Hello everyone 
Tomorrow I am going to ride a good friends horse and exercise him for her. She recently broke her arm so she hasn’t been able to ride in about 8 weeks. Because of work I haven’t been able to help out until now. (she also lives 2 hours away). She lives on her own land and has a 15 acre field to ride in but no arena or round pen. I am a bit nervous where he hasn’t been ridden in a while. Sometimes he tends to get too excited when he sees a big open space and decides to speed up without my asking. I was wondering if there is anything I could do before getting on to make sure I have his attention and I’m not getting on a horse with no brakes lol. Also, if he does decide to go for an unexpected run, I know a one-rein stop is dangerous because it could throw him off balance. When I was younger, I was taught that if a horse ever took off, to “disengage his hind end”. I have been told different ways to do this so I was wondering what is most effective for you. Also this horse is not hot tempered or dangerous on the ground, I used to frequently take him for trail rides and he was excellent. I’m just concerned where he hasn’t been ridden in over 2 months that he may misbehave. Any tips? If I feel he is unsafe tomorrow when I go see him then I will just lunge him for exercise instead of getting on.
I’d just lunge him. Honestly, there’s no ring, hasn’t been ridden in months, and he’s excitable to begin with. I mean, if both of you have broken arms, then he’s going to have an even longer vacation.
Yes, lunge first. Can you have somebody there to hold a lunge line on him for the first few minutes you get on?
Some horses are fine after an extended break though…my own mare is fine after months off, but it depends on the horse.
[QUOTE=RedMare01;7707391]
Yes, lunge first. Can you have somebody there to hold a lunge line on him for the first few minutes you get on?
Some horses are fine after an extended break though…my own mare is fine after months off, but it depends on the horse.[/QUOTE]
Yes I can have someone hold the line for the first few minutes, I like that idea. If he feels unsafe/spooky I will just continue to lunge.
