Horse and Human Relationships make Riding Fun

This last week a little horse on the farm found his Human.  This guy arrived on the farm in 2008 severely underweight and untouched as an adult horse.  He was always trying to interact with people right from the start.  His journey of understanding humans started with a bucket of grain and a halter slipped over his head.  He gradually learned how to be led and move away from pressure by following the grain.  He seemed to like being brushed and fussed with.  Basic ground manners took about one year to accomplish, I was not in a rush I had plenty of grass. 

The next step was training under saddle.  He took to this quite easily and was willing to listen to his young rider.  I taught lessons to the pair along the way and Amore really picked up that there was a structure to this riding thing and that he should follow it.  I was pretty happy with him and his willingness to try.

I rode Amore over this last winter and refined his knowledge of structure.  He really did get comfortable with things and I taught a lesson on him in late winter.  He did o.k. but worried about his rider a little bit.  Amore liked a little more direction than he was getting.

I then introduced him to a rider who had been taking lessons and understood the basic dressage structure this last week.  He immediately relaxed and enjoyed the lesson.  It was not even the technical part of the lesson, he just really liked her and tried to do whatever he could for her.

It is the mental compatibility that was really the most impressive.  I love it when that happens.  I know many of us as riders have had our favorite horses to ride, but it is so neat when it happens.  We all think it is because we finally understand how to ride better.  When sometimes it is just the fact that the horse and rider really like each other and try harder for each other.

I hope you all have that special horse you are willing to go above and beyond for, because if you ride such a horse, he will go above and beyond for you too.

Have a great ride every day!