I rode Jet four times over the past week. Saturday I thought I'd try to get her to trot, but she wasn't real sure she could do it. A couple times her gait sped up, but as soon as I released the pressure she was back to her walk. Sunday I was determined to bump her up a bit. She finally took a couple of trotting steps, but they were almost like half-trot, half-walk. A tralk, I suppose.
Being the considerate, polite girl she is, I think she was just concerned I was going to fall off. No...really it was just a balance issue. Those first couple of tries at a new gate often leaves a young horse concerned that they're not going to be able to do it with a rider on their back.
Jet lifts her shoulders and tucks in her head in a manner I'm unaccustomed to with my quarter horses of the past. At first you get the feeling that she might buck, and unfortunately my reflexes were just fast enough to begin to react, which brought her to a stand still. You've got to appreciate a horse who stops when confused rather than running off in a bucking spree of confusion. When I realized what I had done, I made my self relax and just let her go. That helped, and I managed to get a few true trotting strides out of her.
The saddle is still a problem. I bought the Billy Cook, but it doesn't fit. The seller never called back when I left a message asking if they'd allow me to return it; I guess that's a no. So now I've got a perfectly good saddle and a perfectly good horse, but they don't go perfectly well with each other. Which leaves me with the small saddle that barely fits and puts me in the market for a saddle once more. I've got a call in to someone about an aussie saddle. I've no clue what I'm looking for, though, with that type of saddle. It helps when you've seen several and can get a feel for what's good and what's bad :)
Being the considerate, polite girl she is, I think she was just concerned I was going to fall off. No...really it was just a balance issue. Those first couple of tries at a new gate often leaves a young horse concerned that they're not going to be able to do it with a rider on their back.
Jet lifts her shoulders and tucks in her head in a manner I'm unaccustomed to with my quarter horses of the past. At first you get the feeling that she might buck, and unfortunately my reflexes were just fast enough to begin to react, which brought her to a stand still. You've got to appreciate a horse who stops when confused rather than running off in a bucking spree of confusion. When I realized what I had done, I made my self relax and just let her go. That helped, and I managed to get a few true trotting strides out of her.
The saddle is still a problem. I bought the Billy Cook, but it doesn't fit. The seller never called back when I left a message asking if they'd allow me to return it; I guess that's a no. So now I've got a perfectly good saddle and a perfectly good horse, but they don't go perfectly well with each other. Which leaves me with the small saddle that barely fits and puts me in the market for a saddle once more. I've got a call in to someone about an aussie saddle. I've no clue what I'm looking for, though, with that type of saddle. It helps when you've seen several and can get a feel for what's good and what's bad :)
1 comment:
You are just moving right along with her. You're moving into trotting and I'm not even on yet. Good for you, bad for me.
I do appreciate the horse that stops when she's unsure. So much easier to deal with than the running off type. I hate that life flashing before my eyes that comes with the later. lol
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