Dawn..that absolutely amazes me. I have to remember not to hold my breath when my sighted horse goes through that section! For those who don't know the area she is referring to, this is certainly a doable trail for any horse, but one that they really have to put each hoof in the right place. By the way, it is a great place for you local riders to take young horses to balance a rider through rough terrain in small doses in a safe, well traveled area.
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From: dsimas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx CC: sherman@xxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] blind horse--Mojo Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:54:34 -0800
<<I remember reading (don’t
remember where, was it in Julie Suhr’s book?) about a
rider doing endurance rides on a blind horse. I recall that the owner/rider
would hit her horse on the neck to tell it to step up. Does anyone else remember
reading this?>>
I read the archive a few
times a week and I think I posted about Mojo, my blind Friesian, didn't I?
It's not there in the archive. Then I noticed that Jan 8's messages are all
missing... Anyway, I know that Nicole Wiere's mom Pat Chappell rode a
blind stallion in endurance. First one eye, but later he went blind in the
other, and she did American River Ride on him. Todd Nelson told me this
and how amazed he was with that horse. I believe he was the QH that sired
Thunders Lightning Bar, her mare that holds the record of the most Tevis
finishes (13).
I spoke with her on the phone
for advice when I first rescued Mojo. She told me to teach him voice
commands. And I also taught him to know the elevation of his next steps so
that he wouldn't trip over his toes. I use "Step Up" and then would raise
the reins on his neck. A little, means a slight grade increase, but
if I raise them a lot, that means a steep hill. If I "Whoa" and stop him
first and *then* say Step Up, that means straight up rather than gradual grade
increase. Like over a curb or into a step up trailer. Again, the cue
on the neck tells him how far. Same with Step Down.
BTW: I have ridden him
through the boulders on the Pioneer Trail between Granite Bay and Rattlesnake
Bar and he's completely blind, not even shadows.
:)
Dawn
"A lot of people spend time talking to the animals
but not that many people listen. That's the real problem." - Winnie the
Pooh
