PV Riders - Horse Switch?

by Danielle
(San Diego, California, USA )

Stoney and Kathryn

One of my favorite stories of my trail riding, happened last week! xD

My neighbors across the street ride with me all over town and into the hill often. But today, Kathryn, whom I normally ride with, Natalie, whom I have not ridden with before, and Gaby, who I do not ride with often, all went for a trail together.

We had Kathy's White, Gelding, Pony, Stoney, Natalie's ex-racing, Black, Thoroughbred, Sampson, Gaby's Chestnut, Arabian, Gelding, Echo, and I was riding Kathryn's superfat, Dun, Quarter Horse, Mare, Dusty.

ON WITH THE STORY!

We were all going to go out for a ride. Kathryn and Natalie had their cute little ponies all saddled in matching wraps and english pads. I had Dusty tacked up and cuted up too! But she hadn't been out in two weeks. When she doesn't get out in a while, she goes a little nutty. So once I got on her, and everyone else mounted, we went out the gate. She immediately started prancing and dancing sideways.

Last time I rode her, we were cantering and she bolted and gave three good, big bucks over nothing. Very hard to stop her, that time.

So I could tell she was going to be trouble this time. I said I'd grab Fire (my arab mare that's absolutely perfect!) and put Dusty away real quick so we wouldn't have trouble. But Natalie's ridden Dusty before too, and she said she didn't mind switching.

But I've never ridden her horse, and I don't know her well. So it was a moment of awkwardness for all of us for a bit, before Kathryn said she'd ride Sampson, Nat could ride Dusty, and I'd ride Stoney. (I've ridden and very much liked Stoney, she's ridden and likes Sammy a lot too.) So seemed to be the perfect solution!

We switched. Kathryn is a good foot or so shorter than Natalie, so she had a time changing her stirrups. I, being a fair foot and a half taller than Kathryn, had quite the time, also! My knees were sticking 2-3 inches in front of the knee rolls and my butt was over the back, as well. I had to place the stirrups down to the last hole, in order for my knees to fit in the saddle enough to stay seated!

We all found it hilarious! The tallest rider on the smallest horse, (me, 5'8", on Stoney, 14hands flat.) the most English rider ever! on the most western horse, (nat on Dusty) and Kathryn. The shortest rider on the largest horse. (Kathy at 4'10", Sampson at 17hands)

We walked for about 1 minute on our new horses before we ran into Gaby heading out for a ride. So we invited her along! :)

We walked down the road in a line. Sammy, Dusty, then Stoney and Echo continuously switched between 3rd and last.

Everyone making jokes of the situations, while I was still struggling to get my stirrups right! (where my legs were comfy, they were all the way down to his knees! xDD)

The beginning of the trail takes about 3 minutes to get to, and it's a short stretch all of us usually canter. Of course the horses know that too.

We started with a trot. Sam had this big floating trot out front. Dusty was trying to canter and did a little crow hop but then trotted. Echo was perfect behind me. And Stoney? He was trying to gallop. He'd already reared twice, trying to get up front. I had to hold him back pretty hard, and I just ended up having him half pass up the trail! XD I'm sure it looked funny. My hands at my knees, my legs at his knees, and him, prancing and trotting sideways, half the height of the other horses..

We moved up the trail at a walk and went to the right. (it's a loop trail) There's mostly down hill this way, so less cantering. We all were a little nervous, on diff horses.

We came to the second spot for cantering or trotting. All more comfortable now, Kathryn moved Sampson into a nice HUGE trot that was very impressive! Dusty is a little buck and trotted along. Echo, again perfect behind me, and Stoney with me..

Well, he was cantering his little pony canter trying to get kicked by Dusty. I, again, had him half passing along the trail. A bit at the canter, then back to the trot. But he would NOT walk. So I was pretty much running his face into the fence to keep him for bugging Dusty. (she DOES kick) Then they let me move forward to 2nd.

We then popped up to "The Big Hill". It's a good 30ft up, at about 60-70degrees. It's pretty steep. But we're all used to it. Sam had a good trot up it, I know Kathryn was a bit spooked 'cause she was much higher up than typical. I found myself laughing here. My horses are 15.2-16.3 hands. So it never seemed big or small. But when stoney started trotting up it, I burst out laughing. I felt like my legs were going to touch the ground! XDDDDD LMAO! At one point they did, and I was really hysterical with the laughing. I let him canter up the hill and he was a good boy, stopped at the top. Dusty cantered up and bucked again. Echo, still good.

