#77 Do As I Say - Not As I Do

The title of this blog says it all.  I am always saying how important it is to know your horse and his little idiosyncrasies - be aware of them, respect them, and mold your behavior to them. 

So, I love riding this one particular horse and I absolutely KNOW he has issues - I have done all I know to help to lessen them but in a pinch they do show themselves again  - and I am most always aware of this - as in 99 per cent of the time.  However, alas, there is that 1% of the time that I become complacent and unaware and not really tuned in to him.  Because he has improved so incredibly much I started taking too much for granted.


And, voila, here comes the crash !  Not one, mind you, but two !!!  Two weeks in a row - now, how dumb am I ?  Obviously, pretty dumb.  The first one occurred because I was just having too good a time ramming around and forgot that sometimes when I want to go left, he wants to go right - which is exactly what happened - at a relatively fast speed.  So, I flew right off him, smack on my back, and in front of guests no less!  Talk about embarrassing!   The crash happened simply because I FORGOT that he does this about 40% of the time and I just wasn't paying enough attention.  Duh !


So, you would think that after a good crash like that I would smarten up - but no, I sure didn't.  Like I say, I know his issues, he has improved greatly, but those issues are just buried into him so deep and they do peep out every once in a while - which is why I need to ALWAYS pay attention and not take the improvements for granted. 

 So here we go again - at a nice easy walk, we come upon my husband and two guests and their horses;  I was aware that this might spook him a little and I  was ready for it, which it did, but then he immediately settled right down - and so did I - BIG MISTAKE  - he then decided to get scared and he whipped around so quicly that I flew off him - again - he didn't bolt - he just turned so fast and I, being too darn relaxed in the saddle and paying attention to my husband and not my horse, just went off him.  So, that was crash #2.

So, why did I crash ?  Because I simply didn't practice what I preach.  Almost all accidents are the rider's fault - not the horses.

Hopefully, you will learn and remember what is here in this blog.  I sure hope I do !!!





Adventure Horse Riding in NYS            Smilla13@gmail.com  (Mary Dixon)         www.RideNYS.com

#57 A Touchy Subject !

#57  A Touchy Subject  !

This is a touchy subject when it comes to riding - but it is something I have seen many times over and it is from these observations that I am writing.  

And, it has to do with fear, nervousness, and lack of confidence & maleness and femaleness.

There are more woman than men riding the past 2 decades than ever before in history.  AND, the "fear" or "nervousness" thing is just not discussed because we are too embarassed to talk about it and are afraid of looking like a sissy or a baby.

So, why is there so much fear among females when it comes to the little darlings and riding ???

It is very simple and easily explained.

As a rule, woman don't have that "male ego" thing that is what makes men get into fights and into challenging each other and bragging and being #1.  It's just not us.

(this is not an absolute statement by any means - but it does seem to hold true for the majority)

AND, we don't have the testosterone which is responsible for the above.

Nor, do we have the physical strength.
And, we never had lots of crashes like boys when we were young.

Nor do most of us love that big adrenalin rush that men thrive on.  

So, it is those things that we battle - and struggle with.

As was noted before - riding is not for the feint of heart.

I love scaring the bejesus out of myself - and overcoming that fear - when I am working with an outlaw horse or training an unbroke horse, but let me tell you, I am not having a good time.  I am a wreck. But when the day is done, I am tickled pink and know that I had a ball.  But only when the day is done and I am still alive.  I thrive on it and so do lots of other females, but I daresay there are tons more females out there that don't want a thing to do with it, and when faced with it become a wreck, and/or after a crash won't ride again.

We are just different than men.

Most of us are able to overcome it and / or  we simply learn to deal with the nasty fear because our love for the darlings or for the sport is just too great.

And, some just can't do it.

It is nothing to be ashamed of.  We are just different.

It is the nature of the beast.

Adventure Horse Riding in NYS            Smilla13@gmail.com  (Mary Dixon)         www.RideNYS.com

#54 The Meaning of Crashes

#54 The Meaning of Crashes

A friend of mine (a different one than who I wrote about earlier) got thrown off or bucked off a while back.  I think she was worried that maybe she just wasn't doing as well with the darlings as she had thought.  So I wrote her this note.

What your crash probably means - it is simply a reinforcement to you that you need to stay more  aware of  the importance of communication and understanding of the prey/predator relationship between horses and humans.  We have such a tendency toward complacency and achieving goals - and the darlings always, always, always remind us that they expect more from us and will not tolerate anything less.

I have to re-learn and get re-taught on this at least once a year - always a great exercise in humility - and it sure kicks me right back to the reality of the prey animal and that I'd better have my brains on while in their company.

Remember - the darlings are MASTERS at teaching us fear, disappointment, discouragement, humility & they are also masters in teaching love, compassion, patience, partnership, and understanding
.

 And, it's the kick in the ass by them to us that reminds us of this.

Adventure Horse Riding in NYS            Smilla13@gmail.com  (Mary Dixon)         www.RideNYS.com