Mares Idiosycratic Behavior/Riding Mares

["Carolyn Burgess" <carolyn_burgess@hotmail.com>]

I'll kill two birds with one stone.  I have a mare and three geldings.  The 
geldings are OK, but I love my mare. She was the most awesome horse to trail 
ride on, never got to do any distance riding as she was in her late teens 
when I got her and she is retired now in her late 20's.  Once she got that 
she had to watch where she was going instead of everywhere else (at the 
beginning she would be looking in the air, into the woods, behind her), she 
was incredible.  Yes, she and I would have arguments - did I really want her 
to do something.  And when I told her, YES! she did it.  I used to ride with 
a friend who used to do terrible things (like jumping a log and then bolting 
and disappearing down the trail).  I ended up loosing my balance and hanging 
on to my mares neck, upside down about 6" off the ground.  When my mare came 
to a stop, I had been dropped onto the ground underneath her.  She stepped 
over me and stopped.  I was on the ground under her and she just stood 
there.  We also, unwittingly, stepped onto a sheet of ice and the two of us 
fell down. I managed to get my leg out of the way in time.  She got to her 
feet as I was laying on the ice and she just stood there until I got to my 
feet and led her off.

This horse would go on 2' wide trails on the side of hills and not miss a 
step.  We could gallop along under low hanging branches and I would duck out 
of the way and she wouldn't miss a step.  She was great with ATV, dirt 
bikes, mountain bikes, people, cars, and dogs.  If a dog got agressive, we 
would go after it. She loved chasing the dogs.  I wanted another mare to 
replace her when I retired her, and I just couldn't find one.  I really love 
that she had opinions and would share them with me.  Sometimes she'd win, 
sometime not.

This same mare, like another Ridecampers horse, loves to have her teats 
rubbed.  She wants all of the days grime removed and she has been known, not 
only to spread her legs to give you easier access, but to lift her leg out 
of the way.  She also has pinned me against the wall of the stall using me 
as a scratching post for her bum.

I love this gal and wish I could still ride her.

Carolyn Burgess

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