Trail Riding: Lorettas Progress

Twenty people from the Cowboy Ministry showed up to go ride the Largo last Saturday. I rode Loretta. She has never been around other horses. She's never been anywhere except for a few short rides around the Largo. She was pretty good until we started going and she realized she was in a herd leaving home. I had to keep her circling everytime she started being silly (prancing, bucking, bolting) but before a mile she had slowed down and started following along well enough. As soon as we turned into the Largo bottom itself, she tried bolting, but she turns her head so it never lasts for long. The cowboys went galloping by, she wanted to run, but I just kept her walking. We rode over the hill behind the house. I had to get off to hold the fence and she didn't want to let me get back on after the other horses had gone on. Aftera short break we climbed the trail to Superior Mesa. She knew the track and did very well other than a few dancing/prancing sessions that resulted in having to turn more circles. Pretty soon she was tired and suddenly became the slowest horse in the pack. We trailed along on a loose rein. I didn't want to pick on her for being slow after I had spent all morning getting after her for being too fast.



At the cell tower, she got recharged and wanted to lead the pack. A few of the hotrods sped to the front and I wouldn't let her gallop, so she settled into being right behind Chester. She quit thinking and just followed his tail. I made her get on the other side of the road. She fought me for maybe 10 minutes and then accepted the fact that the other side was the only choice.

At the top of the trail by the Pueblito some of the riders elected to follow the mesa on around and go down the road, some of us went back down the trail. It is very steep. Four riders got off and walked down the trail. I rode Loretta down the trail. She kept trying to get behind the horse infront of us, but then she couldn't see where her feet were going next, so I kept having to hold her back. At the bottom, I made her wait for the riders on foot.

She learned alot on that ride. She was still sweet tempered when we got home and sweet the next day (I expected her to be cranky).

I need to get the nerve up to let her gallop in the Largo. She needs to learn the shoulder in (though I had her doing it quite a bit along the trail). She needs to speed up her stops. Still she is not at all the same as when I started riding her. Vast improvements have been made.