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[endlessrarities]

Diva had an Interesting Episode this afternoon. 

I decided to work without stirrups again - yes I'm still trying to get that elusive perfect leg position - so I ditched them at the very beginning of the lesson.  Now, Diva starts every lesson with five minutes' worth of storming around the school at a very brisk walk.  It seems to be her way of chilling out before she starts work, so I'm quite happy to let her do what she likes as long as she settles down later.

I seized the opportunity to cross my stirrups.  Unfortunately, Diva's very sensitive to people sliding around on her back at the best of times.  Add to that a very loud CLANG!!  as metal hit metal, and WHOOSH!!!  She was away.

There's several courses of action in such circumstances.  You can a) sit there screaming 'We're going to die!!!' ( in which case, you probably will), b) freeze in the hope the horse will get tired and bored before you do (a natural recipe for meeting terra firma) or c) hold your nerve and think your way through the problem.

I opted for the latter.  There's a very delicate balance to be maintained.  You cannot bump around like a sack of potatoes on the horse's back, because in its traumatised herbivore state it will naturally assume you're a lion and try and get rid of you.  Nor can you pretend you don't actually exist -  the knack is, I think, to try and keep perfectly in balance and give sufficient weight to remind your idiotic equine friend that she's supposed to be listening to her rider.  The same goes for the reins.  If you keep hauling, the horse will haul back, because it hurts.  Likewise, if you throw the reins away, she'll trip over her big hairy feet and end up on her nose.  So it's a good idea to keep reminding her gently with the rein, somewhere along the lines of 'Earth to Diva, Earth to Diva, Come in, please...'

It worked.  And I didn't fall off.  Perhaps because I determined NOT to fall off.  Not because it would've hurt, but rather because I didn't want to look like a complete eegit!

And after that, she was fine...

Comments

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Ah, health and safety...

I got scolded yesterday for daring to rug up Diva while having her loose in the stable... I will acquiesce in future, 'cos she's not my horse. I know she won't do anything, the school staff know she won't do anything, but... For insurance purposes, rules is rules.

Heh, I liked the sound effects! I don't think I've ever had the misfortune to be paired with anything quite so, ahem, volatile!!

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Ah, there was a time when the particular riding school I helped out at on a rides-for-work basis used to pair me up with 'volatile' because they had a number of horses they couldn't put the paying learners on. Major was the event horse, very hot. Star was the 25 year old pony that had never learned to slow down and ran away with beginners on a regular basis just for the fun of it. Kestrel was an appaloosa stallion kept for breeding. A bit of a bastard in the stable, but well schooled if pushy on a ride. Tamarisk was the youngster who gave me a bad back. But the scariest could be the smaller ponies. You knew you were in for a rough ride when MH, the stable owner, said things like, 'Will you take Sparrow out today, Jacey, he's been bucking the little kids off...'

I was actually a bit too big for Sparrow, which makes it more difficult to stay on board. He was one of those ponies who could whip round on a sixpence and be halfway to town while you were still travelling in the original direction. On this particular occasion the ride-leader (same girl who decided hunting pace was a good idea when I was riding Tam) took the ride over some old claypits with terrain more suitable for mountain bikers or skateboarders. One of the downhills was more like a bank - virtually a slither which the horses needed to go down almost on their hocks. It was something like a 45 degree angle ending in a steep downhill track. I was bringing up the rear of the ride and because she'd got all the learners down safely they started to move off while Sparrow and I were still at the top. Sparrow decided that the others were getting too far ahead, so he launched himself off the top without warning, touched the slope about halfway down and bounded to the bottom. It was pure good luck that his saddle happened to be in the place where my backside landed because I don't actually think we were in contact for most of the descent.

MH had some super horses, though. Not at all your typical riding school nags only fit for nose-to-tail equine crocodiles. She had a fabulous Fell pony and some Dales ponies that were class winners in mountain and moorland showing at quite big shows, plus many of Kestrel's offspring with a variety of mares. All bird names, Peregrine, Kite, Robin, Eagle etc. Will dig out some old photos and scan them for my LJ at some point.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Kestrel sounds gorgeous.

One of Squire's pals in later years was an Andalusian stallion. A rather weedy Andalusian stallion, but an Andalusian nonetheless. He was a lovely horse, though rather stressed. He was imported from the Canaries by his owner, and his constant companion, a donkey gelding, was left behind. He lived a lonely life after that, which was very sad.

I think, if Squire had been younger and fitter, I'd have investigated the possibility of turning both boys out as a bachelor group (Squire was an elderly gelding with delusions of virility). They were able to 'talk' to each other over the fence between their pens (Squire's quarters at this time were positively palatial) and they really got on famously. I thought it was horrible to see that poor stallion kept in virtual isolation...