It has been 5 months since Ive been on a horse. Thats a long time. I haven’t had a horse to ride since i broke my hand and got taken away in an ambulance. Ive been frustrated and missing riding. Jez has another month of rest then I have to get someone to restart her (my vet is helping me with some names) shes lost most of her manners and well i feel so guilty keeping her on rest the I let her get away with all kinds of things. Come October though times will be a changing for her. In any event i’ve been sad not having a horse to ride. Enter McTavish!
McTavish is a Halflinger, McTavish is a ex Mennonite cart horse, McTavish is a love bug. I’ve been making friends with him for a while because he’s so cute you cant help but want to love all over him. My farm owner offered to let me give him a go and I took her up on it. I tacked him up and he was very patient with me even when I had to swap out saddles and readjust his bridle with my less then nimble left hand (I don’t expect to have full use of it for at least year) I led Mr Handsome Blondie out to the ring and he stood nicely for me at the mounting block then… zoom! He was very nervous having not been ridden in a while and I’m guessing being an ex cart horse when you get ready to go, he goes! So after a few rounds of the ring with him adjusting to me and my gimp hand adjusting to holding reins we both calmed down and he started to ease into what I was asking him to do. We started with bending in both directions. Interesting, he bends beautifully to the right but the left, not so much. He’s a motorcycle on that side. A friend at the barn thought maybe he was the right side of a cart team which would also explain his need to lean right when he goes in a straight line. It was some work to straighten him out and keep him straight on the straightaways.
McT has a good whoa and he backs up. I didn’t try to side pass him but since my farm owner told me after the ride I could ride him whenever I wanted to I’ll try that next time. I’m also gong to attempt a very short trail ride with him. He hasn’t been worked in a while and will need to be worked up to most things. I’m also pretty un-horse-fit so we can ease into getting back into work together. It was great fun and hes a super sweet boy. After our ride I brushed him and he got his very first peppermints, which he loved! I always have them because .. yanno racehorse Jez but McT being an ex cart horse hasn’t been exposed to things like yummy peppermints. Today I’m going to attack his tail, it needs some major de-tangling.
I was beginning to worry about my confidence having not ridden since the injury and McTavish sure gave me a boost to that. It was just what I needed. It was also pretty fun being on something so much lower to the ground then my 16 hand TB. McT is a super built Halflinger and is very drafty in look and feel but hes still a shorty and that …was fun!