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Re: [RC] sane future for spooky arab?? - Chris PausHi Ann Marie... There are a few things to keep in mind. My reintroductin to Arabs after a long hiatus with stock horse breeds was Star, aka, Starman, a bay gelding, no registration, from Okla. Much later, after I bought him, I found out the horse trader laughed all the way to the bank thinking she'd sold me an unrideable horse. Well, he darn near was at first. He wasn't mean or anything. Didn't buck or bite or kick. but he could do a drop shouldered spin on a dime. He leaped 6 feet sideways completely airborn over everything.. mailboxes, rustling grass, and ANYTHING white. His biggest fear was boats. Of course our local trails follow a lake shore so we hear lots of boats and jet skis. The first year I had this horse, I fell off 11 times! I finally figured out I had to ride as fast as he could go. I did lots of rides with a good friend who had an unflappable retired polo pony. Emma kept Star in check and calmed and soothed him. So, ride with a friend if you can, preferably on a been there, done that horse. Do lots and lots of ground work and slow easy work in places where your horse is comfortable. Spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Build his confidence in you. Horses like yours and Star need to have absolute confidence in their riders. As they learn to trust us, their own confidence and sense of accomplishment grows and you can see them mature mentally. Don't be in a hurry to compete. I competed on Star only 3 months after I got him. I should have waited a year. As a result of my haste, we spent the first two seasons doing rides up and down and sideways, both of us wasting a lot of energy. After that, I took a few months off and did some basic dressage lessons for myself and sent Star back to kindergarten with the dressage trainer. When we went back to competition the next spring, I got lots of compliments on my "new" horse. I had better balance and more confidence as a rider, and Star gained abilities he didn't know he had. I know there were Central Region riders taking bets on the fat lady with the crazy horse about whether we'd make it. We now are in our 8th season together and he's 17 getting better and better (and finally growing up some) Remember also, you need to keep an Arabian's mind and feet busy. They are smart and when they are bored, they think up stuff to do to amuse themselves, often at your expense. This is where I've found a heart rate monitor helpful. I can tell from that whether Star truly is alarmed about something or just being a goofball. If his heart rate shoots up, I take time to soothe him and get him past whatever is scary. If he's just being a chump, he gets scolded and we go on. This is a long story to tell you there is no quick fix. No magic bridle or saddle. It takes lots of wet saddle blankets. Lots of encouragement and praise. Admonishment when appropriate, and your nerves of steel! A horse like Star has been a challenge, but he has taught me more than all the other horses I've known in 40 some years of horse ownership. I HAD to step up to the plate and become a better horsewoman if I was going to keep riding him. I THOUGHT I knew a lot about horses til I got him. He humbled me pretty darn quickly. The horses who have come into my life since have benefitted from the things I've learned from Star. I'm a firm believer that every horse has its gift to give you. It's up to you to find that gift. Good luck! chris Oh, P.s. not ALL Arabs are spooky. I have an 8YO gelding who is the epitome of calm and quiet. My 4YO mare who is just in training, has the makings of also a calm and easy going horse if I handle her right. My 21YO stallion also is calm and easy going and pretty unflappable about spooky stuff. --- Ridecamp Guest <guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Please Reply to: Ann Marie Mahar annmmahar@xxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== I have a new 5 year old arab that has been ridden for less than a year. He has come along nicely but is so scared of common obstacles that we must face, riding on dirt roads in rural Vermont (cars, trucks, bikes, tractor equipment, 4 wheelers, dogs). This is my first full arab and I am beginning to question the safety of him when we come across something that blows his mind and his fear overwhelms him- he tries to bolt by tucking his rear down. Things such as large trucks, tractors, bikes, 4 wheelers, etc. would be too much for him. Since I must ride on these roads, our neighbors are very supportive of driving slowely, but as we all know there are "the other nonhorse savy people" who don't slow down. My question is, will he become more confident in time, and begin to handle these things in stride like my previous morgan did, or will he always be a nervous wreck? I feel that I am a good rider but also know bad things do happen, and I don't want a nasty accident to happen to me! As a new mother I can't afford this, especially now! Thanks for all of your insights! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ===== "A good horse makes short miles," George Eliot Chris and Star BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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