Missy

I used to clean stalls at a barn in Sunbury, OH to pay for my horses' board and I still go up and help out occasionally, even though my own horse, Kandi, is on the other side of town. Last Sunday I decided to help out since I had really nothing else to do. I got done cleaning and still had plenty of energy to spare so I asked the owner if she needed anything ridden.

A 16.1 hh barely touched, alpha broodmare needed ridden. The mare hadn't been touched in three months and barely at all before that...and she's maybe....9 or 10?? GREEEAT. Oh well, I'm 19. My body can handle a little bucking around. Even if there IS 1400 lbs of power underneath me (yeah, she's a big girl....Paint, but I swear she doesn't know it...)

I'd never seen her ridden. When I went out to get her, I had experienced riders telling me to wear a helmet, crash vest....and hell, why not some body armor while i'm at it???

WHAT did I get myself INTO?

I started with round penning because I find it's a great way to get to know the horses' personality and see them go. Both of her hocks are capped. A LOT. It obviously hurt her to canter. Okay, none of that. Fine. Long trottings cool with me. Since she's not going into foal, SOMETHING needs done with the mare.

Let's just say, I've never had to fight this hard to become the alpha biotch. She resisted moving off of my body more than anything i've ever seen, even untouched two year olds. I swear, she lunged at me twice, trying to intimidate me. Who can blame her? She gets to chill in a pasture for three months and then someone brings her in and expects her to work? Finally, after ohhh about 45 minutes of convincing her that I was NOT in fact going to back down, she joined up with me like a puppy. It was sudden too. I'm not sure if she was just tired of running around like a chicken with her head cut off or if she actually decided that I WAS the leader. Either way, it was a step.

So at this point I'm thinking, do I REALLY want to get on a horse I saw throw a buck over my head a half hour ago? And then, whatever, I'm nineteen years old, it's not like I'll be able to do this kind of thing LATER. Now's the PERFECT time.

I mounted up. WOW. she stood still.

Her best friend Dixie (who she leads the herd with) was lead into the arena. (GREAT)

I tap her with my calves and she walks forward, only slightly doing the drunken-oh-shit-i have-a-person-on-my-back walk. I put my inside leg on her to steer her to the wall. Instead of speeding up she went TO the wall. Okay, great. Walk the other way. Just as easy.

For a moment she decided she wanted to go see Dixie. I said, NO. She said, OKAY and continued forward.

I leaned back in the saddle, took up some contact with the bit, told her "whoa". It took a few steps but she responded. Apparently she's decided the whole being ridden thing is like riding a bike, way easy and easy to pick back up.

I went to the trot, posting, and it was a little fast but the mare actually RESPONDED to my hands and a little "easssy." She dropped her shoulder a lot around the corners, but all I had to do was wrap my inside leg on her side and maybe lift a little with the inside rein and she balanced herself out. I liked it, sensitive. I can work with that!!

I sat the trot. It was still fast and by no means collected but it's what I would imagine a pacer would feel like. It's swinging. I had to fight to keep my legs from swinging from the front of the horse to the back. I just relaxed into my heels and went with her motion and it was such an easy trot to sit. WOW. Not bad for a horse build so downhill.

And NOT the bucking spree I was bracing myself for. I was impressed. I wish the owners would do something about those hocks so it wouldn't hurt her to canter. When she went into the canter in the round pen it was so powerful and suprisingly uphill for a horse whose butt is like 2 inches higher than her withers.

She'd be CUTE in lower level dressage. Again, I just wish those hocks would get taken care of.

The problem? It was too EASY! Next time I get on a barely broke horse I'm not going to be ready for the bucking spree i'm sure to get. Oh well, like I said, i'm young and I can totally take it.