The Novice Horseman Blog

A few months ago, I stopped by one of the pet stores in my area that happens to carry a few horse products.  I buy my favorite hoof supplement from them because they are conveniently located close to my house.

On the way out, they asked if I found everything I needed.  I surprised myself (and my husband) when I said “No”.  They asked what I was looking for.  I told them I used the all natural Hoof Flex and that no one carried it.  I also used Absorbine Refreshmint as a brace in the summer.  This, also, was not carried by anyone in my area.   I told them about my favorite bath products and antiseptic spray I have come to love.

The store help wrote all of this down and said they would see what they could do.  They were trying to expand the horse products and appreciated my input.  I left the store thinking I probably would not see these products on there shelf.  I didn’t think the wants of one person would amount to  much for a big store.

I went to this store last week to purchase the hoof supplement again.  I always cruise the horse products looking for anything I may need.  I stopped dead in my tracks.  There on the shelf was not only the Hoof Flex I asked for, but also the Refreshmint!  I was stunned.

So, if you don’t see what you want at the tack, feed, pet store that you frequently go to, just ask.  The store may not be able to get the products you want, but you won’t  know if you don’t ask.  You’ll be amazed how well this works.  I was.

I haven’t got to ride since just before Christmas.  So when this last Saturday rolled around, I was ready.  Or so I thought.  The fall I took  was not big.  I just slipped off Dollar while trying to ride bareback.  I landed hard on my rear end and also hit my head on the ground.

I noticed at the time that my helmet was not quite right.  It wasn’t until I got home that I found all the damage done.

The outer shell is split and separated from the inner shell.   The inner shell is cracked at the back bad enough you can see daylight thru it.

I guess I hit harder than I thought.  I’m glad I’ve become very diligent about wearing a helmet.  There’s no telling how bad of a head injury I would have had if I wasn’t wearing my helmet.   I’ll being buying a new helmet this week.

I can’t stress enough that if you ride a horse, PLEASE wear a helmet.

I try to be at the barn every Saturday for my lesson even if I’m not at my best for riding.   That’s what happened this last Saturday.

I had just spent most of Thursday mowing my mother’s place with my husband trying to get it ready to sell.  It was hot and humid.  My back was already hurting from other things and this just compounded the problem.

But being the horse nut that I am, I was determined to ride on Saturday.  I told my trainer that I was not going to be able to do much in the way of intensive training.  So, we decided on no formal lesson, no intensive training . . . just ride.

We went out to the pasture and just meandered around.  We talked about her daughter’s upcoming wedding, my vacation in a few weeks, the recent horse shows that we’d been to and some future events that we would like to attend.

Even though we were not doing anything that could be called a lesson, I did make sure Dollar was doing what he was supposed to do.  He had to walk straight lines, make correct turns, and maintain the speed I asked of him.  There is a small strip of land behind the pond that is shaded by trees.  The horses sometimes find this a bit spooky because it is a confined space with the pond on one side and the fence on the other.  It was good to just walk calmly in and out.

We did a few turns on the forehand and the haunches.  Then I had the great idea.  The pasture has collected an amazing amount Canadian geese over the years.  My first horse (Iggette) loved to herd ducks, so why not try to herd the geese.

My trainer rode on one side and I rode on the other.  Very calmly, we captured about 10 of the geese and moved them along.  They waddled along in the direction we wanted.  We moved them into a smaller grouping.  They didn’t fly off.  Because there was only 2 of us, some escaped.    So we just rode off out into the pasture again.  When we came back to the geese, we cut a small group.  Again, calmly moving them around as we wanted and then riding off.  At then end of our ride, the horses were not stressed.  They had not tried to stop at the gate every time we passed it.  I rode without putting more stress on my back.

Riding your horse doesn’t have to be all intense lessons.  Riding your horse doesn’t have to be all about  training for that perfect pattern.  Sometimes riding your horse is just about taking a break from lessons and training.  Sometime riding your horse is just about enjoying a nice morning or afternoon with your horse and friends.  Sometimes riding your horse is just that . . . just ride.