RE: [RC] figuring out covered bridges - Christina McCarthy
Thanks D'Arcy...that was very interesting as I have never questioned why a bridge was covered...I assumed it was to teach horse how to spook...lol
Best Regards, Christina D McCarthy
American Riding Instructors Association ARICP Certified, Level II Distance & Pleasure Riding
"Calme, en avant, droit et léger"
"Calm, forward, right and light"
" In place of playing with fear to obtain submission it's better to capture the horse's confidence to obtain his consent" ~GeneralL'Hotte, head of the Cadre Noir from 1864-1870
If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong. ~Pat Parelli
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2008 19:51:32 -0800 From: cest.mon.virage@xxxxxxxxx To: rides2far@xxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] figuring out covered bridges CC: cjstaf@xxxxxxx; ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
All I can tell ya is that crossing a covered bridge for the first time isn't without its own type of excitement. The hoofbeats really echo in there...and it's dark...the horse thinks it looks like a perfect place for an ambush. >g<
I believe the idea on covered bridges was keeping ice off the bridge, but I could be wrong. They're definitely more common up north and I don't believe they have a corner on the spooking spinning horses market. :-)
Angie McGhee
On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 22:39:31 -0600 "Cindy Stafford" <cjstaf@xxxxxxx> writes:
Being a nerdy engineer (and highway designer at that), I've wondered what was the reason behind covered bridges. To keep snow off during the winter? Did it preserve the deck longer by keeping the weather off of it?
Well this weekend I tried to ride my horse across a bridge for only the second time ever. Needless to say, she impressed me with the number of 180 degree spins she could pull and the quickness of them. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the sides which were open to the 30 ft drop below. Finally had to get off and lead her with a guide horse in front.
Couple days later I saw a picture of a covered bridge and thought man i could have used that last weekend. The lightbulb finally went on (duh...) - so what do you think? Is that why the bridges were covered? So the horses would cross? Or is there a real documented reason out there? Enlighten me if you know!
