Horse Talk

[abigalerose]

Oh, I did lol, options are black, smokey black, buckskin, bay, red or palomino all with a chance of splash.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

I got to say I think your grampa is really cool! I think the best way to gain your confidence is so simply ride. That old quote about no time is lost spent in the saddle! Just keep doing it and it will come with time!

Totally agree with this!!! I've struggled with confidence myself. I have a older cowboy neighbor that has helped me a lot with that. Just getting out there and pushing thru the doubt helps me too. It's slow going and not easy but it is rewarding to look back and see your improvement!

 

[abigalerose]

I wish I had someone to ride with, when my cousin lived with me we rode together a lot and it helped me

 

[Prairie Fleur]

I wish I had someone to ride with, when my cousin lived with me we rode together a lot and it helped me

Riding with someone does help. For me tho learning to rely mostly on myself and being able to conquer the fear on my own did more for my confidence than anything. My cowboy neighbor informed me that I had the basics down pat and that I didn't really need his help so much (altho he's very quick to pitch in if I need it.) And the thot he communicated was that I needed to have a little faith in myself and get out there and go kick butt. Somehow it helped. Id been using the 'back door' to facing my fear too much.
So for whatever it's worth when you go out, remind yourself that you are a kickin' butt kind of girl for facing your lack of confidence head on and I think you'll surprise yourself! (And whether this means anything or not, this comes from someone that battled self confidence issues in every area of her life.) Be safe and careful always but for me often times my fear/lack of confidence was actually what made things more dangerous for me.

 

[abigalerose]

Yeah last year there was that time I rode her down the creek and got lost and ended up riding a really long ways and then had to ride down a couple farm roads to get back home, that helped me a lot too. I wish I hadn't lost my confidence over the winter because we were doing really well

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Yeah last year there was that time I rode her down the creek and got lost and ended up riding a really long ways and then had to ride down a couple farm roads to get back home, that helped me a lot too. I wish I hadn't lost my confidence over the winter because we were doing really well

You had it once so you'll get it back!!

 

[PeepersMama]

We're the saaaame, but I never had riding lessons, so I just never learned how to trot or canter when I was young. But whenever I ride I'm always afraid she'll get spooked or excited and that she'll take off and I won't be able to stop her! And I don't even know why that scares me because I have loped before and it wasn't scary, and I've fallen before and it didn't hurt. Ugh. But I get all nervous and tense which makes her act all squirrelly and the I can't control her so I get off lol. But I know if I practice enough that I can gain some confidence, because last fall I was riding about 5 days a week and I rode her down trails and on roads and in wide open fields and everything and wasn't nervous. Just gotta get back to that place. And I feel ya, June is a 2 person horse, she does really weirdly love my grandpa and I don't know why (all my animals do) and she loves me, but anyone else rides her and she's like nah, I ain't gonna move or listen at all. And she's a little different since being at the "trainers", I think she worked so much on making her trot and lope (ya know cuz June probably didn't wanna move since it wasn't me) that now June thinks she's gotta move out real fast as soon as I get on.

EXACTLY!!!! Tbh I really doubt I could control Smoke if I pushed him into a trot even. He's a pain at a walk as it is.
But all I do is tighten my grip on a rein and he turns.
But if he gets stubborn..... He's stubborn.

I've cantered a few times before, but that was on my trainers super well behaved gelding, who does anything you am him to. Best horse EVER. I loved it, but..... Smoke is still really green.
I find that I do better and get more stuff done when I've got Mr. Gerry here. Maybe its my ego, which refuses to blow a gasket if he's there, but maybe its just that extra confidence I get when he tells me " yeah, that's it!" Didn't help that I'm the only really horsey person in my family.

Sometimes I like to daydream about breeding June, even though I won't actually do it. Here's the stud I'm day dreaming about today, mostly because he's my favorite color for a horse (black with blue eyes) and he's got Mr Gunsmoke on his papers like June.
View attachment 1054312 View attachment 1054313

OH MY GOODNESS

WHAT IS HIS NAME AND WHERE IS HE.

 

[abigalerose]

See I know I can control June, pretty much her only flaw is that when I do get nervous, she senses it so when I try stopping or turning her she'll toss her head, and that makes me more nervous because then I feel like she's gonna buck, even though I know she won't. Like she's the laziest horse in the world, I know if she trots or lopes she'll be ready to stop in like 30 seconds. And I've trained her from the ground up and have been riding her for over a year, and she's only "bucked" (if you can even call it that, it was so pathetic) one time, and it was the very first time that I pushed her into a lope. I also know that she's hard to spook. And she has a smooth lope, AND I can ride her at a trot bareback. So idk what my problem is. But last fall I had a small arena to practice in, I felt really safe there, all dirt, panels instead of barbed wire, no other horses, cows, or dogs in sight, I could really focus and it built my confidence, and I don't have that now. And I think in the back of my mind I'm also worried that she's going to be different after being with the trainer, especially since it's obviously that she worked a lot on speeding her up. But I gotta say, my biggest fear isn't going fast or falling, it's that if I do fall, that I'll get dragged lol how ridiculous is that!
But yes I know what you mean! My cousin would go out with me and push me and push me then when I finally made a break through she would cheer me on, and it was a great confidence booster. But she doesn't talk to my family any more, and I have no other horse loving friends or family members, besides my grandpa, but June gets so excited around him that she tunes me out lol.
Anyways, the stud is Smokin Blue Gun, he's in Montana

 

[ShrekDawg]

She sounds like the best horse ever aha

 

[abigalerose]

She is that's why I'm so frustrated with myself. I can't imagine how nervous I'd be if I had a bad horse lol.
June is definitely a once in a life time horse, I've had a lot of horses before her, and I've gotten a lot of horses since, and not a single one compares. I mean, how many 4 year olds do you know that have been broke by a nervous wreck who's first lope was also the horses first lope, yet will be a perfect angel and take 5-8 year old kids on their first ride?!
I'm just gonna list all her good points as a reminder to myself and maybe I won't be so nervous next time. Let's see
• she will load in a trailer if I point and say "in"
•I can catch and tack her up in a wide open field
•she comes when I whistle now
•I took her on a trail ride one day and thought she looked really pretty while we were out in the completely non-fenced field far from home, so I untacked her to take pictures and she never tried to wander from me
•she's given my grandpa (has a bad back) and my little cousins who are 5, 6, 7, and 8 rides and done whatever they asked
•only one little buck the whole time I've had her and it was kind of expected
•was calm and listened good the first time we rode down a road (when we got lost in the creek lol)
•will ride over logs and through ponds
•does circles at liberty
•can swing a rope off her, stand up on her, pretty much whatever you wanna do lol
•will gently pluck the hat from my grandpas head
•always comes to the fence to kiss me as soon as she sees me
Okay, I feel more trusting already haha I forget how sweet she is sometimes, I had to remind myself. I could really only think of 3 bad qualities, the occasional head tossing, sometimes she stubborn and decides not to move at all so I have to use the riding crop, and you have to use literally all your strength to hold her feet up when you pick them up because she won't put any effort into it.