Riding a mare in pasture with other horses loose around you poses it's own set of problems. The first time I did this with Gussie, the other horses got quite excited and raced around like little hooligans, doing fly-by kicks and getting in the way when we were trotting circles. I like my long split reins; I can use the end of them on little horse bums to encourage them to move away.
They finally settled down and ignored us and let me get on with schooling Gussie. The last few times I rode in the pasture, they kept their distance, and I am now able to work Gussie without interference. She has a really nice stop and a very willing (sometimes too willing) back-up. She tends to use the back-up as an evasion, so I really focus on forward impulsion with her, especially when working on spins, so that it is always a forward movement for her. When I ask Gussie to turn, I find I have to be careful to release the aids quickly- timing is important with her as she gives more than you want if you don't release quickly enough-a quarter turn can become a roll-back. So it's good for me because she is keeping me aware of just how little pressure I really need to apply, and my riding is improving as my mare improves. Win-win!
Riding a mare in pasture with other horses loose around you poses it's own set of problems. The first time I did this with Gussie, the other horses got quite excited and raced around like little hooligans, doing fly-by kicks and getting in the way when we were trotting circles. I like my long split reins; I can use the end of them on little horse bums to encourage them to move away.
6 comments:
I tend to avoid loose horses when I'm riding a colt. You're much braver than I am:)
Gussie isn't really a colt, she's 5 but hasn't been ridden a lot in the last year. She is also the dominant horse in the herd, so the others tend to respect her.
Great pics! Roo has a stop on him, holy mollie, you better be ready! LOL!
Sometimes when a horse stops hard they are jamming their front end in the ground, that kind of stop is really hard to sit and tends to throw you over their neck. A really good hard stop is best when they stop by planting their hind feet and walk with the fronts until the momentum stops,and it is so much easier to ride! I'm working on this kind of stop with Gussie,and she is doing really well.
With my setup at home I have a round pen inside of the paddock. So, when I ride in the round pen, the other two horses are loose outside of it. Occasionally, I'll have the horse help me open the gate and then I'll ride on the outside of the round pen in the paddock with the loose horses. The first time my husband saw me do that, he warned me that I might lose control of my horse if the others stampede. That did worry me, but fortunately it has never happened. Each horse knows its name, so I can holler at them if they are getting in the way of my ride. I also carry a riding crop and tend to use it more on the loose horses to tap them out of the way.
My Baby Doll also tends to use the Back Up as an evasion. At first I didn't know what to do to get her to stop, but you're right that keeping the forward movement is so important.
It's cool to see you schooling your horse among all the other loose horses. Good job :)
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