Has had an awesome day at horse riding

Every week i'm getting better 'n better, being able to do more and more. This week my horse Sam was learning to go on my voice commands because he's too wide for me to use my legs... and he was listening to me first time round (which is unsual for him!). I'll be competing in the State Champs with him later this year, so I really hope they start allowing me more freedom to ride independently.

Amongst other awesome things, they've got this super duper gorgeous Arabian Mare there at the moment, which they're looking at to see if she's suitable for RDA. She to my untrained eye, looks too highly strung right now to be riden by little disabled children... although she does kinda learn to calm down by the end of a lesson. She's different from the other horses in that she always holds her head up, her ears are always back and at the moment she's too pre-occupied with all the noise from the council machinery next door, and looks like she's about to run a million miles an hour or spoook at things.

This is a picture of an Arabian that looks very similar to her:

http://arabianhorsehome.com/RichterMH.gif

Glad you had a good day

I don't think I would ever put a disabled child on an Arab. Awful to judge on stereotypes I know but I've never met an Arab who hasn't been the stereotypically very fiesty hot blooded horse. My mare was Anglo-Arab however and she was near enough bombproof with scary stuff. Still a speed demon and a complete stresshead though ^.^

I'm with crimson too. My step mums old stallion was an Arabian and it randomly threw her off into a barbed wire fence and then fell on top of her. She was stupid to get a stallion, but I would never trust an Arabian either.

Stuff that, I don't trust this Arabian either. TB's are hotbloods, and we have those at RDA regularly as well... and they do fine though. I definitely don't think this Arab they're looking at is suitable though. S'pose I probably shouldn't judge a breed by their stereotype, but this one we have now definitely fits it.

I haven't yet met an Arabian who doesn't fit the breed stereotype but I guess that it doesn't help that Australia is so screwed with horse breeding.

I too am glad you had a nice time :-) Horses are amazing animals. <3

This week I had my first session of equine therapy after a ton of complications with brain lesions and seizures. It is very exciting but oddly calming as well to be with horses. :-D

I had been very worried about falling but they calmed my worries and the walkers were very attentive as was the spotter and everything.

"My" horse (Not mine, but they will be trying to ensure she is always available for my sessions) was very calm and seemed to understand a great deal, and moved fluidly so that I did not have an insane amount of trouble either, although the walkers had to help me fairly often.

And after the session, it was my "chore" to brush her, which was very nice for us both. She kept nuzzling me and kind of head-butting a bit, but it was so gentle as though she knew she needed to be careful as I was very unevenly upright without my apparatus. She also spent a while kind of "lipping" my hand when I was trying to brush her chest and shoulders. :-D

I described her as well as possible to a couple of friends who linked me to photographs of several breeds and my sister and I think she must be a Clydesdale hybrid. (Her body looks very Clydesdale-like, however her color is completely different.)

That's great stretches... i'm really glad you had so much fun! They are great, calming creatures. We watched a sidesaddle demo the other day, and it's not something the horses are used to.... but when the rider felt like she was going off balance (according to the horse) the horse immediately stopped. They're super intelligent, awesome, loving creatures. I'm glad you get to experience Equine Therapy too