Show and Tell

[guest@endurance.net]

Lysane lysanec@yahoo.ca
Personally I think that ctrs are the place for me to start as a
newbie. Although i do lots of training at home and don`t put
up with disobedience, I do not have the chance to ride with other horses
very often and I know that even a well-trained horse will get
antsy and bounce around in the presence of all kinds of strange horses,
trotting off down
the trail. I mean, my last horse used to be completely controllable even
in the presence of
other horses, but pranced and
bounced the whole time of a two hour pleasure ride. He would settle only
if
he was in front, and even then there was alot more bounce in his step with
other horses around. Just excited to be around others of his kind!
With good training, the horse will still be controllable, but being
nervous
myself about doing everything right at the ride, I would rather
begin with a shorter distance.
Yes, my horse might get the idea by the second or third ride that
25 miles is the end of the effort, however, I am sure he can learn
just as well that the ride can be longer. Training rides are not always
the same
distance. What I mean is that
when I do decide to move up to 40 or 50 miles, I will have done
more than 25 miles at home
and will have tried to simulate (a little) the ride conditions
(i.e. the hold time, for example), so my horse should have figured
out that the ride continues by the time I do a 50. And I would
probably do my first 50 somewhat slower anyway (than after I`ve done
a number of them), so I don`t really see the horse`s ability
to adapt as a big problem. Of course, I`m just a new person and
I could be wrong, but horses adapt very well to changing
circumstances if they are fit and healthy to do the overall
distance required of them.
JMHO
Lysane