A Horse Named Blue

Blue coming home after a hard day of grazing

Blue and I have been getting in some ride time and I’m happy to report that we’ve come to and understanding.  He’ll behave and go forward and whoa when asked as long as I ask correctly, keep my balance and remember to carry lots of treats as rewards.  He’s a very talented, sensitive horse who won’t tolerate any form of what he considers “abuse.”  To Blue, offensive or rude behavior consists of perhaps asking for a trot more than three or four times around the arena without a walk break and a treat. 

Since Blue is very talented and well-trained, we’ve started working on my position and accuracy.  With Dusty I can only describe my riding as defensive most of the time.  With Blue it is now possible to work on all my faults and corrupted riding habits.  Today we worked on my position.  It seems I have a tendency to drop my inside shoulder.  To correct this, I practiced lifting my inside shoulder on the circle, looking up and in and positioning my inside shoulder back while my outside shoulder comes forward a bit.  You’d be amazed how much this little correction makes a big difference.  I also worked on the textbook position with the proverbial line dropping from my ears through my heels, which required scooting my seat forward in the saddle and bringing my leg back under me.  Apparently, I’ve gotten into some bad habits riding Dusty with her slipping saddle and her balance issues.

I’ve heard it said that position in life is everything, but position on a horse is crucial if you want to get where you’re going safely and ride correctly. A lot more practice on my part is going to be required with Blue, but we’re getting there with every ride.

Until next time

Quote for Today

There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favourite places is on the back of my horse.
    - Rolf Kopfle