Colours in my life

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Riding English or Western? Which is safer?

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We had another trail accident this week, the fourth this season, that required an ambulance. All four accidents involved solo riders in English tack. Our club facebook posts were all atwitter about the safety of English vs Western tack. As an amateur rider having spent equal amounts of time in both types of tack under similar conditions, I feel reasonably confident in my perspective. Western tack is safer.  The saddle fork on a western saddle (also on an iberian, australian, and some endurance saddles) blocks a certain amount of the centrifugal force that comes with a sharp spook, hard buck, abrupt turn or stumbling horse. The stirrup leathers provide more stability and it is more difficult to get your foot caught in the stirrup during a fall. However, the bulk and heft of a western saddle can also make a wreck worse, such as riders getting bucked onto the neck and caught in front of the saddle, horse and rider falling and getting pinned under the saddle, boot stuck in stirrup with...
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Gotcha Day

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Four years ago today I made a scary decision of offering to purchase a 3 year old untrained andalusian stallion from Florida, sight unseen. It flew in the face of everything I thought about purchasing a horse. It was all business, and based on the breeders understanding of what I wanted to do with the horse. The breeder had 20 colts and fillies of the same age to sell, and my Q was the least dressage flashy and the most in-your-pocket of the bunch. And his conformation made him well suited for working equitation or western riding. We did fly down to meet Q and the breeder before we had him shipped from Florida to Quebec in the spring. But by then the wire transfers and vet checks were done. It was more like an arranged marriage kind of meeting. It actually turned out to be smart, because once we got there and saw all the other horses, I was in awe of the tremendous beauties also for sale. Had I not already made and executed on my (rational) choice, I might have made a different cho...
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The super duper long weekend

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Some riding happened, and much living and socializing. I feel the last 2 years has robbed me of my ability and desire to be social.  But its slowly coming back. Yeah! As for Q, he appears to be finishing his full 1/2 inch haynet despite the repeated warnings that this torture device should not be used on horses because it will either 1) not provide enough nutrition, 2) make them give up trying, or 3) make them aggressive beasts. I guess they never met my Q, a tenacious constant forager. This particular haynet is recommended for small ponies or minis that have metabolic disorders. 🤷‍♀️  And yesterday Q gave me a lovely 2 km gallop on our favorite fast track. I in turn cut the ride short at 25 minutes and then we proceeded to our favorite grazing spot after a shower and mane/tail scrub. Barn energy seems to be back to normal. And clearly Q is completely unphased by the noisy moped at our intersection. #goals
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Extend the shadow of our decisions

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I lost my trail buddy this weekend. It’s not clear how much was determined by the ongoing barn drama. He packed his stuff and moved to another barn within 24 hours. So, I am sad. No doubt that having an activity buddy helps keep us motivated, and gets our butts in the saddle more often than not. Now, I feel alone. That our horses and our riding styles were so in sync makes the transition much more difficult. How will I find another trail buddy that is so compatible? This probably marks the beginning of a new chapter of riding solo. I do love riding my horse solo and not having to negotiate pace, direction, detours with anyone. Big bonus is that my Q is just as good alone. Add caption I might need some external motivation like one of those wearable gadgets that track pace, elevation, etc. Something that would push me to go further, ride harder, discover new trails. This week we have our exciting clinic to “despook, the mounted police way”. And soon after that Ill be off fo...
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