My New Horse Adventures!

[Jamie2337]

I was recently given a horse. He is very nice and laid back. I test rode him and just loved him.

The day after I he arrived at the new barn I decided to ride him. Before I rode him I lunged him as his last owner suggested it. He was head over heels bucking. He is 17.2 hands and at least 1500 pounds so this was very exciting.

I have had a history of purchasing a horse, getting it home and it being way too much for me to handle. I took a bad fall a few years ago and don't really enjoy flying over a horses head. It took me several months of very slow steps to start riding again after the fall. It took me 1 1/2 to start cantering again. I have gotten to the point where I can ride pretty confidently again but it has been a long road.

Soooo...the 1500 pound horse bucking head over heels on the lunge line did little for my confidence. A woman who boards at the barn and know EVERYTHING about horse (she thinks) came up to me and said "You have a hot horse there." And proceeded to tell me that I was lied to about him, and that they gave him away so that I couldn't sue them when he killed me, ect. She also told me she had already looked at his teeth and thinks that he is closer to 30 than 17. She went on and on.

I chickened out and didn't ride him. I went home practically in tears. And I am not an emotional person. So I called the girl who gave him to me. She advised that I give him a week to settle in and that he was probably just excited to be in a new place. He also had not been turned out since arriving so he probably had a lot of pent up energy.

So, last night I went out to the barn with my husband. I saddled him up and hopped on. And....he was a perfect ANGEL. He was so nice and willing and kind. He cantered beautifully and not so much as a hint of a buck. My husband rode him too and he tolerated him bouncing around on his back like a monkey.

So...I am so excited!!! I feel so good about the partnership between Marty and I. I feel like this is the start of something very special!
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/105936mini-August_2006_043.jpg

[Jamie2337]

Oops http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/105936mini-August_2006_043.jpg

[Aquaman]

wish I had the money or a place to board a horse, I grew up here in Osceola county Fl, most of the girls I dated in school had horses (it was a pre-req) and ususally rode in the rodeo. I haven't ridden in years now.

[crp]

Good for you Jamie. Looks like you have a great time.

[Sk8r]

Try 'playing' with him. Chase him around the pen. Wave your arms, run the jitters out of him, if you have to use a flappy towel, and when you're both winded, then groom him, and give him a treat, and run him some more. Eventually you can use this routine to start your ride...just flappy-towel until he's got the kinks out of his back and knows that this game has to be followed with some work. I'm so glad you've got him going.

He's probably a bright, bored horse used to using his strength, and relieving his boredom will make him so much easier to deal with.

My horse began his career by putting two vets over the fence and that left me the job of going out into the pasture and disabusing him of the notion he was going to rule the roost. He charged me. It didn't work. I grabbed mane and stuck like a tick, we bounced around a little, I got my feet back on the ground, petted him, and after that walked him calmly [and sheepishly] back to the gate and worked with him. He was a good horse---just people's answer for him had been a rope end instead of figuring out what was going on inside his head. Once he knew I wouldn't take his guff and wasn't going to hit him, we got along. I didn't learn The Game until later in life, and wished I'd had the sense to use it with him---he'd have loved it.

[Nina51]

i've had a couple of horses like this in the past, in my much younger days. ;) games are okay but under NO circumstances should you let him turn the tables and chase YOU. big big, VERY big mistake to let a horse do that even one time.

i've also had horses in the past that were pretty darn nice mounts but only after they had been on a longe line for 30 minutes. and even then, i never completely trusted them.

it sounds like perhaps the person who gave this horse away was buffaloed by his antics. bad for her, good for you. ;)

[Stephany]

Good to hear he was just getting settled in. ;)

My off the track thoroughbred would buck sometimes when I would practice automatic lead changes outside... it was the... "I'm feeling good" kinda buck though.
Never did it in a show or inside the arena.

I'm sure you will be just fine with him.

[dc]

Good job, glad you got the courage up and decided to ride him.

[2fishy]

He probably heard miss know-it-all talking about him in such a bad manner that he will make sure that you never think such terrible things about him!:D That and maybe he thinks your alright!:)

[dc]

You want a lighter picture?

http://images18.fotki.com/v340/photos/2/28482/69415/Jamie2-vi.jpg