Between 4H meetings and upkeep of the place, it is sometimes hard to fit a ride in....BUT we did get one in Saturday. Before I start telling about this, I feel the need to do a review and checkup on my horse. I hit all the check points last ride, but it has been a couple of days...so review is a good thing. Another good thing is riding prepared for anything that might happen, you can't ride scared....but you can ride prepared.
To preface these "be prepared" statements, I feel it is important to visit my younger years. I went to college at Lamar, CO and took the HTM course. Very good course, but that isn't what I am going to talk about. I went there with a bunch of guys that all thought we were ten feet tall and bulletproof, there wasn't a horse that we couldn't ride, ect. We were wild young hon-yocks (names shall not be mentioned to protect the not so innocent that might or might not have been doing something illegal), so to keep it interesting there was always a practical joke or two going on. One of our favorites was to ride up on both sides someone and jerk thier head stall off....usually your horse would just stay with the others....occasionally not. On the occasions when the "not" occourred, this usually led to the rodeo we all wanted to see! (I may talk about this a some later point, when the scars have healed) Sometimes it was as simple as undoing your back cinch....needless to say no one was safe! Was it safe, heck no! We weren't smart enough to know we could really hurt someone, but it was fun....ten feet tall and bullet proof...
Down here near Houston, trail rides are a big deal. Each come down the road with wagons, riders, trucks, trailers and port-a-potties. I don't care for the confinement of riding with a group, but if that is your thing...have fun! All that said, the "road" is what you have to be prepared for when you ride...whether with a group or by yourself.
Preflight check was completed before I left the barn, all was ready to ride down the road. Star and I headed down the road (bar ditch is the safest)....at a long trot...just traveling miles. The first few times a car went by, she got pretty excited. All of the preflight checks came into play and she calmed right down. She really likes to travel so we did a couple of miles pretty fast, now something else comes into play. The south Texas heat. You can't guard against that, just have to deal. So we walked for a while, which was probably even scarier for her! When she was trotting, she felt like she was getting away. At a walk she had to learn to deal with the issues....dogs, cars and horse eating trash! After several miles, alternating between walking a trotting, we ended up back at the barn. A successful ride. Could someone else with less experience call this a successfull ride? Hmmmm, don't know. But, we traveled straight, she listened to my cues and calmed down when I needed her to. Successfull ride!
Anytime you ride, whether in the pasture or on the road.....you can't ride scared, but you can ride prepared! If your scared, get off and do more ground work. The basics build confidence and small pens help that when you start riding. Just don't get yourself stuck in the pen, you miss so much of what God has to offer in the country side and in your horse.
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