Yesterday I had an amazing ride on Monty, a gorgeous red Missouri Foxtrotter, and everything was absolutely perfect. I had a lot of fun and was feeling very confident about being back in the saddle and was ready to take on any horse at the Ranch. We took video of some of my ride, and I'll post the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=137238182953274&ref=mf
So today, my original plan was to ride Monty again. After our good ride the day before, there were still a few things I wanted to work on with him, like steering him more with my legs than with the reins, as he appeared to be fighting the bit slightly and I was forced to choke up on the reins and ride with my hands in sort of a strange posture. Just like in all sports, it really helps to watch video of yourself riding so you can see what you were doing right and what you might want to change. When Lana mentioned that my hands looked funny, I realized that I could probably rely less on rein steering and more on leg steering with Monty because he seemed almost more responsive to my light leg squeezes than he did when I jerked the reins. Every horse is different - you have to ride A LOT to be able to pick up on their individual subtleties.
Anyways, I ended up not riding Monty today because as soon as he saw me come into the pasture carrying a rope, he initiated evasive maneuvers. I got sick of chasing him through ankle deep muck out in the middle of the pasture, so I decided to just choose between the other two horses in the pasture who were not purposefully avoiding me.
Monty's pasture mates are Ferrari, a red Tennessee Walker, and Prada, a white and red Spotted Saddle Horse. I had ridden Ferrari three or four times on previous visits to the ranch, and knew her to be a gentle, easygoing mare. Prada, on the other hand, is younger and a bit small for me and I have never ridden her before, even though I know she is a good little horse. Regardless, I wanted to be in my comfort zone with the photographers there snapping pictures, so I chose Ferrari as my steed for the day.
It was a lot of fun posing for the photographers while I groomed and saddled Ferrari, and she seemed pretty patient for the majority of the session. Finally, after about 45 minutes of picture taking, I was given the go-ahead (by the photographers) to get on the horse. Let me digress for just a moment to say that for this "photo shoot" we were instructed to wear as much "Western" garb as possible. I was weighed down by jeans, boots, leather chaps (w/fringe!) belt w/large silver belt buckle, denim shirt, vintage silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace (my Omi's, now mine), bandana, and cowgirl hat. It was quite the ensemble, to say the least.
One foot in the stirrup, I swung up onto Ferrari's back, as I have done many times before. I was barely in the saddle and my right foot wasn't even in the stirrup when a loose buckle or dangling fringe from my chaps brushed the horse's side in the wrong way, and she TOOK OFF and started HOPPING AND KICKING with me, one foot in the stirrups, trying to get purchase on my reins enough to pull her back. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I was no longer in control, and the horse was going to have me off one way or another, so I decided to make it on my terms. I swung my right leg back over the saddle, and even as the horse hopped into the air again, I pushed off with my one foot that was in a stirrup and became airborne. In that split second in which I realized I was going to have to jump or be thrown, I knew that I needed to plan my jump so I would land far enough away from the horse so there would be no risk of me being trampled, and to give me some time to get up and get away if she charged at me. The fact that she jumped at the same time I did allowed me to somehow meet my dismount objectives with a bit of added style. I really got some air! I landed on my butt, and was actually grateful (for once) for the added cushion. I dinged my knee up a little bit, but it's just a bruise. I DIDN'T land on my head, I DIDN'T require a trip to the ER, and I DID get back on the horse after we had both calmed down a bit (and I had removed the offending chaps).
All told, it was actually kind of awesome, and I am really thankful for all my years of athletics, which have trained my body and mind to react quickly (and land safely!) as the situation requires. In other news, we have a new baby here at Southfork! Louis Vuitton was born early Thursday morning to Porsche the black mare and Armani the palomino stallion. Mom and baby are doing very well (Louis is a handful! Lots of personality!) and Dad is very proud. Louis is a Tennessee Walker.
So today, my original plan was to ride Monty again. After our good ride the day before, there were still a few things I wanted to work on with him, like steering him more with my legs than with the reins, as he appeared to be fighting the bit slightly and I was forced to choke up on the reins and ride with my hands in sort of a strange posture. Just like in all sports, it really helps to watch video of yourself riding so you can see what you were doing right and what you might want to change. When Lana mentioned that my hands looked funny, I realized that I could probably rely less on rein steering and more on leg steering with Monty because he seemed almost more responsive to my light leg squeezes than he did when I jerked the reins. Every horse is different - you have to ride A LOT to be able to pick up on their individual subtleties.
Anyways, I ended up not riding Monty today because as soon as he saw me come into the pasture carrying a rope, he initiated evasive maneuvers. I got sick of chasing him through ankle deep muck out in the middle of the pasture, so I decided to just choose between the other two horses in the pasture who were not purposefully avoiding me.
Monty's pasture mates are Ferrari, a red Tennessee Walker, and Prada, a white and red Spotted Saddle Horse. I had ridden Ferrari three or four times on previous visits to the ranch, and knew her to be a gentle, easygoing mare. Prada, on the other hand, is younger and a bit small for me and I have never ridden her before, even though I know she is a good little horse. Regardless, I wanted to be in my comfort zone with the photographers there snapping pictures, so I chose Ferrari as my steed for the day.
It was a lot of fun posing for the photographers while I groomed and saddled Ferrari, and she seemed pretty patient for the majority of the session. Finally, after about 45 minutes of picture taking, I was given the go-ahead (by the photographers) to get on the horse. Let me digress for just a moment to say that for this "photo shoot" we were instructed to wear as much "Western" garb as possible. I was weighed down by jeans, boots, leather chaps (w/fringe!) belt w/large silver belt buckle, denim shirt, vintage silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace (my Omi's, now mine), bandana, and cowgirl hat. It was quite the ensemble, to say the least.
One foot in the stirrup, I swung up onto Ferrari's back, as I have done many times before. I was barely in the saddle and my right foot wasn't even in the stirrup when a loose buckle or dangling fringe from my chaps brushed the horse's side in the wrong way, and she TOOK OFF and started HOPPING AND KICKING with me, one foot in the stirrups, trying to get purchase on my reins enough to pull her back. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I was no longer in control, and the horse was going to have me off one way or another, so I decided to make it on my terms. I swung my right leg back over the saddle, and even as the horse hopped into the air again, I pushed off with my one foot that was in a stirrup and became airborne. In that split second in which I realized I was going to have to jump or be thrown, I knew that I needed to plan my jump so I would land far enough away from the horse so there would be no risk of me being trampled, and to give me some time to get up and get away if she charged at me. The fact that she jumped at the same time I did allowed me to somehow meet my dismount objectives with a bit of added style. I really got some air! I landed on my butt, and was actually grateful (for once) for the added cushion. I dinged my knee up a little bit, but it's just a bruise. I DIDN'T land on my head, I DIDN'T require a trip to the ER, and I DID get back on the horse after we had both calmed down a bit (and I had removed the offending chaps).
All told, it was actually kind of awesome, and I am really thankful for all my years of athletics, which have trained my body and mind to react quickly (and land safely!) as the situation requires. In other news, we have a new baby here at Southfork! Louis Vuitton was born early Thursday morning to Porsche the black mare and Armani the palomino stallion. Mom and baby are doing very well (Louis is a handful! Lots of personality!) and Dad is very proud. Louis is a Tennessee Walker.
Mom and Baby with Dad in the background
Just another day at Southfork!
