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[Davy + Aero]

I'm at a horse day camp at my barn this week. Skarlett was very good today. Or at least tried to be.

We went on a hack this morning, and we saw a hawk, which sent the horses flying in all directions. I clung on, and Skarlett slowed down, eventually.

Much calmer than my unintentional hand gallop on a bucking 6 year old yesterday. :'D

--Maple

[gam]

Gamzee: Yup, they have a camp! I'm not sure if it is on the website, but I can check. Pretty much all of my barn friends have gone. Prices are: Residential $895 Commuters $695 for the week. My parents said I could go if I get straight A's throughout middle school. Hopefully this year will go well and then I can go to the camp!

Wow, you live in Cali and you're gonna come out here? 8D Cool. Lots of people from around the country. They have hunter pleasure (on the flat), hunt seat over fences, saddle seat or western to do.

Ohh! Awesome! <3 I must check it out...which were you thinking of doing? Residential or Commuters? Residential sounds cool, but pretty expensive. i read up about it, and I think I'd love to take a break from jumping and try western or saddle seat! I just need some way to pay for it, at least most or half of it!
Oh way, CA to MO is a long way!

[Kickin' up dirt]

The farrier came today.Storm's feet were cracked due to rocks,so much that he wasn't able to cut it that far up.He said I shouldn't ride him for a few days T.T

[Hanoverian]

Gamzee: Yup, they have a camp! I'm not sure if it is on the website, but I can check. Pretty much all of my barn friends have gone. Prices are: Residential $895 Commuters $695 for the week. My parents said I could go if I get straight A's throughout middle school. Hopefully this year will go well and then I can go to the camp!

Wow, you live in Cali and you're gonna come out here? 8D Cool. Lots of people from around the country. They have hunter pleasure (on the flat), hunt seat over fences, saddle seat or western to do.

Ohh! Awesome! <3 I must check it out...which were you thinking of doing? Residential or Commuters? Residential sounds cool, but pretty expensive. i read up about it, and I think I'd love to take a break from jumping and try western or saddle seat! I just need some way to pay for it, at least most or half of it!
Oh way, CA to MO is a long way!

I'd have to do Residential, most likely. I'm close, but not THAT close. xD About an hour away, I believe. I'll have to pay for some probably. I'd love to try saddle seat too! You get 2 lessons a day and can choose whatever disciplines you want for the day. :3 One lesson could be western, the other could be Hunters!

[cowgirll1]

I have a problem,

I can either ride a seasoned QH mare who is about 14.5h, or a pony. She isn't an incredibley skilled pony but I love her. I haven't ridden a horse in about 1year and 1/2 and i'm scared. Any help?

[EarthStar]

I have a problem,

I can either ride a seasoned QH mare who is about 14.5h, or a pony. She isn't an incredibley skilled pony but I love her. I haven't ridden a horse in about 1year and 1/2 and i'm scared. Any help?

First of all, it's worth it to pick a horse you love, or just have an attraction or connection to when you first meet them.
The horse I'm working/playing with now, Zeli, I met my first day at the farm, I didn't know her very well then, but as I rode more at the farm and saw her around I immediately liked her, for no particular reason.
Eventually I asked to work with her and now I've been working with her for a whole year. <3
She's still green, and was when I started with her, but I got to work with her anyway, help educate her, and just grow with her. As of now you can tell I've formed a bond with her.
Another thing I will say, is it pays to work with a horse that has skills your horse does not.
For example, Zeli has a lot of problems with going right and left that I've been working on.
At a camp I attended a few weeks ago I got to ride a horse that was very well trained in the saddle and it was really nice to be able to have "power-steering". XD
Usually you just know in your heart which horse is the one to pick.
Aside from offering my experience, all I can do is tell you to go with whatever you think is right.
Also, don't doubt or be afraid of asking for the expertise or your instructor, he/she could help you decide which horse is better for you.

About your confidence issues, sometimes it helps to ride 'on-line'. Have your instructor clip on a long rope to the horses halter or bridle. You can just ride around like you normally would, but it's really comforting to know that if anything happens your instructor is there to help you.
Also, I personally am not a fan of lunging, and having never done it and am therefore not an expert on it, but I believe you could have your instructor lunge you around just so you can work on your seat, hands and yourself and how you affect the horse. You won't have to worry about steering, and it may help you gain some confidence.

