Getting to know a new horse…

So starting to lease a horse in January in a place where temperatures are often below freezing was probably not the best move ever. Especially when that horse was just broke last summer and is still young. Today is the first time ever that I am actually going to be able to ride Texas 2 days in a row. Because I am the only one riding him at the moment, and I am only able to come out once a week it has been hard getting to know Texas. I am also purposely trying not to come out that often on days when I don’t ride because I don’t want to start caring about him like he is my own. He is not my horse and I have to keep reminding myself of that. It is a lot harder to do with him than it was with X because I just really like Texas’s personality. I know I cannot afford two horses and so I am trying to keep my distance and make sure I know that he is my riding horse and Gen is my horse horse.

So I don’t know or trust Texas that much yet. He is an opinionated youngster without a lot of experience. That being said he is also a sweet and sensible horse who isn’t likely to to start rearing and taking off with me any time soon. I have noticed his naughty habit is to buck when we do something he doesn’t want to. And I seem to be pressing that button at least once every ride! He just doesn’t get why he has to be ridden right now. He was having a lovely vacation before I came along. He needs to learn that this is his job, and I need to learn that he is not going to be that naughty. Gennyral gave me a run for my money some rides, Texas doesn’t. At all. He bucks and gets pissy for about a minute and then gives in. I really don’t feel like I am in any danger or anything like that when riding him. I just feel like I am riding an angry baby horse.

So the past few rides we have been working on building my confidence and making him work. I need to know when to give a longer rein and when to tighten up because he isn’t going to stop. I just don’t know him well enough yet to know what his signals to me mean. So yesterday, after a boring ride in the ring because it was still covered in snow Texas’s Owner told me we were going on a trail ride. It is not like the snow is 3 feet deep here. It was a few inches and melting rapidly. In fact, the horse she was riding slipped on his way down the hill to the ring. I put my foot down and said no. One of my biggest fears ever  (thank you horse whisperer) is to have a horse slip and fall on top of me in the snow. I LOVE to trail ride in nice weather, but I am a total weenie in snow. I had pushed myself to ride period so there was just no way.

Texas’s Owner loved a challenge so she convinced me to go for a walk with her through the cross country field at least. Okay fine. I go grudgingly and not trusting Texas at all. I didn’t even relaize I was doing it but I had him in a choke hold. His owner kept telling me to trust him, that he was always great on trails. Considering he isn’t always great for in the ring I was just having a hard time with it. Finally he got so tight with me he started to crow hop so I had no choice but to give him more for fear his crow hopping would cause him to loose his footing and slide down on top of me. Did I mention I don’t like to ride in slipperay footing? Okay give rein. And then you know what happened? Her 3 year old comes tearing across the field to where we were walking to come and say hi. Naturally the horses started, but since Texas and I were on level ground at that point I really wasn’t worried. His owner yelled over “turn him towards the fence”, but I knew I didn’t need to. We were on level ground and he could see the horse coming. I just knew he wouldn’t take off. Once we got to the cross country field there was a section that was all grass already. I gave him a long rein and walked him there. He still bucked with me a few times for reasons only known to his spotted baby self, but he wasn’t bad.

Going back to the barn I had to walk up the long icy path and again I wanted to have a heart attack. I would not consider myself a huge weenie, but next to Texas’s Owner I am. All well. I would rather be thought of as a weenie and be comfortable than to be trying to prove to everyone how brave I am and get hurt. I always read those blog entries of those people who are riding horses that are too much for them and think why are they doing this? To prove that they can “ride through anything”? That is just not me. I know I CAN ride through anything because of Genny, and I really don’t need to prove to anyone else if I am good or not. And Texas and Gen are not even on the same planet when it comes to bucking. One time Gen bucked so hard I heard whistling in my ears every buck and when I got back to the barn the owner of that farm came rushing down, she had seen it from her window and said that Gen went vertical every buck and she had never seen anything like it. She couldn’t belive I hung for all those bucks after he had reared and tried to bolt with me. She was amazed. Texas is no where near anything at all like that.

I certainly don’t worry when I am on him that I am going to die. I just don’t have that comfort level with him yet. The one that comes with time where you know your horse so well you can tell what is going to happen before it does. I know that Texas and I are going to be trail riding crazy once the weather turns nice and the ground hardens up. One of my biggest problems is staying in the ring and being focused! I know that Texas and I are going to be great together some day and that it will come. I am not sweating the relationship to much. These things take time. And it is not like he is a “bad horse” at all. He is just 4 and has not been worked consistently for a long time. I don’t feel unsafe on him, but I also don’t feel like riding him on the buckle in the fields just yet either. I am trying not to sweat the fact that it takes him to build a relationship. I hope to look back on this post someday and laugh for not trusting him. Right now though he still needs to earn it a little bit.

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