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Re: [RC] Tevis trail accident - heidiAt 12:30 PM 7/5/2004, rides2far@xxxxxxxx wrote:How often do any horses see that sort of crowd?How often does anyone train a horse to be in a crowd before going to a ride that starts in a crowd? I hate to keep hammering at this, but starting in a crowd is something you can work on beforehand. You might not be able to totally duplicate the start, but you sure could work on getting your horse used to being bumped, being in a moving, milling herd in the dark, etc. etc. Amen, Lif! I've often used little local horse shows for this very thing--horses and riders jammed in an arena, going around in circles at all gaits, getting cut off at the rail, etc. And my horse needs to learn to give and take with that, shorten up his stride if need be (and at my direction) when someone is cutting in front, etc. We also have used Back Country Horseman outings as an exercise in the fact that you can go out in a herd of horses on the trail all day and WALK. I think the WALK is the most neglected gait on most endurance horses--and they ALL should be able to WALK when asked to do so, even in the "hype" of the start of a ride. (Been working on that one with one that I'm riding right now--and he was HYPED at his last ride, and NOT happy about being asked to walk, but he DID IT, because he had learned at home that Mama is the Queen of Walk and we're gonna do that whether he likes it or not!) You may not have all of the parts put together until you get to the ride, but you can certainly have all of the parts rehearsed beforehand, in one fashion or another. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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