Ridecamp: Re: [RC] horse uninterested on training rides

Hi, Sheila,

I am currently conditioning my 8 yo Arabian gelding, Tanna, for our first LD 
ride together coming up in September. He did one before I got him and I did 
two before I got him. (No 50 milers for either of us yet. Maybe October or 
next spring.)

Anyway, one thing I've noticed about him is that he gets mighty bored. This 
past Sunday, I took him to a new trail (we just bought a truck and 
trailer!!!) and we did a total of about 13 miles.

Since it was a new trail, I ended up doing 3 or 4 miles of the same trail. 
Well, he got bored stiff. He was also probably tired as we'd been pushing 
our limits (he's a 6 mph horse right now) on speed. But since he perked up 
when we reached trail we hadn't been on before, I deduced that he was just 
bored with the trail. Now I have to figure out how to make it interesting, 
too!

Another thing Tanna does is freak out around 11-13 miles. He pitches a wierd 
little temper trantrum. I complained about this to his former owner and she 
pointed out that most of my training rides end about there, so when I go 
further, he protests, making me think he's highly upset about something so 
maybe we'll stop. After a couple of miles, he decides that's not helping and 
goes back to moving down the trail minus the temper tantrum.

So the point of my rambling? See if you can mix it up a bit. Go different 
trails if you can. Go different directions. Throw in a sidepass or a large 
circle at the canter. Anything to keep her occupied. Maybe she's just bored?

April
Nashville, TN

Subject: [RC]   horse uninterested on training rides

sheila paintmypony@xxxxxxxxx
Do any of your horses do this? My horse looks like she could'nt care less on 
the training rides and asks to go back every so often...even manages to make 
me think she is pooped out after 9 or 10 miles! But, on a real ride, she is 
all hyped up and full of go and acts like a lunatic for the first 15 miles 
and then for the next stretch, tries to catch up with who ever is way up 
ahead.How can I make her more intersted in the rides at home?


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