start of ride

[tina hicks <tina@liveonthenet.com>]

I agree the start of a ride can be pretty scary. Really when you think
about it, it's any wonder any of are able to control our
horses....You've got a herd animal in a big nervous, excited herd. It's
usually cool in the AM, the horses are fit, the riders are a bit anxious.

<shudder> A recipe for disaster if I ever saw one :)

With that said it doesn't have to be a life or death situation. People
used to tell me with Tony, who used to be a bit terrifying at the start,
to just practice the situation at home.

Oh sure, I'd think, I'll just get 60 of my best horse friends together
for a 6AM trail ride.

Yeah, right.

The fact of the matter is that the start of a ride is not really
something you can specifically train for - what you can do is teach your
horse to relax and pay a bit of attention to you..

You can do that in different ways. One way is through Parelli, Lyons,
Ray Hunt, et al....

One of my favorite ways though is by handwalking....Yep, handwalking.
That's what finally saved us from the nuthouse :). I hand walk him about
15 minutes around camp (I even have some folks who think they are being
cute by asking am I going to walk or ride this ride? Of course those
that ask this are usually jigging by me with a horse that's inverted,
pulling, shaking his head, and blowing fire. <g>). 

I then get on and continue to walk the rest of the time. Once on, we
walk all around camp on a loose rein - pulling him down from a jig here
and there. I'll trot when he feels relaxed and we can do it in a
reasonable manner. Sometimes that means we pick up an easy trot with the
last 5 horses out and that's our warm up. Often, now, after walking for
a good 20 minutes or so, he's happy to just cock a leg and stand and
watch. It has taken us a few years to get to this point - because he and
I both had some learning to do to figure out what would work. I can now
start with the next to the last group and feel in control - that's about
as good as it will get with him I think due to previous owners but I
don't have any aspirations of starting up front anyway.

The more you get on at a start and they act the fool the more likely
they are going to act the fool. The more you can make the start a
"non-event" the more settled you'll both be.

Easier said than done I know but it can be done.

Good luck.

Tina
tina@liveonthenet.com