Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I agree.  There are a couple of other points --
       -- feeling light contact can be reassuring to an insecure horse.  It is 
the same thing that Nancy said, but a little different approach. 

       -- If I am in light contact, there isn't any take-up of the reins 
required.  If I am riding on loose reins and something happens, I first have to 
reel in the reins.  That puts me behind the power curve before I even start, 
and in a spook situation, you simply don't have that kind of time.  

I have been able to stop a mild spook (just last week, in fact) because the 
horse basically "ran into my leg".  The same thing can happen with the reins on 
light contact.  I had the experience with my old horse of having him spook,  
and kind of "bounce off" one rein, then "bounce off" the other, and stop in the 
middle.  I basically blocked a spook to each direction, all done within the 
time it takes to grab your breath.  Had he been on a loose rein, I would have 
been on the ground (well - in the stream, as a matter of fact...)



On Nov 30, 2009, at 2:31 PM, Nancy Sturm wrote:

> What he was doing is giving the horse something to do, other than spook. For 
> an insecure horse or one that spooks or you haven't yet developed the 
> trust/experience bond with, riding WITHOUT contact on a loose rein and 
> holding on to the horn is the worst thing you can do. You are basically 
> giving the insecure horse permission to spook or buck or run-off or all those 
> things that riders say their horses only do during certain times (my horse 
> only acts that way WHEN ...)... What that really means is the horse isn't 
> thoroughly broke and isn't ridden correctly.
>
>
> Donna -
>
> Excellent job of explaining!
>
>
> Nancy 
>
>
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