[RC] at home and trotting - update on help with riding a trotting horse - Mellifluous
My horse, Spirit came home this weekend. I got a lesson from my trainer before I left and rode with my dressage saddle to see if it made a difference. I kept the advice you guys had given me in the back of my mind and went for it. Before I knew it, I was trotting without flailing. I felt comfortable and balanced. During that lesson I learned that Spirit has a nice easy slow trot that is very smooth and a fast trot that is a bit rougher but very very fast. I was able to relax and enjoy riding, I would reach down and rub Spirit's neck while we were trotting around and he would arch his neck up and if he was a cat, I swear that he would have been purring. He was so happy and eager to please. My trainer really did a terrific job with him. By the way Spirit acts you would think that he had been there much longer than 60 days.
I rode him at home the first time yesterday. We went all over the place and he was so eager to get out and see the world! If anything was scary he would cock his head a bit to look at it, whuff and then go about his business of getting out and enjoying himself. I swear he was having fun. We trotted a bit and it went really really well and I discovered that he has one heck of a fast power walk. He can walk as fast as my paso mare gaits. I guess he was so excited to see what was around the next corner, he was going to walk as fast as possible to get there. I am betting that this will be a good thing on an endurance ride.
I know now that riding Spirit is going to be a very interesting and very different experience from what I am used to with my paso. It is good. I enjoy riding my paso, but I also found myself enjoying riding Spirit mainly because of his happy attitude about the whole thing. My paso mare approaches going out on a ride with a very businesslike attitude. She will enjoy herself but is very subdued. Hitting the trail with her is like going somewhere with a dependable relative who is going to make sure that everything is safe and plans every detail of the trip including bathroom breaks. Riding Spirit is like going somewhere with one of your spontaneous childhood friends who finds something fascinating to experience every step of the way.
So, what is the moral of the story? In my mind it is that trotting is not so bad, especially when you use a saddle that gets your legs under you. It really helps to relax too! I owe a big thanks to all of you that responded to my earlier messages about trotting. Now I just have to figure out which ride to take him to first.
Oh, and maybe riding an Arabian isn't all that bad of a thing after all...
