Jessi's Q & A - Spring 2008
 |
Q: With winter weather breaking, I’d like to start trail riding my young horse with a group of my friends on the weekend. I am just not sure how to introduce him to riding with a large group of horses. Any ideas?
A: I’d start off with a short trail ride (under an hour) with perhaps just 3 or 4 other horses. You don’t want to overwhelm him with a 3-hour trail ride with 50 other horses as his first outing. If all goes well on his first ride, you should be able to increase the length of your ride and the number of other trail riders you venture out with. Enjoy the spring weather!
Q: Over the winter, I acquired an older horse that hasn’t done much. Low and behold, he’s turned out to be a lovely jumper. I’d like to start taking him to some local hunter shows. How can I make him comfortable in a fast-paced horse show environment?
A: You are right – horse shows run at a pretty quick pace. Everyone is rushing around to get to the ring. Here are a few ideas.
Do not school him early in the morning when there are 500 wild pony children zooming around the ring! That will fry his brain. If you want to get him over some show jumps, see if management will allow you to pay a small schooling fee to jump over the courses the day before the show.
Let him hang out ringside to get used to the sights and sounds. If you think the PA system will bother him, go ahead and stuff his ears. Stuffing ears isn’t a sign of a bad horse...ear pomps simply keep a horse “in their happy place.” Let him eat some grass if possible to show him that there’s nothing to get excited about. Don’t make a big deal about golf carts, bikes, tents or dogs...the quicker he sees them and realizes they aren’t there to eat him, the easier he’ll accept them as a staple in the horse show world. For safety’s sake, make sure you lead him around with a chain lead shank over his nose. Horses are a lot bigger than we are, and if a sight or sound sets him off, you’ll want to be prepared.
