ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] control at starts--was Our first ride

[endurance] control at starts--was Our first ride

Tina Hicks (hickst@puzzler.nichols.com)
Wed, 27 Mar 1996 08:25:10 -0600

At 11:05 AM 3/26/96, LONG JUDY wrote:

>I'd be interested in hearing other people's stories about excited horses and
>what they have done with them (successfully or not). I am probably known for
>having the most miserable, wild, and out of control starts (at least there
>isn't
>any bucking!). I have pretty much resigned myself to it and I'm happy when he
>calms down after a few miles. It used to be a wild ride until after the first
>vet check.
============================================
well, I'm a weenie so I just let everyone else start and then I either
start alone or with a buddy that wants to do the same thing. This is the
way I deal with the problem - avoid it <g> This may not work for all horses
- some are even more wild if the pack is gone but for Tony his problem is
moving with a group - when we're alone or with one or two others, he's
great. Guess I'll never be a front-runner, huh?

You're right - it is miserable to be on a horse that is a nut, in a group,
for miles - been there, done that :-> I don't know that more bit is
necessarily the answer - most horses learn to just tuck their chin into
their chest and run away anyway. I ride Tony in a snaffle - with more bit
he just gave me more up and down action in the beginning (jigging/cantering
in place) and won't reach for the bit and settle into a good trot later on.
Also, I just personnaly prefer to ride in a snaffle. Work in the ring
helped alot but I know that just because I can get a shoulder-in in the
ring doesn't mean I'll be able to keep control of Tony during a start -
he's already proven that :->

I don't know about the rest of you but the only group experience I get is
either on a ride or the occasional trial ride with a bunch of friends - 95%
of the time I ride alone or at most with one other person. Acting good in a
group is like most other stuff - you gotta be able to work on it on a
day-to-day basis and most of us just don't have that luxury. So, you have a
horse that quickly puts it all together - big group = race day = I can be
a nut <g>.

Do others get to ride in large groups for practice or do you just live with
it also?

Tina and crew
hickst@nichols.com
Huntsville, AL