I'd also highly suggest giving it some time if it's one little thing your afraid of.
For a while I was very afraid of trotting, and having been working with Zeli who's never trotted under saddle and loves to stop more than go, I didn't trot, or even hardly ride, for almost a year.
For that year I worked very hard on Parelli Ground Play, and playing with Zeli at liberty.
When I rode again for the first time in a long time at camp I had much more confidence on Zeli that I hadn't realized I'd been lacking before, and wasn't as afraid of trotting, although we ran out of time for me to trot again that week.
Sometimes it's better to start off with a horse that knows what he/se is doing so that you gain confidence, so in that way I'd suggest the QH, but on the other hand, I've never had a single regret about taking on Zeli, I believe you should always go with the horse you truly feel a connection to. I'm not sure of your situation, but if it's possible you could switch around who you use and use both of them, or you could start with one and if it doesn't work out work with the other.
Best of luck and hope I helped. <3

[Numina]

I used to ride horse for 4 years but then I had to stop because of school. I didn't know drama (which they gave at school) was at the same time as my horse riding so I chose to do that and found out too late, and now I miss it so much! I'm looking around now to see if I can rent a horse somewhere so I can ride in the forest and just feel that connection again:) On my vacation I saw a couple of horses and they tried to get my attention and it was so much fun, so that's the reason really D: It's just so expensive, I have to pay everything myself....

So I just had to get that off of my chest pretty much... thanks:)

[Davy + Aero]

I have a problem,

I can either ride a seasoned QH mare who is about 14.5h, or a pony. She isn't an incredibley skilled pony but I love her. I haven't ridden a horse in about 1year and 1/2 and i'm scared. Any help?

As EarthStar has said, it might be good to ride the pony that you have a connection to. But if she's young, spooky, or nervous, I wouldn't ride her, unless you feel comfortable with those sorts of horses. Judging by the fact that you haven't ridden for a year and a half, you may have to regain

However, if she's well behaved, just a little less skilled, then I'd go with her.

Maybe check if you could ride both of them. Like the QH for the first couple of rides and then the pony?

I understand how you feel, though. I had wanted to ride Skarlett for 5 years before I got to, which was last year.

--
I can't ride Skarlett today. Somebody else wants her, and will whine if I don't give Skarlett to her. >:U So back to the bucking 6 year old.

--Maple

[ubiquitous]

I had a lesson last night and rode my appy boy Diesal. I haven't ridden him in so long, because when I got a new instructoe the class turned into a group lesson (no complaining there, I love it) and one of the other girls was riding him. The lesson was pretty good, but Diesal didn't feel like really doing the jumps. But I still love him <3


This weekend I'm going camping, and me, my siblings, my mom and my cousin are all going trail riding! I really can't wait, because I ride English Hunter Jumper and have only ridden western 3 times.

[Dolphinlover~]

@Missy, Gamzee, and Christine: Yes, William Woods is it! 8D Great place <3 Very near where I live too. I'm going to camp there next summer, you get to stay in the dorms and ride the epic horses every day.

You guys should check it out <3 I'm sure Gamzee has already heard of it/seen it, right? :p I really want to go there and become a riding instructor/barn manager/barn owner like my trainers.


@Altered: Same here. Well, when I started riding Uman, he was pretty out of shape, wiggly, and with a weak butt. I've worked him all summer and now he is much more uphill, hardly wiggly, and with a muscular butt x3 My trainers lunge him with the cavvesson all the time to strength his butt. I'm not allowed to lunge him because he charges his lunger a lot...
Summer is a butt. D:< She is a lazy little 4 year old, wiggles everywhere, doesn't bend easily, hates corners, takes forever to pick up the canter, hardly gets the correct lead, etc. etc. But she can be fun after you work with her a bit, although she really tires me out quickly. Especially getting the left canter lead. So. Hard.
Imax is out of shape and wiggly, but his mouth is soft as butter. I got him on the bit within minutes of our first ride. o.O He is also responsive to the bit. The snaffle we use on him is one of those massive loose ring french mouths, I believe, but it is HUGE so very nice to the horse. But he is so lazy that it drives me insane, and he can't do very much at the moment because he needs to build more muscle and gain more stamina.

I looked it up, it sounds like a great school I will have to look into their equestrian team more, so I know that it is really good :3
I heard that Cornell's equestrian team is really good, and my instructor at the stable that I ride at on fridays goes to Virginia Tech and said that their equestrian team is amazing and that the facilities are too!