At the top I explained the joke, and they laughed as well.

We moved on. The next point up here is a fair hill that's just really long. We trotted up it. Stoney was much happier up front. Dusty was okay too.

We crossed the road and from here there's another stretch where we walk, some yellow labs along the trail, and then up hill we go. Then there's a stretch we ALWAYS canter. We've never once walked there. So, the horses were getting excited for the first canter of the trail ride.

Here is where Dusty had her fit! She started trotting sideways, and crow hopping. So she moved to the lead. We can to the hill, and she lost it!!

She tried to take off and Natalie stopped her, but she did a really bad buck! And nearly hit Stoney and me. She ran into Sampson's flank, so he started small rears and Kathryn had to hold him back. (there's not a lot of space on this section of the trail, so it was REALLY hard to avoid each other)

During all this, Stoney was rearing, he was a buck, almost hitting Echo. A pony of his size, the bucks and rears are nothing to me. I just put my hands at my knees and waited for him to stop. Well, he did, but only to try and take off. Now, a rear or buck may be nothing, but that pony damn sure has a bolt in him! He again nearly ran into Dusty's kick, and did nose Sampson. Luckily Sam doesn't care.

We managed with our horses, Kathryn and I, but Natalie I felt for. Dusty was still crow hopping and bucking! She must have thrown 10 bucks by now! Nat was fed up and gave this big swack on her butt with the crop to tell her she was being VERY bad. (She deserved it, she should stop when a curb is digging in her mouth.) Man! I'd never seen anything like it! Dusty shot 21/2feet to 3feet in the air! Straight up!!
Amazing! Poor Natalie. xD;
Dusty continued to dance after that.

This whole while, Echo and Gaby were in the back staring at us. I had turned around when Stoney kicked to make sure our distance was enough to avoid accidents.

The look Gaby and Echo had was amazingly similar. Both of their face read: "You are all idiots."

Gave me a weird feeling. (Gaby and I have never gotten along). She said she had to go, and walk past us and cantered on the rest of the trail.
Natalie got off Dusty. We'd decided she needed to be hand walked home.

I sat there for a minute. Kathryn's and Natalie's horses where being ridden by other people, I'm sure they wanted them back.

I volunteered to hand walk Dusty home. So Nat got on Sam, Kathy on Stoney, and me on foot. We started to walk back. (I was gonna stash Dusty then get Fire out with a halter & lead line so we could finish the ride)

You'd never have known Dusty had done anything. She looked as docile and calm as ever. Plodding along like nothing. I smirked at this. She is a very sly horse. She knows she's wrong, but if she has her fit then behave, you can't be mad at her.

I am the MOST out of shape person ever! I am homeschooled, so I do horseback riding as P.E. So I don't run or anything. The walk back for a mile, and it was really hard for me! XDDDD I was super sweaty and half dead when we returned. I'd even considered getting on Dusty, instead of walking back. (going down the big hill was difficult! I was sliding a lot 'cause my shoes don't have traction!)

Natalie didn't have time for the whole ride again, so she went on the smaller trail by herself and Kathryn and I took Dusty back. Threw her in her stall, then I grabbed Fire and swung up!

Kathryn's always impressed that I can ride Fire bareback with a halter and one lead line. I'm very proud of it, 'cause when I first moved out here, she needed a curb! So we've come a long way. <3

We ran into Natalie and said goodbye. :)
We went back on the trail and started with a good canter. I love Fire's gait, so we had a lot of fun! We trotted, passed the llamas, galloped, walked a ways, then had a small race, which I proceeded to lose by almost 8 strides..
But to be fair, I was bareback and she had a crop! C:

I put Fire away and went back over to Kathy's. She has a big yard and makeshift jumps in it. So she jumped him a bit. Then, why I'd come back over, she let me jump him. <3 I love his jump. You get used to a big effort, with half the height to fall! He gave a lot of run outs though.

Typically, I only trot the jumps with him. So the run outs he does with me are usually only walk then stopping at the jump or walking then turning.

But I'd been working on my position, with Kath's help, and I felt good about cantering him up to the barrel. Well, he did his stuff. But I got a couple good jumps with him. I took him over the barrel at the canter, my position felt really good! Then I stretched my legs down well and hung on with the lower leg, which I typically forget, to made him take the super skinny(4' wide) flower jump right after it. I felt good on my position there too. I was REALLY happy!

Anyhow! =D That was super fun day!! And I thought I'd share.

Isn't switching horses fun? C=>