Horse that can't follow

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

I'm certainly no horse trainer, but I can tell what worked for me and one
of my horses.  The way I see it, most people at endurance rides seem
unwilling to take the time to school their horses.  They get caught up in
all the excitement and just keep going down the trail.  Or they are in such
a hurry to not get left behind they start out in the middle of the pack,
which is the last place a horse needs to be if they aren't mentally ready
to handle the situation.  I think it oftentimes takes more work and time to
make a good endurance horse mentally sound, than it does to condition them
physically!  Some horses handle things better than others, and
some...require more patience.

Assuming you are starting an endurance ride.  It's 7:00 a.m., over 100
horses milling around camp....lots of excitement in the air.  You can tell
your horse is already getting close to blowing a gasket.  What do you do?
This is what I would do (have done).  Walk the horse around camp.  Try and
get away from the crowd and the excitement.  Get a friend to buddy up with
you and your horse and try to get off on your own.  If that doesn't work,
just stay at your campsite or tie the horse to the trailer until the start.
 Once the dust has cleared, walk your horse over and give the timer your
number (or do that first, then go back to the trailer and hang out for a
few minutes).  In the scheme of things (say a 50 miler), waiting an extra
15-20 minutes is not that big of a deal.  I've started endurance rides
where I've walked for thirty minutes before mounting.  By then the horse
has calmed down completely and is not nearly as excited.  At that time, we
have been able to proceed down the trail at the pace I choose, and not only
that but the horse hasn't stressed himself all out, isn't covered in sweat
and hadn't fried his brain worrying about everybody passing him and who is
ahead.  Getting off works well if you are caught up in a group that is
going faster than you want to be going too.  I've heard excuses like "but
he'll act like an idiot if I get off", the person not realizing that their
horse is already acting like an idiot.  Sometimes people get off for a
minute or two, and then get back on...reinforcing to the horse that if they
act stupid the rider will get back on and they can go again.  Sometimes it
might take an hour of walking or working with the horse on the trail to
make any progress...but in the long run it is well worth it.  Some horses
may take six rides, or ten rides (or like Rocky, who is especially slow -
15 rides!) to learn to stay calm and be able to deal with whatever
situation you put them in.  

Happy Trails,

Karen
in Gardnerville
& Weaver
& Rocky...finally turning into a real endurance horse!