Valkyrie

It depends on the discipline. They break thoroughbreds in as yearlings and race them at two. Hunter/jumpers break them in at the three-four year old range, but don't jump until they are four/five and up. Not sure about western disciplines.

I had a student who was ready for a bit more of a challenge, so I put her on a nice, but could-be-cranky pony. This pony usually needed a bit of encouragement to go, so students needed to carry a crop when riding her, but she would buck if they used it. I told the student this. So what does she do? Smacks the pony when it won't trot and promptly gets bucked over the arena fence. It was her first fall, too. lol She was fine, just surprised. I said 'maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to use the stick'. Lesson learned.

I was riding a horse in a flat class to warm him up for a student of mine once... it had rained for days prior so the ring was one giant mud puddle. I got bucked off and there no avoiding puddles since the entire ring was a puddle. I was so furious at first, but then took one look at myself covered head to toe in mud and then couldn't stop laughing. We went home after that. lol

I have seen this happen many times... usually with the person landing on the other side of the horse... lol

I have learned all of these lessons the hard way. My right hand has never been same since I got a lead rope wrapped around my thumb and the horse I was turning out pulled away before I unhooked the lead rope and wrenched it backwards.

Wow! My record is four! lol He's right... I bet you are a hell of a rider. That kind of tenacity can't be taught. I have to laugh at your comment about keeping their heads up. I schooled a known bucker over a cross country course once, and was absolutely terrified of being dumped the entire time. That fear made me ride impeccably... until we got to the bank. The horse had to lower his head to get down the bank - it was about a three foot drop - and he had been trying to buck after every single jump. Well, it took me a while to trust him enough to finally give him the rein he needed to get down the bank, and he promptly grabbed the bit in his teeth and took off across the field doing his best bronco imitation. To my credit, I stayed on! The rest of the group just stared at me in shock when I finally got him under control and back with the pack. I'm still pretty proud of how I stuck on.

Lucky! lol My record is four. It was a jumping lesson and we were jumping a grid. To this day, grids give me nightmares... lol It had four jumps and the warmblood mare I was riding kept spooking and stopping at the final jump, causing me to sail over it without her. After I hit the dirt the fourth time, I finally got mad enough to get her over the damn jump. It wasn't pretty, but she didn't refuse after that! lol

Thanks, Reader Sorry your lessons didn't go well. I taught lessons for many years and learned that horseback riding isn't for everybody. Sometimes it's best to enjoy them from the ground. Hopefully voluntarily. lol

Since there's so many horse people on the site, I thought it might be nice to have a place where we can share stories/memories/experiences we've had with our four-legged friends. I'd love to see pics and hear about others' equine companions. I'll start off with a question: What's the most times you've fallen off in a single lesson/day?

The only reason I got a new one was because I lost the charger to the old one. Well... I technically didn't 'lose' it... I put it in a drawer so the cats wouldn't destroy it and ended up forgetting I put it there. When I went the store to replace it, they couldn't even charge it in the store because it was so old... lol The Tracphone suits my needs just fine. I can call and text on it and buy minutes as I need them. I get teased all the time for forgetting to charge it, though. lol I'm one of the few who still has a land line, so that's usually a better bet to get a hold of me. lol

LOL I'm a dinosaur when it comes to cell phones. I was so proud when I upgraded my phone a couple of years ago to a Tracphone I can text on! LOL

Mine lives about five hours away, but we chat on the computer every day. I wish we lived closer, but it makes our visits more special and gives me an excuse to get away when I need to.

Yes, it's my gift to myself. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than spending time with my best friends.

Thanks! I'll be going to Hudson Valley for half of it and then back to my BFFs for the second half. She's planning on making me a Butterfinger cake and a surprise dinner, plus we'll go spend a day in Saratoga at a nice restaurant and will go to see "Wonder Woman".

Sounds like something my cats would do. Mine would definitely not eat it, though.

I'll be on vacation from June 9th-18th I can't wait. I'll be visiting lots of friends and celebrating my birthday.

Another story to add to the list. Hopefully I'll have time to read it before the discussion day.

I thought you did a great job with difficult words. I love how you incorporated 'laughter'. Nicely done!

I loved this! Very creative and crazy in a good way. Great job!

Yes! Please continue!

"It may not be my forte"... I beg to differ! This was a fantastic short, Puppi. Very well done.

This was great, Wayne. You know exactly what I'm going to say... more, please!

LOL Perfect name for a cat! They are little bundles of destruction. Nice job, Tim.

This was an interesting scene that conveyed a lot of information.

Nice job, Northie. Very sad, but a realistic portrayal of trying to survive in difficult times.