...was not nearly as eventful as the second ride. And for this I am thankful.
We did have one minor bucking episode, but I was not about to eat dirt a second time. She helped out by not bucking as hard as last time, although I'm fairly certain that, given enough time, we'd have been going for the 8 second bell. Without delay I reached down, grabbed the left rein close to her head, and pulled.
As soon as I had her nose on the fender of the saddle, she stopped. I released her, and sat up straight to assess the situation. My hat was on the ground, and my forehead felt as though I'd been smacked, but that was the worst of it. For the life of me I cannot recall what whacked my noggin.
Without ceremony I started her moving again. She kept looking at my hat as though it might be a horse eater, so I dismounted, shook off the dust, donned it, and climbed back in the saddle.
In retrospect, the mistake I think I made was failing to keep my hands moving, touching her neck, the saddle, and her hip in repetition. This keeps a young horse cognizant of the fact that the rider is up there. I realize now that I forgot to do that, and it's possible that she forgot I was there, and then got spooked when she subsequently noticed me. I'll chalk it up to another part of the learning process.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, and I am again happy with the results. I do have the video form the first ride, and as soon as I have time to edit and upload it, I will get it posted.
6 comments:
See, all this horse stuff is Greek to me, but that's okay, 'cause you're "translating" it as you go!
Congrats on not eating dirt, and may you never have to in the future.
And I can't WAIT for the video. *squeeeeee*
Even the most peaceful old horse you know will get spooked at some point. Wize horse words: Keep your feet in the stirrups. Never buy a horse with the name "Wild" something or a horse with the name "Luna" - it does not usually refer to the moon.
Progress! I'm like Christina... I don't know horses from houses... but I'm sure liking these posts!
Thanks for the positive comments!
You are so right Lou! I also avoid horses named Gunner...
Christina & Buck: I try to keep in layman's terms, glad to hear I'm doing a good job at translating.
I'm enjoying these also.
Now, how you grab the rein, close to her head while she is bucking - even mildly - THAT is a mystery to me :)!
Ann: It takes a bit of self control. Much to my own amazement, I have been very calm during these episodes. Time seems to move very slowly and I find myself concentrating on how to use my hands and feet to get the situation under control.
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