Getting Back on the Horse

[dancinghorse]

Horse Neep Alert! I posted at Book View Cafe about getting Pooka back under saddle after his eight-month layup. So, so glad to have my Fat White Pony back.

http://bookviewcafe.com/blog/2012/06/25/getting-back-on-the-horse-2/

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

This resonated in so many ways!

Just got back on my (quiet, elderly) mare this morning for the first time in six weeks after she had a sarcoid removed, and all is right with the world.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Happy return! Isn't it wonderful?

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Wheee!

I used to have a thing about riding horses that had had time off. Then I got Crumble, and he took himself out of circulation so often that I ended up 'sit on a horse that hasn't been ridden for months? Better make it a short ride, then.'

I'm so glad you're back, and doubly glad that you had the support/ground eyes to make it a good experience for both of you.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I once rode an Arabian mare in the mountains around here, with a large group off a breeding farm. When we got back, the owner said, "Oh. Btw. I think the last time she carried a rider was three years ago. In the show ring."

I could tell she was out of shape--she'd come out of the broodmare pasture--but she was amazing. Lots like Capria actually.

I gather I was being tested. Horse people are prone to that.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

A stallion can be rather sensitive about weight on his back to begin with, since unlike a mare, if he’s carrying anything in the wild, it’s either a large predator or another stallion, either of whom is not acting in his best interests.

...and this would be the very first and most fundamental reason that people are trained to/automatically believe that stallions are inherently dangerous/unrideable, wouldn't it. Even if nobody really thinks about the absolute logic of the statement, I bet that's gotat weigh in heavily.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

That. Plus testosterone. They say stallions are unpredictable, but really all you need to do is check the hormonal status of the mares in the area. If there are no mares, chances are he'll be perfectly cooperative. He'll probably get along fine with other stallions, too.

Many cultures (including Greece and Rome, medieval knights, and the modern Iberian peninsula) prefer stallions. Though the Bedouin prefer mares--they're quieter in raids. Stallions if treated with understanding are wonderful riding horses, build muscle and condition rapidly, and take excellent care of their rider.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're back on him!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thank you. So am I. And he's glad, too. :)