Mounted search and rescue

[G Griffin <ggriffin924@gmail.com>]

We also have dealt with the aggressive horse, while mounted.  And playing polo cross with my mare has helped me the human get better at staying safe while mounted around loose or aggressive horses.   I always have my get down string looped on my belt when I ride or even just walk around the barn or pastures.  It comes in handy because my horses I ride are not afraid of the sound it makes when I twirl it very fast over my head like a helicopter.  And if I have my horse stand its ground, and make the offending horse move its feet first with the sound of my string its a low impact way of defusing the situation... Keeping things low energy and out of kicking range are my goals when protecting our space.  Horses play at pasture politics, and I try to make sure I'm out of getting between any of that.  With my two mare we are almost always put out with the other mares and they really can be rough with each other.  I think its helpful to practice when leading your horse out of the pasture, pushing other horses out of your way with the least amount of movement you can manage.   I have to really try and think like a horse as we move through the groups of horses.  They have such small and subtle cues,,, and when those get ignored or not dealt with they quickly become quite dramatic and drastic physical confrontations.  So when I notice it, I make a point to have the offending horse, who is penning ears or moving to block us,,, move their feet first away from us,, and focus very hard on how to accomplish it with a minimum of movement on our part.   What I've noticed with my mare is when I'm with her or on the ground even, she becomes much more confident, and just kind of knows that between the two of us, the other horses are going to yield.  Its very nice to have worked all that out, so I can hop up on my horses back while in the pasture, and we won't have an aggressive horse who thinks they can push us, or worse.  Since I don't own the other horses in the pasture, I don't grab them or try and work them.  We are simply interested in using  pressure and they move away, and the least amount of that is our goal.  After all, who wants a hoof in the leg or to the body.

-Griffin-

Owner of Starsha and Bella the mule