Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures

[George K]

Here's what I was talking about with regards to the type of bit in a horse's mouth.

As I said, we always rode our guys in a snaffle. Simon was so good, however, that I sometimes rode him in a hackamore (basically a bitless bridle)

Snaffle.

Curb Bit.

A more aggressive curb bit. How'd you like that pushing up against your palate?

[Jolly]

Next week, team roping.

Glad to see you and the missus are having fun.

[Catseye3]

@Jolly Next week, team roping.

And barrel racing!

[George K]

@Catseye3 said in Guess what I did today...:

And barrel racing!

Link to video

So many people in the horse world look down on other disciplines. What they don't get is that it's ALL about horsemanship.

If you're a hunter-jumper, you're going to look down on any Western rider, because, well, what's the point of the horn?

If your a dressage nazi, you'll look down on hunter-jumpers, because, well, all you gotta do is hold on while the horse jumps over some sticks, right?

If you're a barrel racer, you'll look down on reiners (like Shatner) because, c'mon man, you gotta go FAST!!!

If you're a reiner, you'll look down on the dressage-nazis because, well, it's the 21st century, man!

But the point I'm making is that all of these disciplines are evolved from a specific need for the horse to perform its job. "Dressage" means "training." And training a horse for warfare was paramount, back in the day.

Reining and barrel racing are evolved from the days of the vaquero.

It's all about the communication between horse and rider, and the skill and talent in each.

Also, as Churchill said, "There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

I really miss Simon. A lot.

[Catseye3]

@George-K "And training a horse for warfare was paramount, back in the day."

I saw the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions once. What a thrill.

[George K]

@Catseye3 in the video I posted, just watch the first ride.

EVERYONE knows their job. The horse knows which barrel to go around, and in what direction.

Talk about balance? That girl is AMAZING. She's not glued to the saddle, she floats above it. She is fearless at 25 mph on a half-ton beast.

The saddle? The horn serves no purpose in her horsemanship. And neither does her hat, or her boots. But boy, can she ride.

[George K]

Dressage? Here's some Western dressage.

Watch this guy who is absolutely glued to his saddle. Smooth as can be.

Link to video

Oh, I said dressage....

Link to video

Once again, horse and rider are totally together. No effort on either is obvious. Remarkable stuff.

By the way, these are $100K horses.

Are the costumes silly? Of course they are - in all disclipines. But, when you think about it, it's no more silly than Riccardo Muti wearing tails, or bare-chested Roger Daltry.

It's the culture.

I miss Simon, so much.

[Catseye3]

@George-K Dick Francis, writer of great crime novels set in all aspects of the horse world, was the Queen Mother's Steeplechase Jockey before he retired. He went over fences at 35 mph!

Hard to imagine.

[George K]

@Catseye3 said in Guess what I did today...:

over fences at 35 mph!

Hard to imagine.

A horse's trot is only about 10 mph. A lope is probably about 15, and a brisk canter is 20 or so. Full out gallop? 25 mph.

Simon was such a good horse - I could take him off the property and walk and trot though the subdivisions in the area. There was a long grassy stretch (about half a mile) and I'd always ask him for a canter there. After a few times, every time we went there, he'd pick up a canter without me even asking.

Such a good boy.

@Renauda will attest that there are few things better than a good, reliable horse.

Our other horse, Gulliver, was an idiot. Coming off of him, at speed, was the only time I hurt myself on a horse.

Well, actually coming off a horse...

[George K]

@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:

A related method of training (as I mentioned above) is "neck reining." Once the horse is trained to move away from pressure, it becomes relatively simple to train it to turn its head away from the rein which is rested against its neck. So, if I'm riding Western style, resting the rein on the horse's neck on it's left,

Yeah, I'm in an English saddle, and wearing English-style half-chaps, but Simon was trained to neck-rein.

Here, I'm asking him for a left turn, just using the pressure of the reins on his right neck.

This is about 20 years ago.

[Jolly]

@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:

@Catseye3 said in Guess what I did today...:

And barrel racing!

Link to video

So many people in the horse world look down on other disciplines. What they don't get is that it's ALL about horsemanship.

If you're a hunter-jumper, you're going to look down on any Western rider, because, well, what's the point of the horn?

If your a dressage nazi, you'll look down on hunter-jumpers, because, well, all you gotta do is hold on while the horse jumps over some sticks, right?

If you're a barrel racer, you'll look down on reiners (like Shatner) because, c'mon man, you gotta go FAST!!!

If you're a reiner, you'll look down on the dressage-nazis because, well, it's the 21st century, man!

But the point I'm making is that all of these disciplines are evolved from a specific need for the horse to perform its job. "Dressage" means "training." And training a horse for warfare was paramount, back in the day.

Reining and barrel racing are evolved from the days of the vaquero.

