Tony’s turn
Just as my butt and neck are healing from getting bucked off last weekend, Tony got bucked off last night and wound up with an injured hip. We all went to the indoor last night, it was the first time I’d ridden since last Saturday’s joyride. Tony decided to ride Clover bareback, and although I offered to bring a neck strap for him to hang on to “just in case,” and he was only planning to walk Clover, I forgot the strap and Clover had other ideas when Tony tried to mount up.
They were at the mounting block, and before Tony could even get his leg all the way over, Clover took off with a sudden start, bucking like a bronc and unseating Tony on the third buck. What he doesn’t realize is that he was at 45 degrees to Clover’s back the entire time–he never quite got entirely mounted. He landed hard on his right side as Clover trotted to the center of the arena and stopped, waiting for me (still leading Mico as I hadn’t mounted yet) to grab her. Tony got up and hobbled over to the stands at the front of the arena, grimacing in pain the whole way. I handed Mico to him and asked if he could hang on to him while I got on Clover–I didn’t want her thinking in her alpha mare way that she could just start tossing people off and get out of being ridden.
I spoke sternly to her to stand still as I mounted, she tried to trot off but I halted her and made her face the arena wall for a moment while I got myself sorted out. She was energetic–she prefers the cold weather and really perks up energywise this time of year–so I made her walk slowly without jigging, and halted her a few times to remind her that she still had functioning brakes. As I came around the front of the arena again, Tony asked me to take Mico back, he really needed to just sit down in the truck. He looked awful, his face was greenish with pale edges. I took both horses and juggled them around to get Clover’s bridle off and her put back in the trailer. I felt bad, because I should have known better than to encourage Tony to ride bareback on a horse that first off, hadn’t been ridden in several days, and secondly, is known to be more energetic in the cold. Sorry, honey.
I got on Mico finally, but he was wound up and slightly inattentive. He even humped his back a little when I brought my lower legs slightly behind the girth to get them in the correct position. Christine and I figured that maybe he doesn’t like the Crosby after all, and that I’d ride in the Stubben again the next time I ride, just to make sure it’s a saddle issue and not so much of an attitude issue. The Stubben is the only saddle we’ve been able to ride Mico in for any length of time. Why mess with something that works? I can easily do BN/N in that saddle, and in the meantime, Christine’s going to keep her eyes open for a used older dressage saddle–one that was made to fit a wider variety of horses, like they used to make.
They were at the mounting block, and before Tony could even get his leg all the way over, Clover took off with a sudden start, bucking like a bronc and unseating Tony on the third buck. What he doesn’t realize is that he was at 45 degrees to Clover’s back the entire time–he never quite got entirely mounted. He landed hard on his right side as Clover trotted to the center of the arena and stopped, waiting for me (still leading Mico as I hadn’t mounted yet) to grab her. Tony got up and hobbled over to the stands at the front of the arena, grimacing in pain the whole way. I handed Mico to him and asked if he could hang on to him while I got on Clover–I didn’t want her thinking in her alpha mare way that she could just start tossing people off and get out of being ridden.
I spoke sternly to her to stand still as I mounted, she tried to trot off but I halted her and made her face the arena wall for a moment while I got myself sorted out. She was energetic–she prefers the cold weather and really perks up energywise this time of year–so I made her walk slowly without jigging, and halted her a few times to remind her that she still had functioning brakes. As I came around the front of the arena again, Tony asked me to take Mico back, he really needed to just sit down in the truck. He looked awful, his face was greenish with pale edges. I took both horses and juggled them around to get Clover’s bridle off and her put back in the trailer. I felt bad, because I should have known better than to encourage Tony to ride bareback on a horse that first off, hadn’t been ridden in several days, and secondly, is known to be more energetic in the cold. Sorry, honey.
I got on Mico finally, but he was wound up and slightly inattentive. He even humped his back a little when I brought my lower legs slightly behind the girth to get them in the correct position. Christine and I figured that maybe he doesn’t like the Crosby after all, and that I’d ride in the Stubben again the next time I ride, just to make sure it’s a saddle issue and not so much of an attitude issue. The Stubben is the only saddle we’ve been able to ride Mico in for any length of time. Why mess with something that works? I can easily do BN/N in that saddle, and in the meantime, Christine’s going to keep her eyes open for a used older dressage saddle–one that was made to fit a wider variety of horses, like they used to make.
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