > If its true what they say, that horses are the most perceptive of all > mammals... then think about how you can always tell when someone cant > stand you or thinks you are crazy... sorta makes you want to stay > away from them and dread seeing them coming doesnt it?!
*nodsnodsnods.....* i think this is seriously true. i make all my students ride facing backwards sooner or later, not to make fun but to increase their confidence and freedom to follow unfamiliar movements, and stjarni knows this is serious stuff and takes care of them. lately i get the impression he thinks i'm not fun enough, though. when i've been schooling too much in the ring, he'll just walk to the center and sidepass and do turns on the forehand and all the other lateral work we've been practicing -- like "okay, here you go, are we done yet??" whereas if we get out on the trail with other horses and run around like crazies for an hour or so, he's an angel in the ring for days :) just to stress that this isn't about lorraine being bucked off though -- i got bucked off miss molly in a similar lesson where i was the student. i don't think she thought i was making fun of her though, i think i got stuck sitting over her kidneys while trying to slide off over her bum, and she started bucking right there on the crossties, probably out of pain. fortunately (and i do credit all these vaulting lessons my old instructor gave) i was able to land on my feet -- but it was still scary and embarrassing, and i felt pretty bad for doing that to molly, too. --vicka
