First Ride back after many years off. So even though I prefer to ride English, because this is my first ride in a very long time I am riding western for a little more security.
I am riding with a long time friend who I used to ride with in the past, although quite a bit older than me (as are all of my riding friends) she has still has continued to ride. I let her pick the horse as there were many new faces at her place. We settled on a red Dun mare.
I believe she is middle aged and was told (after I got on…LOL horse people kill me) that she was there because she needed some rides before returning home to be sold.
Today was just really about getting back on for me…so we rode a little in grass arena, then walk, trot, canter, in dirt arena. After that we went for a trail ride through the corn field and out into the pasture, and back along the road.
My observations of Horse:
- Does not use bit, goes in side pole (didn’t know what that was until today)
- Does not give to pressure (also sometimes pulls back when tied, so makes sense that she does not give to bridle pressure either)
- Walk – good – Trot – ok (dog trot good) posting and faster trot really stiff and rough
- Canter – felt like she would slip right in when I asked however, this was not the case she got very fast in trot and nervous, did get her to canter but she was very resistant
My observations of me:
- Thank goodness Horse Riding is like Riding a Bike as I felt it all come back to me, mentally that is, body wise…a different story…you must ride frequently to be in riding shape. This was very apparent by the end of the ride my knees were killing me and the next day so was my butt LOL…only happens the first time back but just something you gotta go through J
Overall:
Success, I made it out Alive!!