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It would really piss my horse Bear off when I would pull him up and circle him while letting the other horses go on ahead at rides, so that we could have a sane ride.  Once he grew a bit of a brain and I let him start staying with other horses, I'd give him one warning to listen to me if he started to get race brain...if he didn't listen, then I'd pull him up and let the other(s) go on.  Believe it or not, I think he finally figured out that if he wanted to ride with other horses, he'd better behave, otherwise I'd make him let them go on.  He's fine doing 50 miles alone, never loses his impulsion and forwardness, but like most horses, prefers to be with someone.

 

Like you, it drives me nuts when people just let their horses go because they "can't" control them.  It's not that they can't, it just that they WON'T do whatever is necessary to win that battle.  We did a lot of rides coming in last or near last, way slower than Bear was conditioned to go, but I've got a horse with a brain now, and it was worth it.  He's only 8 now, and I wasn't about to spend 15 years riding a nutcase.

 

And yeah, I've been known to threaten to turn that #$%@ horse into Alpo at the first vet check...it was a real love-hate relationship for the first few rides!  <G>

 

Dawn Carrie

and Bear (I'm much better now)

 

On 10/10/07, heidi larson <ribbitttreefrog@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Ash, my arab gelding is really a pretty lazy guy in
training rides, it did help to ride him with other more
competitive horses.  I used to lament when I first started
riding him that he only knew 2 speeds, slow and slower.
Now I cuss him at times because he gets into the "search
and destroy" mode at rides. I've been known to announce at
the first vet check that he's up for sale!  :) He's been
better since we bumped up to longer distances and his 80
miler at Santiam this year was by far his best start.  I
never leave with the starters and we just slowly overtake
riders.  He has a big trot and loves hills, so it gives us
an advantage.  However, he's still been known to be an
idiot, and we do ride in just a simple myler snaffle.  One
thing I hear at rides alot are riders complaining how their
horses just "can't or won't slow down", no matter what they
do, and they usually follow up this sentence with, "so I
just let him/her go."  It's hard for me to keep my mouth
shut (so far I've done well) but there is one sure fire way
you can ALWAYS slow your horse down and that is "GET OFF
AND WALK!"  It works every time and although it totally
pisses my horse off, that's what I do when his brain falls
out. He's learning that it does him no good to throw a
tantrum and try to control the speed.  I've let many a
horse pass him as we're walking down a trail or road until
I deem it time to get back on.  Sometimes I've gotten off 3
or 4 times in a 50 miler and sometimes I never have to,
just seems to depend on the day, ride or ?????  We've even
given up a first place race for the finish as I don't want
him winning the "I need to beat that horse in front of me"
mode.  I like that he's competitive but I don't want
brainless.  He's way more likely to stumble if he's paying
more attention to the other horses and although I sometimes
let him pick the gait, I pick the speed.  After all, I buy
the oats!

Heidi and Kalasha (did she call me lazy?)



--- Chrystal Woodhouse <Chrystal@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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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