I'm looking for something to do. That being the case I will start my close calls post.
Ok, I mentioned the one of being backwards on Santana.
And the one of getting on him bareback.
So I'll go over all the ones I can remember with Santana.
Ok, so when I first started riding him he hadn't been ridden for at least three years and was kinda a disaster waiting to happen. Terry said he was mellower than what he was... I can't remember the reasons, but every once in a while he would go into a bucking fit. The most prominent memory I have of one of his bucking fits is of him wanting to go back into the paddock from the pasture, and I wanted him to be calm in the pasture. So, I turned him away. This turned him to exploding into bucking. I was a better rider by then and I was able to stay on, but he bucked like five times.
I'll try to give you an idea how bad Santana really was. He bucked often enought that I would judge how much better I was at riding by how many of his bucks I could stay on.
Do you know about the story of why Aleythia doesn't ride Santana?
I was riding our little black pony Blacky and Aleythia was riding Santana. Well we kinda got into a race and a few strides out Santana bucks... and Aleythia falls off. She gets back on and a little bit later he bucks again. She falls off. She gets back on and after a little bit Santana bucks again, and Aleythia falls off. After that she didn't get back on. The only reason being was because her arm was hurting a little bit. Terry's granddaughter was there, so she got on and when he bucked he got it good. He quit bucking after that. And that's when Aleythia stopped riding Santana. It's not that she's afraid to ride him, she just doesn't. Terry thought that it was because he was just a one person horse. There has been times when I think that might have been true even though it's not anymore.
When I broke my leg (not from horses), I wasn't able to ride for at least six weeks. I was consoled a little with all the horse magazines Terry gave me, but I still was itching to ride. When I no longer had to wear my brace I asked the doctor about riding and he said that if it was a safe enough horse I could ride. My first thought was Flicka because she wouldn't do anything but walk anyway. When I got to the horses and told Terry I could ride he wanted me to ride Santana instead of Flicka because Terry felt that he would be safer. His reason being that while I was indisposed he had a few girls who wanted to ride (relatives I think). So he got out Blacky and Santana. Black went fine. Santana? They couldn't get him to move. Like seriously Terry tried he just wouldn't go. He was the first horse I got on after six weeks of being unable to ride. He was perfect. I guess I felt like he knew that I just wanted an easy ride and he gave me one.
Now done with this touch feely stuff let's go back to the guts and glory.
Once again I was riding Santana bareback and I wanted him to be able to carry two people. So, to help him get used to it I slid back a little ways on his back and asked him to walk. He went out fine five steps later I was on the ground.
Another time I was also riding bareback and I think I wanted him to canter. That didn't go over to well. He bucked and I landed with my head under his stomach. I got up really quick and he reared. Somehow I had kept ahold of his short little barrel reins and when he reared it jerked on his mouth so I let go of the reins, and then he was fine.
I was riding Santana in the alfalfa field with Aleythia who was on Flicka. We were nearing the end of the alfalfa field and I just let Santana go. He started bucking. I didn't have a very good seat to begin with so that didn't help my situation. The first thing that happened was I lost my left stirrup. After that I knew it was a lost cause to try and stay on, so I let go of the reins and dove head first to the right. I hit the ground and Santana was already gone. He was running toward the barn with his head high and his tail flagging. I just sat there and watched him run. Got up and walked back to the barn. He had stopped by the trailer and I got back on and rode around for a little bit. But the idea of getting on again scared me just a little bit.
Then at fair time this year I fell of twice. One I have a video of and you can probably remember it. I was doing jumping figure eight and at the end of our run I decided to late which way I wanted to go so he picked a direction and then I picked. It looked like I fell off on purpose. The other time we were trying to figure out the order for 4-in a line, and Black was in the front. She took off and the other horses followed. We came within sight and hearing of the fair rides and it's like he stepped right out from under me. Santana ran and would probably have gone back to the trailer if he hadn't have been caught. That is why it's nice to do everything with your horse starting and ending at the trailer. The horse will just run to the trailer when he's escaped because he sees it as a good place and a familiar place.
Not too long ago I cantered him with no stirrups and when he turned I just fell off. I am trying to improve my riding with him so stuff like that doesn't happen. Bareback riding here I come.
You may think I'm crazy, but I still love to ride that stupid horse. I think it helped that every time I fell of I always got back on. People always tell you that you have to get back on after you fall of because other wise the horse thinks he won. That's not the reason I get back on. I get back on for my sake. If I had never gotten back on Santana every time he threw me off riding him would scare the livin daylights outa me.
Ok, I have many more of these sort of stories to tell, but this post is getting too long. I can't think of anymore from Santana (there are probably quite a few more), but I've got ones from Blacky, Misstack, Ana, and even Flicka that I do remember.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
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