I Cantered Pete for the first time

[VAHorseGurl]

I realize I've had Pete now for nearly a year this July, but you know, I've never been brave enough to canter him.

I lost my 14yro female Pit the other day and I've been lost every since, so I went out and got on Pete and just let him do what he wanted to do, which was run. I realize that might not have been the best way to go about it, but we've been doing it ever since.

And I managed to get a bit of video the other day too.

Please, I am not looking for a critique, this is NOT pretty. I'm a big busted woman who's wearing 3 bras (2 sports). He does pick up his leads, a friend noticed that while he's not pulling on my hands, he's leaning a bit into them.

And we managed to jump a ditch dug into the arena to drain out the water that had settled there.

Just wanted to share..

http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e165/KBMastiffs/Horses/?action=view&current=MOV02547.flv

http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e165/KBMastiffs/Horses/?action=view&current=MOV02548.flv

They are also out on my Facebook, search for Kerri Baker and you'll see me.. ;)

[RedTahoe]

Congrats on cantering Pete. Sorry to hear about your Pit :(

[slpeders]

Congrats on the big achievement -- sorry it came on the heels of such a loss.

I'm still waiting for my nerves to settle before cantering my new girl - 7 months now.
It's nice to hear that I'm not alone.

[VAHorseGurl]

I have a correction, I stated that Pete picked up his 'correct' leads everytime. Well, it's been pointed out that it wasn't so in this video, so I appearantly didn't watch this video closely enough before I said that. :(

slpeders, no dear, you aren't alone. I've been battling my confidence or lack their of for nearly a year now. Don't fret, you'll find it or it will find you.

I can only say I hope it doesn't find you the way mine found me. :(

[Laurierace]

I was wondering about the leads thing but felt it wasn't important enough to overshadow your accomplishment. You have to start somewhere.

[sublimequine]

The only 'critique' I have is I think your rear cinch is a bit loose. :D

Cute horse, I wanna pinch his little cheeks. :yes:

[tikihorse2]

Congrats!! I know how cantering can be scary. :yes:

And I agree, your horse is cute. :)

Kim

[Simbalism]

Awesome job Kerri! Pete looks good.

[imjustjoking22]

Congratulations on overcoming your fear, that is not easy! You look great up there, and your horse looks happy as well :)
Sorry to hear about the loss of your pup. That is so hard :(

[Hazelnut]

Nice job...sometimes overcoming fear is not picture perfect to the outside eye, but it feels picture perfect inside and that's all that matters! You and Pete are looking good and what a nice backdrop. Now you have more to work on! YAY!:cool:

[Tazzie]

Aww, he looks very happy in his videos! And he's very cute! Congrats on cantering, I'm sure it felt good, and I'm very sorry for your loss.

[VAHorseGurl]

First off, THANK YOU guys for the support. I hadn't realized how hard finding my nerve would be. But now that I've found it, Pete doesn't seem to scare me as badly, even with his frequent temper tantrums. ;)

Sublime, I get that from time to time and I also get that my back cinch is too tight. So, I'm not sure where my happy medium should be or if I've indeed found that medium. *shrugs*

Thanks everyone. It does feel soooooooooo good! :D

The only 'critique' I have is I think your rear cinch is a bit loose. :D

Cute horse, I wanna pinch his little cheeks. :yes:

[sublimequine]

First off, THANK YOU guys for the support. I hadn't realized how hard finding my nerve would be. But now that I've found it, Pete doesn't seem to scare me as badly, even with his frequent temper tantrums. ;)

Sublime, I get that from time to time and I also get that my back cinch is too tight. So, I'm not sure where my happy medium should be or if I've indeed found that medium. *shrugs*

Thanks everyone. It does feel soooooooooo good! :D

Haha, yeah, the rear cinch is always kinda a "hot debate" on its tightness, it seems. Just my opinion on it, I prefer it pretty close up to the horse's belly but not actually TIGHT against them.

Either way, you both looked quite nice for the first canter. :)

[jnel]

Congrats on cantering! I've been in your shoes. I found out that once I did overcome something I needed to do it again on a regular basis or the nerves would come back. On cantering outside the ring I picked a nice trail with a slight hill once we got to the top my guy was more than happy to stop. So no worries about him being too strong or running off. After that I would canter for short distances at a nice steady pace and if he started to speed up then we would transition down to a trot or walk. Taking things slowly incremently worked out well and helped me battle all the "what if's" that try stop me from doing stuff like cantering on the trail and let me just have fun.:yes:

[VAHorseGurl]

Hi Jnel,

We are close to each other, you ever want to grab lunch in Warrenton, I'm almost always in town job hunting via the net. ;)

And yes, I realized it the very next day, that if I didn't do it again, I was likely to loose this new found confidence and Pete and I struck out across the pasture. We had a blast, and we've cantered ever since.

I am doing a bit of it every time I ride, but we are also working on being quiet on the trails and hardening up his hooves (going barefoot hopefully) and so Cantering isn't as big a deal right now.

But he does love to run up hill. LOL

Congrats on cantering! I've been in your shoes. I found out that once I did overcome something I needed to do it again on a regular basis or the nerves would come back. On cantering outside the ring I picked a nice trail with a slight hill once we got to the top my guy was more than happy to stop. So no worries about him being too strong or running off. After that I would canter for short distances at a nice steady pace and if he started to speed up then we would transition down to a trot or walk. Taking things slowly incremently worked out well and helped me battle all the "what if's" that try stop me from doing stuff like cantering on the trail and let me just have fun.:yes:

[wateryglen]

Congratulations! Good for you! Good for Pete! Ya know some horses are just BETTER when they are ridden a lot. I have one that is that way. And once you 2 click! It's on to bigger & better things.
And a canter (or a steep hill!) can really take the edge off them. Kinda takes the devil outa them!! Then you can relax more.
Best wishes!
How did that mare work out for you btw.?

[slpeders]

Thanks. I've been dogless for a year now :( so I would have to lose the cat or a family member and am not too keen on either.
I completely agree/understand about the 'repetition helps' thing. I've been trying to get out and GET ON frequently and had some nice trot last night without a panic attack by either of us! :)

[jazzrider]

Good for you Kerri! It looks like you were both having fun. My first thought when I looked at the video was why is the ring so dry? Aren't you drowing out there like we are? Jealous, I am. Our rides keep getting rained out...:no: ;)

So, so sorry to hear about your pup. How lucky you were to have 14 years together...