SATURDAY SAFETY TIP: During a lesson yesterday, my clients horse had a significant spook that rendered in a subsequent bolt. (It was a windy day and we were riding outside the confines of an arena -- but mind you that spooks and bolts can happen on non-windy days and in the arena as well.) Because this rider had taken the time and had the due diligence to develop her riding and confidence abilities in the saddle, the event was a mere blip in our lesson, rather than a potential catastrophe (kudos to you Kathy!). In fact, as I watched the moment unfold and talked her through it, I observed that rather than a look of terror, instead this rider had a smile on her face reveling her amused emotion of silly horse, versus that of an were all going to die sentiment. Because she was well versed with the skill of sitting deep and relaxing into whatever her horse gave AND was able to execute a tried and true one rein stop, she and her horse were able to quickly gain back control and move right back into the lesson at hand. So, inspired by this, this weeks Safety Tip is to develop yourself as a rider that you can ride what your horse gives you. This means that if you horses pace speeds up or slows down (expected or unexpected) that you can go with . . . that if they zig, you zig . . . that if they zag, you zag . . . that if they stumble or spook, your seat is deep, relaxed and fluid enough to be able to go with it. If you are unsure where to begin or just feel completely daunted by the task of developing a seat like this, then pair yourself with a credible instruction whom can guide you and your horse in this very important safety skill. Working on the lunge line is a great first step toward developing yourself as this type of rider. Then you really can be the rider in the ride off into the sunset kind of dreams!
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 02:47:04 +0000
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