Cantering Carrot, one thing you might want to consider is teaching your horse to respond to “WHOA”. I usually find when a trail horse has a reaction, it is because something scares them and the flight reaction kicks in. If you can stop them with “whoa”, it can help. My horses have had it pretty well drilled into them whether it be handling them on the ground, working them in the ring, or on the trail. If you have a horse, who is really scared, it is sometimes hard to get through to them, but if they can actually hear the "whoa"command, it may save you a walk home.
I will also say the 8’ split reins work well, but there are some times it is safer for all involved to just let go. I always ride in split reins, although I do cross them over in front of the saddle to avoid losing one if I drop it.
I cannot find a quote that reads: "I (Palm Beach) believe that helmets are not necessary because if your horse is properly broke, you never come off" or the like. I and others are commenting on a theme in your posts.
Reading my posts one might readily discern that I like gaited horses, I own some, and I have ideas and input about their training… but I’m pretty sure I haven’t explicitly written “I heart TWHs”. The lack of quotes to that effect does not negate the trend and theme in my writings.
If our interpretations are too far afield, I’m sure others will come along and weigh in.
Yes, typically when I whistle he stops and/or comes (whistle tone varies). This is why he eventually stopped. This has been trained into him as a baby in Spain. Although it did work to my disadvantage one time when the radio playing in the arena had a commercial with whistling and he slowed his pace :lol:
“Others” is cutter99, who also cannot find anything to support the allegation that I have contempt for helmets and people who wear helmets, and everything else you’ve alluded to. No one else has weighed in. In fact, cutter99, to has nothing to contribute other than “blah blah blah,” because somehow that proves a point. So yes, maybe your interpretations are too far afield. And really, if you are going to attempt to ridicule someone, at least have some facts ready to substantiate your allegations.
I’m sure no one but you two care about whether or not I wear a helmet. The point I try to make is that you can still break your neck or back or otherwise sustain severe injury even if you are wearing your helmet, so it is more important to get your horse prepared for the situation. I don’t like to hear about people getting hurt while riding or working around horses, and many times there are steps that could have been taken to prevent the accident, or mitigate the damage. There is a place where things begin to go wrong, and it usually is not the split second before the accident.
I don’t are whether you wear a helmet or not Palm Beach. I care when an anonymous poster on an equine forum makes inaccurate statements repeatedly that can mislead people new to horses. Riding is already a danergous enough spot without misinformation.
I posted a link backing everything I have said that you refuse to acknowledge.
The point I try to make is that you can still break your neck or back or otherwise sustain severe injury even if you are wearing your helmet, so it is more important to get your horse prepared for the situation.
Courtney King Dye came off a good young horse who stumbled at a canter in an arena. A helmet would have changed her outcome. You can’t train a horse to not stumble.
I’m headed out of town, but I’ll leave with stating that I’m not attempting to ridicule you, not for a moment. It’s unfortunate you see it that way; it’s not my intent.
What is inaccurate about those statements? They are similar to what I posted in #64. Can’t you do better? Seriously, you accuse me of having contempt for people who wear helmets, and then post me saying, “Sorry about your friend.” That is sympathetic, not contemptuous.
You are trying really really hard to discredit me, and not doing a good job. You must do better if you want to support your allegations.
Palm Beach, this is the last I have to say to you here because this poor thread has been hijacked enough. You have showed your true colors here and I feel very sorry for you.
Ok got to get into this. I have ridden horses that never yes near ever spooked at anything even mountain lions, gun shots, pheasants flying out underneath them, a mad cow infected moose charging. Those horses do exist but of course this was in Colorado and these were working horses.
I never had a horse spook till I moved to the east coast, never in 20 years of riding trails in many western states. This includes Arabians in fact most were Crabbet breed Arbs.
Go ahead shoot me now…
Not to say I didn’t fall off for other reasons but not the spook…
My horse spooks, I wear a helmet. I’m not sure what more I can do to prepare her for trails and not spooking, other than continue to do groundwork and put on miles, on trails. If I stayed off trails until I thought she was perfect we wouldn’t get out there for another 10 years, and then she would probably still spook at something. Horses are thinking, feeling creatures, and to think it’s possible to train the vast majority of them to never spook is ridiculous. The goal is to get them to trust us as the leader so that they are more likely to not overreact. But horses can and will have moments where it all goes out the window.
You don’t train them not to spook, you train them to control their reaction. Things will catch their eye, but they won’t panic and spin, or bolt up the trail. You are completely right, horses are thinking, feeling creatures and it absolutely is possible to train them to control the natural flight instinct (feeling) for just long enough to recognize that whatever caught their eye is not a real threat (thinking). Thank you for pointing that out.
Semantics, train them not to spook, to control their reaction. I don’t care how you want to word it. I agree, it’s possible to train them to control the flight instinct…most of the time. There’s still always a possibility that today is not their day, or your day. And it takes time and miles and experience to get there, it’s not like you can prepare in controlled situations until you’re at 99%. People fall off, and in hindsight I’m sure every fall could have been avoided, but life doesn’t work that way.
The most dead broke, level headed, trustworthy horse I ever had was also the horse who broke my mother’s pelvis on a trail ride. They were traversing a rocky area and got into ground bees. Because of the terrain they couldn’t quickly leave the area, and poor Shorty got nailed multiple times. He never fully bucked, but his evasive maneuvers were enough to dislodge mom. He stayed close by, though, and ended up serving as her crutch until they could walk to a trail head to be picked up.
This is the horse who I rode through the gym of my high school for a play and who managed to fall asleep during a Pony Club rally jog/inspection. He was the closest to bomb proof I’ve ever seen, but still s*it happens, even if it’s no fault of the horse.
It’s not even that much that happened. The horse was walking and stumbled.
I just won’t get on without a helmet. My mare and I are good, but not that good, and she’s been known to have a silly moment. Teleport spooks are mostly in the past, but still…
While I agree that most horses can be taught to “think” rather than spook and that they should be properly prepared before hitting the trails, there are other things to consider that may cause the rider to fall off, such as a stumble.
But falling off DOES just plain happen sometimes.
I’ve only had one concussion in my life (although one is enough) and it was from a young mare who just tripped over her own feet. She was 4-years-old at the time this happened and she was one of the sweetest fillies I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. Absolutely no buck and no spook. Just a really wonderful horse. We were about 1/2 mile from home, working on loping some slow large circles in the field. I remember we were loping to the left. Then the next thing I remember is that I was walking home on the gravel road, holding my right arm because it hurt. I do not remember getting up, or walking from the field to the road.
I vaguely remember her starting to “go over”, falling to the right. Since my right arm hurt and my left leg hurt (thankfully, I did not break any bones) and since there was dirt on my saddle horn and cantle (western saddle), it logically makes sense that what happened is she tripped and fell and completely rolled over me.
I can’t exactly stop myself from falling off when I’m knocked out. Although, it’s probably a good thing I got knocked out because that probably saved me from breaking any bones (easier to break something if you brace for the fall, rather than being a limp noodle).
She didn’t spook. She didn’t do anything wrong. She just tripped. It was an accident. Falling off DOES sometimes just happen. It might be for other reasons than a spook, but other reasons happen.
She ran home to her buddies, as expected. She was eating grass next to the pasture when I finally got home and got my head cleared. I’m very grateful I was wearing my helmet. There was no visible damage on the MRI (that I got the next day because I couldn’t stand for more than 30 seconds without getting dizzy) but of course, I had sustained a concussion. It could have been much worse if I had not been wearing it.
