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10/4/01
DOWNHILL
The 8th ride today was about 10 miles long.
She intermittently trotted or loped a total if about ¾
to 1 mile. Not much happened other than meeting a motor cycle.
That was the first time that I have met one so unexpectedly,
some unsettled action, but he turned it off as soon as he saw
me, which was great. I asked him to just push it up the trail
to where it was wide enough for him to just sit slightly off
the side of the trail. He only had to go 10-20 feet. I asked
him to just sit so I could let her stand beside it. He petted
her and she smelled the cycle. She relaxed so we talked a few
minutes. I went on by, he started it up and she really didn't
pay much attention.
I don't trot or lope her downhill for the
first year. The second year she will see limited down hill training
in easy short sections of trail. I will practice that strictly
for the next 2 full years. She is young, growing and not legged
up. If I am going to error about going downhill, I will error
in her favor. By that, I mean not trot or lope downhill at all.
I think that many riders don't wait that long to start going
downhill at a faster gait even though the horse can do it easily.
Older horses that are not in any physical condition should be
conditioned the same. Tempest has many years ahead of her, there
is no hurry. I am sure many of us can think of riders who are
riding young ones downhill because the rider thinks they are
doing the right thing. I wait for two years of training and conditioning
before I ask for any speed downhill. I believe it is an error
centering around the riders' desire to compete or be competitive
too soon.
My observations are pointed and somewhat
biased I must admit. The problem is that by watching at endurance
rides I see practices by many riders. Any given equine discipline
will demonstrate a couple of practices are, "the in thing,"
that everyone does to solve a given problem, and when in Rome,
do as the Roman’s do. One case in point is the use of martingales.
That is how I came to be riding Tempest. Gail was riding Tempest
with a martingale and was not making any progress. The filly
was braced up in the neck, shoulders and front legs. It prepositioned
her to elevate in front. It was causing more and more frustration
on Gail’s part and of course Tempest’s.
10/6/01
- ACTION/REACTION |
