# WHOA!!!



## Crissa (Oct 7, 2007)

Well I finally got to go horseback riding Friday. Chance (the guy I board my horse with) has 3 broke horses all three are quarter horses. I wind up riding the tallest gelding (15.5 HH or more), his name is Jack. My best friend Sara rides the 14.5 hh gelding, Bert. And Chance is riding his little red roan mare, Vixen, that is a little more than green broke. Well Bert decided he wanted to give Sara a hard time and since Vixen was being so good he switches horses with her, which turns out to be a VERY good thing! Well as we're heading back to the house I ask Jack to go into a trot so Sara's horse decides to go into a trot as well. Then I ask my horse to canter and her horse starts cantering and starts to get ahead of mine! My horse did NOT like that so started to gallop so I'm pulling him around to try and make him stop and Sara's horse starts to get in front again so he freaks and continues to gallop even faster! So Sara and I are now on two runaway horses heading straight towards a barbed wire fence! I yank Jack's reins as far to the side as possible to get him to turn and slow down. Chance is heading Sara's horse off on Bert, who happens to be his fastest horse (see I told you that trading horses turned out to be a good thing) if Sara had been riding Bert, Chance wouldn't have been able to catch them. Whew, long story short, I'm NEVER letting those horses run towards home again! Sorry for the long post, but that's probably the craziest thing I've ever had happen to me! We were VERY lucky!


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Something pretty similar happened to me a long time ago. The horse just started running towards the barn (and I was not a very experienced rider, still am not very experienced). It was pretty nerve-wracking. But yeah, it's good to make sure they always walk back home, so they don't think they can get in the habit of that. 
That same day, my aunt (who trains, rides, and re-habilitates horses; she's like the "horse whisperer") taught us the one-reign stop (?), which I think is what you were doing with Jack. That was very helpful.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

wow crissa.... when your heading home.... not good... to let them runs towards home.......makes them barn sour .....real quick.... anytime a horse takes off running really fast( out of control).....you did the right thing by turning the head... ....if you need to stop quicker ...pull there head into the there side... one way or the other ...to get them to turn...then make them go into a circle pattern... until you can... get the horse to stop..... :wink: 

so happy... your both OK..... :hug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Scary! Last time I was on a horse, VERY INEXEPERIENCED as a rider, when she took off I jumped! Good thing the pasture was soft!


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Very lucky Crissa, What toth just described is a one rein stop. It a great emergency aid for a runaway horse. you drop one rein and pull back on the other rein, bringing the horse nose around to you knee. Sit hard back on your seat bones and and stop the motion of your seat as much as possible. its causes pressure on the horses back and if your not moving with him its going to cause him to slow down. 
When i teach lessons this is one of the first things people learn how to do. 
beth


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## Lawanda (Jun 11, 2009)

Wow! That reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie episode where Laura runs her horse into the fence. :tears: I am so glad your story had a happier ending!


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

> What toth just described is a one rein stop.


I did remember right. Shocker, I have such a terrible memory. :roll:

I am glad both of you are okay, that is a very scary feeling. . .


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> What toth just described is a one rein stop.


 yup... :thumbup: :greengrin:


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