For context: in 2020, before Stevie became mine, I tried to ride out a bad temper tantrum for her previous owner and got bucked off hard. Went up in the air and landed on my lower right back, leaving me with permanent muscle damage and loss of sensation in that region.
Because of this, even just swinging a leg over again was a massive hurdle for me. She sat for two years while I finished college, then I spent a massive amount of time on groundwork, trying to patch up any holes I could find in her training. She became a little bit spoiled and learned she could throw tiny bucks or head swings to get me to back off, but she is the type of horse where if you push them through it a few times, they stop doing it forever. I'm a much better rider now than I was in 2020 and I've sat out worse on other horses with no problem, but I was Stuck with her. She's not even a problem horse - she's incredibly smart, eager to please, and a very quick learner. There is not a mean bone in her body. The issue was all me.
It's taken me over a year into starting our riding journey over to finally be able to trot her without fear. I could handle other horses just fine, my only issue was with her. I knew that it was inevitable that she would throw a bigger buck at me eventually, but the fear was paralyzing and held me back from working on anything else. I know I could've had someone else take over, but I *needed* to push through this wall or I would still be in the same position after she came back from the trainer's. I knew I could do it - it was just a matter of finally being ready to push through.
Tonight, we spent the first half of the ride refining the forward cue off my seat and all was well. Apparently at some point, the two donkeys opened the gate and escaped without me noticing... which led to a mini temper tantrum. Stevie trotted around, had a few strides of canter, then BUCKED. Fortunately, she has never bucked bigger or harder than Brandy, and she mostly just tucks her head under and "pogo stick bounces" with her front legs while her hind legs stay planted on the ground, but that was my #1 fear holding me back from progressing with her.
But - she bucked hard, I rode it out, lost a stirrup, and everything was completely fine afterwards?? We survived and nobody was hurt??? She got it out of her system, let me fix my stirrup, and we walked off calmly. She even yawned, licked and chewed after we stopped. I was quivering like a bowl of Jello, so after dismounting I sat down on the ground beside her. She said "o hi mom, whatcha doing down there," then lowered her head down so I would pet her and love on her. No hard feelings, I guess.
Now that I've finally been forced through that wall and everyone survived unharmed, I think everything will be so much easier from here on out. She learned that bucking doesn't make the annoying human stop telling her what to do anymore, and I confronted my biggest fear and survived. Onwards and upwards!
Contrary to popular belief, riding side saddle is as safe, if not safer, than riding astride.
Sitting aside dates back to antiquity and developed in European countries in the Middle Ages as a way for women in skirts to ride a horse in a modest fashion while also wearing fine clothing. It has retained a specialty niche even in the modern world.
In the 1830s, Jules Pellier invented a sidesaddle design with a second, lower pommel to the sidesaddle. In this design, still in use today, one pommel is nearly vertical, mounted approximately 10 degrees left of top dead center and curved gently to the right and up. The rider’s right leg goes around the upright, or fixed pommel, which supports the right thigh of the rider when it is lying across the top center of the saddle. The lower right leg rests along the shoulder of the left (near) side of the horse and up against the second pommel (called the leaping head or leaping horn.) which lies below the first on the left of the saddle. It is mounted about 20 degrees off the top of the saddle. This pommel is curved gently downward in order to curve over the top of the rider’s left thigh, and is attached in a manner so that it can pivot slightly, to adjust to the individual rider. The rider places her left leg beneath this pommel, with the top of the thigh close or lightly touching it, and places her left foot in a single stirrup on that side.
The impact of the second pommel was revolutionary; the additional horn gave women both increased security and additional freedom of movement when riding sidesaddle, which allowed them to stay on at a gallop and even to jump fences while fox hunting and show jumping. With this design, nearly all recreational equestrian pursuits were opened to women, yet they could also conform to expectations of modesty. For example, a world record in sidesaddle show jumping was set at 6 ft, 6 inches at a horse show in Sydney, Australia in 1915.[4] The leaping horn was the last major technological innovation for the sidesaddle and remains the core of basic design even for saddles of contemporary manufacture made with modern materials.
Said world record: Mrs. Esther Stace riding sidesaddle and clearing 6'6" at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, 1915, a feat made possible because of the leaping horn.
This is Gilberto Filipe, who dominated the World Association for Working Equitation Qualifier in Segovia, Spain, in March 2024. I think this is his Lusitano stallion Iranio.
Video from magda_konno on Instagram! Link in the comments.
Went to a used tack sale yesterday at the county fairgrounds, and there was actually a used Ghost saddle?? It's incredibly rare to find them for sale secondhand online, let alone in person. Shame it was the wrong model and size for me because it was a great deal :(
In the absence of dogs, what cow breed do you think would make good guard dog substitutez?
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i dont think cattle would do very good at guarding things woops ! theyre prey animals and they dont really have like.. guarding instincts like a dawggy does!
although fun fact.. did you know that donkeys are sometimes used as livestock guardian animals to protect sheep and cows!
i looovveeeeeeeeee guardian animals i think its so funny. donkeys are used for bigger livestock but for chickens and ducks .. people use geese!!!!! its so funny like. let me get one animal thats kinda like you but kills for fun. hes your dad now.
Few more shots of the Cave Ponies going up in my Etsy shop tomorrow (3/16)!
I bought these sweet little wooden horses years ago at a craft store and finally got around to painting them recently. Their coat colors and markings are inspired by horses depicted in Paleolithic cave paintings <3