So yesterday I went to the barn with Jonathon's mom. I had initially told her to be sure to bring a book or something to entertain herself with, but she didn't get that far, too enthralled with the horses was she. :) (I don't blame her. I couldn't read while in the presence of a horse either, except for when I first got Siaga and would sit in the stall, reading out loud to him.)
I got him out of the pasture and took him into the barn and put him on cross ties. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. He hates cross ties. Personally, I love them... if the horse likes them. The cross ties mean I can let the horse stand there while I groom without trying to hold the lead and groom at the same time.
So, when it became obvious that he was too excited to stand still and be safe, I took the ties off and led him to the round pen. I lunged him for a while until he was too tired to move (he just LOVES the word Woah. He knows it so well.) I then had Jonathon's mom get my grooming supplies out of the barn and began to finish what I had started. I trimmed up his bridle path, as well.
Once done with that, I let him wander around in the pen while I fetched my tack, brushed him off again, and saddled up. I ran him around again and let him buck to his hearts content until he bucked no longer, then I switched out the halter and lead for the bridle. Shannon found me a helmet (since mine has gone missing. :| ) and a stool to use to get on. For some reason, I can't seem to pull myself onto Siaga, but I have no problem at all pulling myself onto a horse much bigger than he.
Once on, I nudged. I squeezed. I smooched and clicked... Nothing. Not a single movement out of him. Shannon got the riding crop, and I popped him a few times with it. He moved. We went around at a walk, stopping, going. Turning left, turning right. He did very well. Eventually, I had him start walking with just a squeeze of my legs. It was great.
Here is a picture of me riding him, I apologize for not putting the picture itself up, but blogger is being screwy, I think: Me on Siaga.
I always knew, when I first got him, that someday I would be riding him. I didn't know that it would be just over five years before I actually did. I didn't know, also, that I had it in me to train a horse by myself, albeit with much advice and help along the way. The years of ceaseless study and learning about horses and drawing their anatomy has done wonders for me. Siaga may not always be a perfect gentleman on the ground, but in the saddle, he's fantastic. This makes the sixth time that he has been ridden since he turned 2. The first ride, by the way, was no more than 3-5 seconds long, when he was about 4, dad got him, Siaga bucked him off, Dad got back on, sat, got off. Then when we moved him here, I rode him, then again two months ago, then James rode him, and then me again. Ok, well, 7 times if you want to count the fact that Dillon was the first one to ride him, when I led Siaga and dad held Dillon on.
I also had my first taste of riding in an English saddle on Reggie. It was... an experience. I had no problem riding at a walk. At a trot, I felt way unbalanced, at least I didn't fall off. Reggie's trot is like no other. It's soooo bouncy. Here is me on Reggie.
No comments:
Post a Comment