Thrills and spills

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Okapi42
Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
I went up to ride today - it's been over a week and I was getting horse withdrawal symptoms - because the snow was finally melting and the roads were clear. We went out and met lots of scary things, including a huge snow boulder at least 2 metres in diameter (probably the remnants of a huge snowman.) We'd coaxed one horse past it and I was just getting Jack to brave it as well when the thing collapsed (just as we were up beside it) and he leaped into the ditch, spun on his heels, and cantered back up the hill. I was minus a stirrup, but managed to cling on and stop him. Can't tell me that isn't a good cardio workout!

Anyone else have an interesting ride recently?

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  • RekindledRose
    RekindledRose Posts: 523 Member
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    Wow! I'm glad you didn't get hurt!

    It's funny to me how horses sometimes think that the strangest things are going to eat them! I haven't been on my horse lately, but I'm looking forward to it. He's enjoying the break, I think, thought he could probably go for less snow and mud!
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    OKAP,

    Glad you stayed on.(secretly wishing I could see the video of you and Jack!)
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    OK... Forgot. Please tell me more about that cool carriage in your weight photo!
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    I had a THRILL this summer.

    Emily and I had been bugging Jill (81), the owner of Tory Hill Farm (on Facebook, lotsa horsey pics) about showing us trails. Jill doesn't want to hack out anymore. I am the only person at the barn who will adventure out, looking for trails.

    so we organized a groups of students and cleared some old trails. Mike and sons followed along with the saws. There was a steep hill after the creek. But you know how it is...on foot VS on horse. It didn't look impossible.

    OH BTW, it was hot and humid.

    Next day, Sunny and I eagerly set off. We walked down the long drive way, and took a left down the country road. within a few minutes, the step hillside to our left came ALIVE with a herd of deer. One minute quiet still summer woods on steep hill. Next minute 30 crazy deer galloping up hill. Suunys whole body froze and lept a foot to the right! And you all know how that felt on my back!

    Continue walking, then come to the spot where we connect with the trail. BUT the ground is quite marshy and there's a new tiny creek. Just to be safe Sunny leaps over everything as I inadvertantly lean back and watch my life pass before my eyes. (I thought we agreed there would be NO surprise leaping) Thanks to my balanced and straight horse, we land together.

    Lovely trot thru the woods, with a couple of pops over logs until we come to the next creek, followed by the steep hill, that's now looking like a challenge...But after all, Jill said they did it all the time, both ways.

    Sunny takes a look at the creek and reconsiders. He backed one step and as luck would have it, a hind leg went into an unseen ground hog hole.! Oh dear, suddenly forward looked much more inviting.

    He crossed the creek and when he saw the long, steep hill, his nickers went into an immediate twist. Up in 2 point, grab the mane and he BOUNDED up the hill. Literally not a trot, not a canter. Two fronts, two hinds. My feet were nearing his hips as one leather slipped off the stirrup bar, but we continued up.

    At the top, I slid off and apologized profusely as he LITERALLY, hung his head gasping for air. Groan....

    We gained our composure and walked down the hill a few feet to get the stirrup. Walked to the top. Luckily I found a big log in the brush. Sunny walked to it and let me hop on because I can not get on anymore.

    We were both eager to call it a day. he would have gladly galloped home but I insisted on a walk.

    BTW my Wondeful boy did this all in his lovely barefeet.

    I gave him a long cool bath, turned him out and he jogged to a loose dirt hole and covered himself with Natures Bug Protection! Then galloped off, screaming to the herd who were grazing, unseen by the ponds, to tell them about our crazy adventure.

    Jill asked me about the trail..."Worst Ride Ever!", I responded. As usual, she laughed.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Tee hee, I wish I had a video, too! I didn't even realise what had happened, just saw some trees flashing past and was grateful that I was a) wearing my body protector and b) had remembered to tighten my girth just before. I thought he'd just bolted for no reason. I kept walking a bit up the hill to calm myself and the horse, and the other girl was calling after me not to leave her alone on the other side of the scary thing... We got past it in the end. But poor Jackie - I'd been telling him it was harmless, really, and then it goes and attacks him!



    The carriage belongs to the guy I used to ride for - he'd injured his back and couldn't do his usual pre-Christmas job of driving it around the grounds of a stately home to bring children to Santa's grotto, so I had to take over. Strangest job I've had, but fun. The carriage is mostly used for weddings - it's a real antique, over 150 years old!

