I spent a lot of quality time with Scottie today. We did 30 minutes of ground work and at least another 30 of grooming time before heading out on the trail. Scottie was beautifully behaved, and considering it has been so long since he's been out, that's pretty good! Of course, if he had been acting up I would have done more ground work with him and/or decided not to ride him. This leads me to one of my favorite ground work/pre flight check topics.
Picture this scenario. You are excited and anticipating a fun ride with your best (equine) friend. It's the first really nice day and the ground is pretty dry. You go to catch your horse and he runs off when he sees you coming with the halter. You finally catch him and are feeling a bit annoyed by this. While grooming he can't seem to keep still. He is very antsy and startling at almost anything. Since you are so excited to ride, you continue getting him ready.
I'll stop there because that usually only goes from bad to worse. You can get lucky. Maybe nothing will happen. So next time, you behave the same way. But I can assure you, one day will come when something unfortunate WILL happen while you are on that horses' back. The actions highlighted in red are clear warning signs. You can choose to ignore them or to heed their advice. It takes longer, but it is worth it.
Doing a pre-ride check can:
- Alert you to the state of your horse's mind
- Give you a chance to reclaim his mind
- Allow you to get to know him better
- Help form a closer bond
A wise horseman I know says, "It takes the time it takes". Sometimes that might not fit into our schedule. But our horses don't run on our schedule. Trust me, you are better off physically and mentally to take that time. You will benefit in the long run, even if you don't 'see' it on a daily basis.
Happy trails,
Loretta
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