Re: Water evasion

[Farafix@aol.com]

Lif,

I found it difficult when I started with Tempo to spend so much time
"training," i.e. sitting & sitting while he decided to go forward.
Fortunately I started him at such a young age, 2 (!), that I could afford to
be patient (I wish I had had as much patience when my kids were toddlers!).
If he'd been older I would have felt I had to keep to a schedule of doing x
number of miles per week by month 1, month 2, etc.  Instead of saying to
myself I had to do so many miles, I'd have a certain amount of time & I would
just see how far I got.  Sometimes I got a lot farther than I would have
thought (they can sometimes pleasantly surprise you!)
I think you always have to be a bit flexible in your conditioning goals &
allow time for training as you never know what you will encounter (that's part
of the fun of setting out for a little mini-adventure with your horse).
Riding a stallion, I have to take the time to address any training issues that
come up.  I can't afford to lose a battle, so I have to try to spot them
before they happen so I can try to manage the situation in my favor.
Sometimes the training can increase the conditioning load.  Recently I finally
got out after some snowy/icy weather, but the ground was still mushy &
sometimes slick so we couldn't really rip.  Plus, since he hadn't been out in
quite awhile, mentally, I didn't think it wise to let the stallion just go.
So we worked on collection, especially uphill, which made him work a little
harder at a slower, but yet controlled pace.  I feel I have a responsibility
to other riders that I compete with to have the stallion as well trained as
possible if I'm so rude as to bring one to a ride!  
I think you are right in that the rider's mental attitude can be the most
difficult thing to deal with, but if we are to be the horse's leader, we have
to stay a step ahead (easier said than done!)

Good luck on the trails!

Nancy