Hooch is home. We sent him out to get started. Hooch is my buckskin 3 year old gelding. We found a guy that does a good job, the way we like. He had a half brother to this colt (out of Saddle Up Te) and some other horses from Longmuir's where we bought Hooch. He likes their horses too, good minded, easy to start, strong, sound, ranch-sensible using horses.
My cowboy will ride him a couple of years before I get him. We changed it up from when we were younger and I always rode the young ones. If he got hurt we didn't eat so I use to volunteer to put the first couple of years on them. Now we still won't eat, but food doesn't have the same appeal as it did, ha, ha. Mostly it was because there were three little mouths to feed besides my own in those days.
Back then I had one of those Balance Ride Saddles, not the ones made by Fallis (that you can still buy by the way, see fallisbalancedsaddles.com) but almost the same. Never in all the bucking colts did I ever come out of it. I felt invincible.
Once I was riding a colt that spooked at something and I hit the ground but I was still in the saddle, the horse had slipped on the wet grass and fallen with me. I flipped my leg over just before he stood up and my other foot hung up but it came out before he ran off. It was one of those near death experiences.
Another time I was just getting on and the colt started to buck before I got my leg over, so I don't think that counts as a bucked-out-of-that-saddle time.
In a Balance Ride, the stirrups are hung more forward like a bronc saddle and it just sits you back down in it when the horse pops you up. Plus the cinching is different, spreading the wraps out, making it more close contact and you can really feel your horse better because of it. You can feel him tense up before he blows or jumps away. And sooo comfortable, more like sitting in a chair because the stirrups were father forward. A little harder to post a trot though. Too bad I sold it years ago.
You know, I think I just talked myself into heading to Fallis' website. I probably can't afford it but I can always dream.
3 comments:
I've ridden a friend's Balanced Ride years ago, it was a Pat Wyse saddle, much like the Fallis brand ones. Nice ride, if I do recall. Do we get to see photos of Hooch? And give your soldier son a big hug and thank you from me.
I took clinics from Pat Wyse when I was around 16. He used to come up to Alberta from Montana. His horses could dance ( change leads every stride, change in the front and not the back on every stride, it was pretty impressive. Haven't seen any better in the last 40 years) First rode in a Balance ride then.
Hooch takes bad pictures, or maybe it's just me. Have the same problem with dog photos but it's a miracle if anyone can ever get a shot of a collie that isn't moving, eh?.
Wow Hooch sure looks different from when you took him up there, ill have to get those pics i took from my phone.
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