It's all about the communication between horse and rider, and the skill and talent in each.

Also, as Churchill said, "There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

I really miss Simon. A lot.

My niece had two horses, a thoroughbred for jumping (or whatever y'all call it when y'all put on them pancake saddles and wear them funny hats and coats) and a quarter horse for barrels.

Ryan is dead and buried on the farm, so no more jumping, but she'll still head out to the local rodeo and compete on barrels every now and then.

As long as it's a horse, she's in her element. She does love them so.

[George K]

Lesson #3 today.

The jump in improvement between #1 and #2 was not apparent today. Progress was incremental.

I rode Opal again, and she's a pretty good mare. However, if you're not really asking her to pay attention - stay on the rail, don't cut the corners, keep trotting - she'll do whatever the hell she wants to do. And that means, slowing down, or even stopping.

But those are good things, because they require more of me as a rider. I must pay attention, because she won't. I must anticipate what my next move will be, like a turn, because if I'm not thinking about it, it'll be too late.

As I mentioned elsewhere, D2 came along today, and while watching Mrs. George ride, she commented, "This is pretty complicated stuff - leg, knee, thigh, watch where you're going. It's not at all 'hop on and ride' like a trail horse."

Yeah...

Riding a trail horse is a totally different experience. The horse follows the horse in front of it, and that is the horse's focus. If it trots, it'll trot. If the horse in front is walking the trail, it'll do the same. In an arena, with no "goal" or "focus" the horse relies on you to tell it what you do.

And that's work. It's up to YOU to pay attention, support the horse, and tell it what you expect. Arena riding can be boring, and until you start doing things more complicated than just going in a circle, the horse will try to do the easiest thing possible.

Here, I'm about to ask her to turn to the right. Look at where I'm looking (to the right) and look at her ears. They're rotated back, indicating that she's paying attention to what I'm doing and asking.

I'll keep annoying you guys with this until you tell me to shut up...

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K Interesting stuff. Please contineu

[Mik]

Keep going. Your knowledge and connection with horses is fascinating. I've ridden more than most probably have, but never had any real instruction.

[Catseye3]

@Mik "Your . . . connection with horses is fascinating."

Especially his butt.

[Mik]

Hmm.

Cats, isn't it a bit early in the day for drinking?

[Catseye3]

@Mik His butt (hic) is connected to the horse.

Well, I thought it was funny. (hic)

[George K]

It's funny...

When I was first learning back in, what, 1998?, I was taking a lesson, and my instructor asked me, "Hey, George! By the way, what did you have for breakfast this morning?"

Then, yesterday, as I was riding Opal, at the trot, my instructor said, "C'mon, George, smile as though you're having fun!"

It's interesting that, when you're learning, and on an unfamiliar horse, you tend to be a bit anxious. After all, a fall from Opal, who is about 16.3 hands tall, could be traumatic. A comment like "breakfast!" or "smile!" will do everything to relax you and make you comfortable - because you forget you're riding.

With Simon, I could just "think" something, and he'd oblige. He trusted me implicitly.

For example, all horses get a bit "spooked" by something unfamiliar or surprising. I trusted Simon so much that I knew he'd never run off with me, and he trusted me to let him know when something which spooked him was not a big deal. One day, after our ride, we walked around the barn, and the farrier was there. Simon wasn't expecting to see a truck where it wasn't when we left the barn, and he shied - bigly - to the right. It was no big deal to me, but, to a horse it's WHAT the FUCK is THAT!!!

I just laughed, relaxed, and within a second, he did too. No big deal - "If Dad's not worried, then I shouldn't be either."

When it's your horse, it's a totally different experience. He knows you and you know him. It's really a partnership and a bond. That's something that I'll never get with a "school horse," and that makes me sad.

I really miss him.

[Aqua Letifer]

@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:

It's interesting that, when you're learning, and on an unfamiliar horse, you tend to be a bit anxious. After all, a fall from Opal, who is about 16.3 hands tall, could be traumatic. A comment like "breakfast!" or "smile!" will do everything to relax you and make you comfortable - because you forget you're riding.

Skiing and bike-riding are very similar. The more relaxed you are, the safer you are, especially in city traffic. Freak out and chances are high you'll get fucked up.

When it's your horse, it's a totally different experience. He knows you and you know him. It's really a partnership and a bond. That's something that I'll never get with a "school horse," and that makes me sad.

I really miss him.

My wife seriously misses hers, who's been dead for about 8 years now.

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer said in Guess what I did today...:

Skiing and bike-riding are very similar. The more relaxed you are, the safer you are, especially in city traffic. Freak out and chances are high you'll get fucked up.

The problem is that, when someone says, "Relax!" the last thing you'll do is relax. "Breakfast," and "smile," are better solutions - as long as you're not alone, LOL.