On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:03:48 -0800, you wrote: > I used to ride only 16 h horses - thought >anything else was a pony or something - now I need a mounting block to get >on my 14.3 TWH.
I'm sure that riding smaller ponies all the times means you get out of the habit of getting on bigger horses. When Skessa first arrived I found it quite hard getting on her from my little mounting block (an old caravan step) having got used to little Tibra and Rosa (Skessa is 14.1hh) but now she seems easy. Sadly she goes back to her owner in a couple of weeks - I'll really miss her. I had a lovely ride on her today, she was full of beans and enjoyed it very much too. I've just been offered a 14 year old brown gelding as a project. I knew him as a 5 year old (in fact started him back then) and he was sold to a very nice lady, a nervous rider. She rode him for a year or so and got her confidence back, then went through divorce etc etc and just about gave up with horses. Instead of selling or loaning him, she left him at the yard where she had him at working livery, and told them they could use him as one of the riding school ponies. So for the last 7 years he's been a riding school pony at a place where they know nothing about the gaits and have actually tried to discourage him from any gait other than walk and trot. Apparently he does still have tolt (or something), though! He's been used only for kids, and has been very spoilt. He's now pushy, bargy, nips, walks through people, breaks lead ropes if tied up and so on. But they say he's still fine to ride..... we'll see. He's coming at th beginning of December. He's about 14hh and very stocky (and hugely fat too at the moment). Wish me luck! Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes"
