 |
Re: [RC] [RC] ridecamp - a great inspiration - Carla RichardsonHey Cindy, Never fear, even people who have ridden all their lives and on many different horses (like me!) still have fears when getting on a new horse. Or even going on an endurance ride or competitive trail ride with a large group of horses -- even a bombproof horse will be susceptible to acting up a bit in the right conditions. After riding my horse Top Gun for the past 7 1/2 years, I had to retire him from competition, he developed arthritis so he's now a beautiful pasture potato. I started riding my new gelding, Khid, in August. We now have 100 miles of competitive trail, 50 miles of LD, and 100 miles of endurance - hurray! He's turned out really well, but I bought him sight unseen and of course without riding him. Took a leap of faith because I had seen his full sister at a ride and liked her. Saw a video of Khid, and liked that, and just believed what they told me. Of course, it could have turned out really badly! But I was lucky, Khid is a wonderful horse. Best thing you can do is to take your time finding a new horse. Be careful, you don't want to get a horse that does not have a good mind, and you also want a sound body so you can enjoy many years and miles with your new horse. Is there anyone in your area that you know who could help you in your quest for a new horse? It helps to have a honest second pair of eyes, but you do need to find someone who knows what they're doing and you can trust. Good luck, and keep riding! Carla Richardson Colorado On 1/9/08, Cindy Stafford <cjstaf@xxxxxxx> wrote: Lately I've been trying to find my next endurance horse, as my horse developed health issues early in her career that prevent her from doing endurance. She's pretty much been the only horse i've ridden since I learned to ride a few years back, and as I try out new horses, I've got a renewed appreciation for my 'steady eddie - bombproof' mare :). I tend to be a very cautious rider, and it takes me a lonnnggg time to get used to a new horse. So each little spook on these strange horses, I flashback to being a newbie rider and some nerve racking experiences on a bucking and bolting horse (the aforementioned mare, before being bombproof haha). Very minor incidents to most of you veteran riders out there, but to me heart stopping events! LOL So where am I going with this post? I just wanted to throw a big thank you out there to those of you responsible for this site and all of you who share your stories. As I read your experiences, it makes me appreciate that my mountains are really molehills, literally. As I read some of your stories and imagine myself in similar circumstances, and think - ohmigod, I would certainly die! - then I let it sink in and realize that if you can get past that (fill in the blank), then my little hurdle is nothing and I need to get a grip and stop dreaming up excuses :). Some examples I've been pondering on lately: My world - tree lined trails, great for stopping a bolting horse. Cantering an open meadow on a new horse? - forget it! Their world - Miles and miles of open grassland. What are trees? My world - Can't ride on the farm roads by the barn where I board, there's a chance of running into the neighbor's loose dog! Their world - saw a mountain lion (or bear) last trail ride My world - go slow on that narrow spot by the creek, it's almost a 15ft drop! Their world - step off the trail, you're tumbling down a 100 ft cliff Anyway, you've made me realize how sheltered I am in my little flat midwestern world where the occasional deer is the scariest thing on the trail. Keep posting your ride stories, even if you think they're mundane. It's inspiring and confidence building for us chickens out there! Happy riding! Cindy =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|