    Bit of a thrill there, too - one day, the horse on duty (the sister of the one in the photo, and a rather hot-tempered showjumper) had been bounding into the traces every time we started off with a load of children, and by the end of the day, managed to pull the shafts off the carriage! And I couldn't circle her because we were under a portico. Luckily, she didn't spook too badly when the carriage scraped the wall, and nobody was hurt. Interesting times.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Phew, that's quite a ride! Glad you made it up without sliding down that hill.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    And Rose, I hope you get back into the saddle soon - without too many thrills or spills! Or carnivorous sheep, horse-eating tractors, and scary, scary plastic bags.
  • foxyninja398
    foxyninja398 Posts: 38 Member
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    I haven't ridden for years, but having grown up with horses I've come off horses from all angles at one point of another. I had a near miss at a show once that I am still heckled for. I was hurrying to get from the barn to the show ring for an english class, so mounted up and trotted out of the barn. Only I wasn't paying enough attention and didn't see that the doorway was a little lower on top of a horse than on the ground! Ran smack into it (thank god it was english so I at least had my helmet on at the time!) and caught myself before coming off the back of my horse. Since I was fine, of course my family was laughing like crazy watching me bounce off the door like that.

    Oh, and there was a time I was riding double bareback with my sister for the first time and we couldn't figure out how to get off. So my sister just turned a bit and pushed me off the back!
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    foxy...two great stories!

    when I was a kid, I was racing another friend. we were both bareback, both on OTTBs. then all of a second my friends horse hit the brakes for grass! she went sailing over his head just like she was still on him! I laughed so hard I slid off onto the ground. At the time she had won best child rider at Devon, so she too received quite a few family chuckles.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Today's hack was interesting - I took him out by himself and did manage to get him past the point where he always wants to turn back. We were mostly fine in the forest. Big scary van rumbling past? No problem. Helicopter overhead? Barely noticed it. Sheep with lambs? Run for your life!
  • TraceyG1971
    TraceyG1971 Posts: 123
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    You all have given me a laugh at your stories so I guess I will return the favor and tell you of one of my many spills.

    One beautiful spring day my husband (now ex) and I went for a ride. He rode Raider and I rode Hope. Hope was 4 and still a bit green when it came to trail rides with all the new smells, sites and noises. Things started out well. Hope responded to everything I was "telling" her until we came up to a stock pond. We started up the small hill that created the barrier for the water. About halfway up Hope decided to crow hop, at what I still don't know. I stayed in the saddle, still not completely balanced, I got her briefly under control until she decided to crow hop the other way. Off I went, still holding onto the reins, Hope with a look of "OMG!!! What are you doing down there?" She is slowly backing up and dragging me with the reins. I finally was like "Duh, Tracey..she's not going anywhere so let go of the reins." I let go of the reins only to find that she had managed to drag me into a cactus patch. OUCH!!! I was still pulling thorns out a month later.

    And what was my husband doing at the time you may ask? He is watching the whole thing happen before his eyes and Raider is just standing there wondering why the heck Hope even spooked.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Haha, I hate those crow hops!
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    I have never ridden a crow hop?
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    You know, the four feet together and bounce, preferably sideways...
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    when I first started riding Sunny as a 7 year old...whenever we arrived at an open field, he made a funny noise, leapt into the air with all four, then kicked out. But I called it a Capriole! LOL

    Then we quickly made a 180 and got back on a trail where we felt very safe!
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    I think the kicking makes it a capriole, yes! I used to ride a mare (the one in front of the carriage in my ticker) who couldn't go into canter without bucking. That was interesting. Entertained a lot of dog walkers one day when I tried to canter in a field and ended up rodeoing across it...
  • BellehavenfarmDawn
    BellehavenfarmDawn Posts: 248 Member
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    My guess is that she had a body issue! sunny had a strange thing with cantering at first. I still need to do work on him!
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Yes, Mandy's back was totally messed up and she lay on the bit like anything. Couldn't flex, either. That was because she was driven a lot, but mainly because the owner was the old-school "sit down and kick on" type. He didn't care whether the saddle fit - he usually used the one where he liked the stirrups on all his horses, and it was so bad he kept losing his saddle pad from under it while riding!

    Of course, he didn't listen to me or the instructor he'd brought in, which is why I stopped riding for him. I did make good progress with her for a while, though, especially after switching to a treeless saddle!
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Just got what a friend of mine calls an "oh ****" strap - an elasticated thing that snaps on to your front Ds and can be held like a crop along with your reins. She says it's a lot better than a neck strap - you always have it in your hand, can still move the reins normally (no fixed hand problem) and you don't lean forward. Going to try it tonight, hope I don't need it...