Wow...it's already August. Where has this year gone. Gary & Cindy headed to the stables around 8:30 in the morning. The horses had been fed earlier today so LBR had finished his breakfast by the time they arrived. There was one other boarder at the stables when they arrived. Gary brought LBR up from his paddock while Cindy set out the grooming supplies and tack. As they were tacking up, several other riders arrived at the stables. Cindy rode with the other boarder in the sand arena. She was riding a greenie and she and Cindy did a great job of not interferring or distracting each other's OTTB:-). Cindy did flat work at the walk and trot with focus on flexing and transitions. She followed the flat work with several course and LBR was GREAT. She trotted him into the jumps and let him canter away. He got the correct lead every time today!
Later, additional riders came into the arena and things got more hectic. Cindy wants to post the following at the stables. What do you think?
ARENA RULES AND RIDING ETIQUETTE
1. Always give yourself plenty of space, at least two horse lengths behind the rider in front of you.
2. Horses should always be reversed to the inside (away from the rail), with a quick look over your inside shoulder to make sure the way is clear.
3. When passing another horse in the same direction, always pass to the inside. You may say “passing”. Come away from the rail and pass the horse reasonably quickly, return to the rail only after giving yourself a two horse length in front of the horse you’ve just passed. You should in no way interfere with the horse on the rail.
4. When passing a horse going in the opposite direction you should always be left shoulder to left shoulder. This means you will be going past on the right.
5. Always be aware of your surroundings and the other riders around you.
6. Be considerate and patient of other riders and horses.
7. Do not walk into the arena on foot while others are riding until you have been seen/acknowledged by all riders in the arena.
8. No dogs are allowed in the arena…ever.
9. When entering the arena on your horse, do not impede others who are already riding in the arena.
10. Do not interrupt the instructor giving lessons for anything other than emergencies.
Okay...enough venting by Cindy!
The ride ended well considering that several of those rules were broken. Gary & Cindy detacked, rinsed and groomed LBR before letting him enjoy an extended grazing session. They returned him to his paddock and gave him treats.
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