RC: !!!!SHYING!!!!

[Wendy Milner <wmilner@verinet.com>]

>Helen McMaster wrote:
>I would really appreciate some advice on how to change my mare's method
>of shying.  Today my friend and I were galloping our horses up a slight
>incline and they both saw a squirrel and skidded to a stop.  Christine
>managed to stay on, as Chicky sat down and slid, raising her head and
>front end.  Ember does the opposite, planting her front legs and
>dropping her front end and head.  I was launched over her head and
>landed on my backside and helmet!!! Hard!

Might I suggest that your mare is reacting to the way you ride.
If you look at a reining horse and rider, you'll see that the rider sits
way back, feet out front, when asking the horse to do a sliding stop.
This weight distribution lets the horse lift the front end while tucking
the back end. No, I don't suggest you ride this way.

You need to teach your mare to be lighter on the front end (ah, good old 
dressage to the rescue). This is good all around. And you need to watch the
way you sit. If you get "light" when you expect her to shy, then you'll
come off more frequently. If you sit deep when you expect her to shy,
then you'll stay in contact with the saddle more often. 
-- 
Wendy
Dragon Crest Ranch
Some where near Masonville, Colorado

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