----- Original Message -----
story
about man losing leg in river when horse rears
over................
I
have a variation on that, not funny, but funny story to follow. Gesa's
story about the horse rearing and going over reminded me on this story from
Pt.Reyes. Every year hundreds of people camp at Stewarts horse camp and
ride over to the ocean. For a pretty straightforward
dirt
road over; horror stories emerge every year of horses going over the side of
the cliffs, etc.
One
year a man took his green horse over to the ocean and tried to make it go
in. The horse was scared and refused. Finally, the man got the
"bright" idea of making the horse BACK into the ocean, since then the horse
could not see it. This worked until the tide rolled in, PAST THE BACK
FEET, and under the front feet. The horse took the only escape-up.
Went over on the man, and the western saddle horn scooped out his
eye...............next year he was back riding to the ocean with a glass
eye...........sometimes we really need to think of the consequences of what
the horse possibly might do...........before we do something
stupid.
Our
actions last night might have ended up the same way,(a wreck) four riders and
three babies along, nice little loop trail in the evening; up a very brushy
hill. At the top, my friend split off with the two girls and the two
babies, and I took the shortcut, since I had the yearling, and didn't want to
over do it. My friend ran across the landowner out there, chatted awhile, and
he presented a bareback pad he had run across. My daughter came up with
the idea of putting it on one of the youngsters (3 and 4) to carry out.
They had both been saddled and cinched and ridden slightly, so were both
used to things on their back. It was put on the colt, Pistol, and the ride
proceeded. When they caught up to me, he was trotting along, the seat
portion under his belly, and the part you sit on flapping back and forth on
his belly. He could care less! We were all impressed, so decided
to torture-um, I mean test out my 4 year old, Passion. It was put on her
upside down, and she carried it that way back to the trailer, with no problem,
the seat part slapping her back and forth .. We decided this was going
to be part of our trail training, and hope somday when we are riding, and the
saddle slips under their belly, they won't flip out. This may sound
incredibly stupid (possibility of babies flipping out and getting hurt), but I
guess we measured the risks, and decided given their personalities and former
training, they would be okay. We do a LOT of strange things to these
youngsters; in taking them out on the trail before they are really saddle
broke. Middle aged riders trying to cover someof the bases, so when we
DO ride them out on the trail, they have "been there, done that!" One other
training technique I have really become to believe in-don't try
anything
new
on a fresh/frisky horse. These babies had already done some hill
climbing, and had all
their
ya-ya's out.
Karen