When Cowgirls Grow Up

Here is one of my girls that I have known since she was around 11 in 4H. During the Highschool Rodeo years her mother and my wife hauled our daughters every weekend to some HS rodeo. We finally had to put a 4hr trip limit on it because getting up before 5:00am was just too hard. The night before I would hook up the horse trailer to the motorhome and get everything ready so all they had to do is load up and go. While on the road the girls would get to sleep and the mothers talked. I have always been surprised that in those 4 years and now going on 20 years those two mothers have never run out of anything to say. :) During the early years I always wondered if they would make the transition from Horseshowing to running on the edge. Well it looks like the transition is complete but it is still a pleasure to watch both girls train their horses because they still maintain that equitation and quiet seat. It still is form to acheive function.

So to my new girls that are venturing into the the horsey world Yes you will get there and thank you for giving the chance to see you grow up.

Day late and a Dollar short

OR Stride late and a drop in placings.

Dropping the shoulder around a barrel is always a tenuous situation at best. Sometimes you luck out and sometimes things happen very quickly. For the rider to anticipate and go into correction mode before it happens is almost as bad as the horse anticipating the barrel. In the following pictures we went into the barrel ok but on the back side Tenor dropped his shoulder and it was 2 strides before I had him picked up again.

A little late in releasing the outside hand which has left Tenor straight and the left shoulder is dropping.

Starting to pick up the shoulder but alas the time has been lost.   We never went down as his left front came forward my left hand helped by lifting up.

Quick Saying: Never quit riding until you dismount :)

So it is back to the barn to do corrections, on myself as well as the horse.

 Agenda of corrections:

   Horse: loping big circle little circle

   Me: Keep Tenor's inside eye and no outside reign.

          Keep inside reign steady, picking up the inside

             shoulder and use legs for circle size.

          If needed, move outside leg back to help keep Tenor

             rounded.

                                                                                               

Quick saying: Best way for a horse to do their job is get out of their way and let them do it. :)

Hope this is a help for others
   but if you are one of the blogging nit picking english riders that search for goof ups I'm happy for you

Skip