Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Chrystal,

I have a horse who we used to call "Mellow Fellow", and still do on training 
rides. When I get on him at the start of an "endurance ride", however, he 
has a new name. "Slow the %$# down Dammit" is his new name. I had to get him 
into a higher level of Myler bit after Washoe 50 in May of this year as a 
result. He pulled on me for the first 26 mile loop! The bit fixed that..even 
in the excitement of Tevis, he was great at the start..totally 
manageable..forward to be sure, but safe.

He is a pleasure to ride on training rides, although sometimes I have to put 
him in back of a faster horse on purpose as he is "dawdling"..but he paces 
himself so well at rides. He has top tenned twice and come in 11th once in 
his short career (some in well-attended rides of close to 100 riders)..and 
that was starting in the back and just keeping a steady pace..coming into 
the vet check down-straight to P/R, and then getting out of the vet check on 
time. I much prefer this kind of horse over one who burn himself out at the 
start, or who tears himself up on training rides. the bonus is he is relaxed 
in the vet checks and CHOWS his food.

Have a good time, and enjoy it while it lasts!



Ranelle Rubin, Business Consultant
http://www.rrubinconsulting.com
Independent Dynamite Distributor
raneller@xxxxxxx

916-663-4140 home office
916-718-2427 cellular
916-848-3662 fax






> From: Chrystal Woodhouse <Chrystal@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [RC]   Finding your horse's "vital energy"????:-)
> Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:05:23 -0400
>
> Funny I was thinking of this very thing this week as I started to
> condition/train my 6 yr old Morab mare for my daughter and as my back up
> endurance horse, when I got her last fall she was quite a handful,
> rearing.spinning and spooking, then she got FAT over the winter and this
> year has been totally easy and quiet!! SO easy and quite actually that I
> don't like riding her much, it seems I am always asking her to move
> forward ( not even fast just **obviously** forward would be good :-)) this
> is such a huge change from my ***real**:-) :-) :-) horse , the only thing
> I have ever done with her speed related is try to get her to stop!!! So I
> have been wondering as I am riding this new horse if it is possible to get
> them to eventually go forward at a decent pace ( I am assuming time and
> conditioning will do some of that)) but how far will/can they improve?? To
> have a competitive horse do you need a fireball that is going to provide
> you with lots of campfire stories relating your "war wounds" /helmets
> smashed/time spent in the hospital etc......-) or have people had sane,
> slowish horses that have sped up????
> Chrystal :-)



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