Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] MY Million Pines Story - Shelley Kerr
I agree about the training. A horse needs to be sacked out and
be able to handle a rope or anything dangling between it's legs or hanging
off it's body, etc. I've been in situations with green horses where
if I hadn't done the sacking out and ground work, they would have
freaked. One was walking down the trail and I was gazing here and
there and finally noticed my lead rope had come untied from my horn and
was trailing between my horses legs. Ooops! Another (with the
same horse) was when I bought a new saddle. Abetta. The
off billet was messed up, the holes were down too far so had to rig it to
work. Was out and about and kept hearing this
tink..tink..tink. Couldn't figure out what it was and rode around
for half an hour or so, then turned my horse and the cinch comes swinging
out from under her. Another OOPS!! Needless to say I went and
bought a good off billet!
I've
seen them pitch a fit and get loose from tie lines, tied to a trailer,
in electric paddocks and pipe paddocks. At one of those large
organized trail rides I've saw rear in a stall when their buddy left
and try to jump out and end up geting their front legs over the stall
door. It's training not how they are restrained. There is very little
that will keep a 1000 pound animal restrained if he wants to get out.
The less experience they have the more likely they are to panic and do
something stupid.
This is where small rides are good for
training a new horse - the excitement level is lower and you can
usually find some space off by yourself where the adrenaline overload
doesn't drive your horse bonkers. I really like Million Pines. It's a
great ride with a great ride manager. However, it is not a ride I
would select to take a horse that wasn't a rock solid proven camper. I
sure would not select this is the first ride I took a horse to. Lots
of people lots of activity lots of excitement all adding up to sensory
overload.
The ride I would choose for training a new horse in the
SE is the Ponce Pirate Run. Laid back ride with a huge camping area
and lots of places you can get away from the crowd and excitment. For
those that can get away to ride in Feb (or Oct) the Far Out Forest is
also a good one for breaking in a new horse. The Big South Fork is
also a pretty laid back ride that should provide a good experience for
a new horse and if the horse is having a difficult time you can take
him down to the stable and rent a stall away from the excitment. I am
sure there are others that I have missed.
.
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