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Quote of the Day:
"A short life in the saddle, Lord! Not a long life by the fire."
~Louise Imogen Guiney, "The Knight Errant"
Training Tips:
Some horses buck when they're young and unbalanced,
especially at a canter. They simply haven't learned to carry themselves, and
a rider at the same time. When you start jumping your horse, it gets even worse!
Imagine running around a ring by yourself - you're fine, and it's easy to jump
things too! But then try carrying a child piggyback around the ring doing the
same things. It gets a lot harder, doesn't it? If your horse gets into the habit
of bucking or kicking out while cantering or after he jumps, check several
things. Make sure his teeth haven't grown too long, or that his back isn't sore.
Check to be sure that you're not causing the horse pain or discomfort by pulling
in his mouth or sitting too heavily on his back. If you've checked everything
possible, and your horse is still having problems, consider another approach.
again, many your horses are simply unbalanced. I have a mare, though, that it's
merely an attitude problem! She learned that by bucking, she would get out of
working at a canter (my own fault, I know). Once the horse has learned this,
it's hard to work them out of it, but it IS possible. Your best choice is to put
a western saddle on your horse, for your own balance and safety. When your horse
bucks, or kicks out, push him through it HARD - get him over the idea that
misbehaving gets him out of work. Every time he misbehaves, he has to work
harder! This is the easiest and quickest way to train your horse out of a
bucking problem. |
Today in History
1845: The Great Sectional Match, the North versus the South,
was run at Union Course in New York. Fashion, representing
the North, raced against the South's Peytona in a match race
won by Peytona. Three years earlier, Fashion had defeated
Boston, who represented the South, in another North-South
rivalry.
1891: Kingman, the only
African American-owned horse to win the Derby, did so with
jockey Isaac Murphy in the irons. Kingman was owned and
trained by African American Dudley Allen. The win gave
jockey Isaac Murphy back-to-back Derby victories and made
him the first jockey to win three Derbies.
1939: Louis Schaefer became the first
person to have ridden and trained a Preakness Stakes winner
after he saddled Challedon to victory. Schaefer won the 1929
Preakness as a jockey, riding Dr. Freeland. Schaefer's
double was replicated by jockey-turned-trainer John Longden,
who rode Count Fleet in the 1943 Preakness and trained
Majestic Prince to win the race in 1969.
1973: Secretariat worked five furlongs
in :57 2/5 at Pimlico Racecourse in preparation for the May
19 Preakness Stakes. He was eased after completing his
workout distance, but still ran six furlongs in 1:10. |
