ridecamp@endurance.net: Funny Falls/Training tip

Funny Falls/Training tip

Bonnie Snodgrass (snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil)
Tue, 04 Feb 97 12:01:35 EST

Yeah I know this hasn't got anything to do with endurance riding but I
couldn't resist recounting a couple of funny winter time episodes I
had out in Baker county Oregon, years ago.

I had a Paint Stallion, Rocky that I had broke and trained in the
Wallowa National Forest. He was a real mountain goat. I tried borium
on his shoes in the winter but gave up and just pulled them. I rode
all winter in spite of the snow by riding roads or fields that
ranchers had driven their tractors thru. One day (snow about 18" deep)
I headed up a logging road that switchbacked up a ridge. At the bottom
we had to open a gate in the barbed wire fence between private and
public land because of a cattle guard across the road. The snow had
been packed down some on the road and after trotting part way up the
ridge we moved into a gallop. Now Rocky, bless his pea-picking heart
was an expert at running and bucking high with his rear end at the
same time. I have to admit that I usually just laughed and rode it
out. This time he bobbled and lost me. Soft landing in the snow. My
dog ran merrily up the road with the horse who finally stopped,
realized he was headed away from home, turned around and belted past
me back down the switch backs towards the cattle guard. I decided I
could head him off at the pass by running/sliding/falling straight
down the ridge, cutting across the switch backs. The dog helped me
slide down the mountain. I did beat him to the bottom and planted
myself in front of the cattle guard, snow packed into every opening in
my clothes and boots. And waited. No horse. Then I heard him up the
ridge calling and crying. I hollered at him and he came at a dead run
down the road looking paniced at being alone and abandoned. After
gettin back on and riding back up that @%#$&* mountain I could see
from his hoofprints that he had gone back to where he left me and
trotted back and forth searching. Boy did I scare him!

About a week latter we're out riding down the edge of an alfalfa
field. Now for those of you who don't know, most the irrigation done
out there is by ditch/flood irrigation. Some ditch's are shallow and
small but some are pretty wide and deep. Anyway, this field being out
in the middle of Eagle Valley, the wind has blown the snow quite a bit
and it way only a few inches deep along the tractor tracks I was
riding on. I let Rocky out into a cautious canter, my dog ducked under
his nose with a challenge to race and we were off dead run, bucking
hard. Rocky drifted to the left off the tracks, I yelling at both
horse and dog when the bottom fell out. Talk about a weird feeling.
The horse just disappeared out fom under me then I hit the deep snow
that had filled the deep ditch he had fallen into. The blowing snow
had completely filled and hidden an irrigation ditch! I floundered
around till my head was above snow and watched Rocky plunge around
till he could climb out of the ditch. I was in deep powder snow up to
my arm pits. I watched him trot off down the track for about 100 yds
then stop with his butt towards me. He waited. I belly crawled out of
the ditch, filling my clothes with snow of course. He stood there
refusing to look at me but he waited. He'd learned his lesson. Let
that silly person get out of sight and she gets lost! From that day on
every time he tossed me he would trot down the trail a ways and wait,
butt towards me.

Now how's that for a training tip. Every time your horse tosses you,
just go hide and give them a scare! See what great tips you can find
on Ridecamp?

Bonnie Snodgrass

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