On of the things that really stuck out at Morro Bay was that except for the trails going into the mountains, the trails are very sandy. It's evident that unless your horse is very fit, they're going to get tired quickly- for Max, it didn't seem to slow him down a bit but for some of the other horses, it was a bit more rough. More importantly, one has to be careful riding through areas with deep sand and especially when trotting or cantering. Basically, you run the risk of bowed tendons and this is especially true with the canter or trot.
Along the beach, the sand is very deep except where the tide washes up on- there the sand is pretty firm. While riding, I was careful to go at a walk in most areas. On the hard sand, I was able to trot and canter.
It's kind of frustrating because there were times that I wanted to seriously run Max so he'd get a little tired and take the edge off ("working out the googles"). One nice discovery I made was that there is a wide dirt service road running at a diagonal through most of the area behind the sand dunes (they form a barrier between the beach and the land behind it). The road is surfaced in hard dirt so it makes the perfect surface for trotting and cantering. I was able to run Max up and down the service road and was able to work him using various training techniques that I use at home to train with.
On the our last day at Morro Bay, I took Max out by myself for a few hours in attempt to assert control and calm Max, away from other horses (and end on a good note). I used a combination of walk/trot/canter gaits along with leg yields, backing, various suppling exercises, and anything else I could think of. Everything ended on a good note and he was pretty much acting the same way as he does at home.
My observation is that the beach definately got Max excited but he did not become a nut job although he was not aways listening to my commands. The bad part was that he was so excited, especially around other horses, that he wouldn't stay still for long if I stopped him. I figure that if I was there for a month and rode him everyday at the beach, he'd be as bored as the rental horses we saw out there.
From a riding point of view, this trip really called for everything I had and there were many different challenges due to the changed environment (beach, other horses, etc.) but overall things were a success. Also, being in the saddle for six to eight hours daily also gave me a good workout.
I was also able to get in a long ride up in the moutains (unfortunately, the trail leading all the way to the beach was closed for maintenance so I followed an abgreviated loop). Max was definately challenged here because he was following a very fast Thoroughbred.
Overall, it was a good trip and I learned a lot about Max. It had some anxious moments but by being able to work out one-one for several hours each day, much of the anxiety and excitablity was reduced and by the end, Max was definately paying attention and acting like a partner.
Along the beach, the sand is very deep except where the tide washes up on- there the sand is pretty firm. While riding, I was careful to go at a walk in most areas. On the hard sand, I was able to trot and canter.
It's kind of frustrating because there were times that I wanted to seriously run Max so he'd get a little tired and take the edge off ("working out the googles"). One nice discovery I made was that there is a wide dirt service road running at a diagonal through most of the area behind the sand dunes (they form a barrier between the beach and the land behind it). The road is surfaced in hard dirt so it makes the perfect surface for trotting and cantering. I was able to run Max up and down the service road and was able to work him using various training techniques that I use at home to train with.
On the our last day at Morro Bay, I took Max out by myself for a few hours in attempt to assert control and calm Max, away from other horses (and end on a good note). I used a combination of walk/trot/canter gaits along with leg yields, backing, various suppling exercises, and anything else I could think of. Everything ended on a good note and he was pretty much acting the same way as he does at home.
My observation is that the beach definately got Max excited but he did not become a nut job although he was not aways listening to my commands. The bad part was that he was so excited, especially around other horses, that he wouldn't stay still for long if I stopped him. I figure that if I was there for a month and rode him everyday at the beach, he'd be as bored as the rental horses we saw out there.
From a riding point of view, this trip really called for everything I had and there were many different challenges due to the changed environment (beach, other horses, etc.) but overall things were a success. Also, being in the saddle for six to eight hours daily also gave me a good workout.
I was also able to get in a long ride up in the moutains (unfortunately, the trail leading all the way to the beach was closed for maintenance so I followed an abgreviated loop). Max was definately challenged here because he was following a very fast Thoroughbred.
Overall, it was a good trip and I learned a lot about Max. It had some anxious moments but by being able to work out one-one for several hours each day, much of the anxiety and excitablity was reduced and by the end, Max was definately paying attention and acting like a partner.
No comments:
Post a Comment