He Said It Was A Non Fiction Horse Story

We followed our favorite storyteller into the clubhouse

. This was an old broken-down building with a table and chairs that had been new in the last millennium. The room was about forty by forty feet in size. We gathered and sat on the old chairs and a few of us on wooden boxes. He sat down and began to tell us another interesting Non Fiction Horse Story.

Whenever things were quiet, usually on weekdays in the autumn, he'd start reminiscing about his younger days. He told about some of his favorite horses he'd owned over the years. One of those was called Patch, a quarter-horse type paint.

He was twelve and his parents bought Patch as a green-broke two year old gelding. George was going to train him to ride. At first he worked him on the longe line daily. This was a long leather rope or webbed line with a snap that attached to a ring on the halter. Patch was accustomed to the halter when he came to live with George.

The trainer holds the rope and has the horse walk in a circle around him. It is a time for the horse and owner to get used to each other. The rope gives the horse a distance of about twenty feet between him and the owner. The longe (rhymes with grunge) line is a training tool.

George loved working with Patch every afternoon as they grew to know each other. It is important to establish trust before trying to ride a horse for the first time. After a while, George began to lay the blanket on Patch and then walk him around. He was getting him used to weight on his back.

Then it was time to introduce him to the bit. From then on George worked him on the longe line and then walked him around leading him by the reins. The reins attach to the bridle and are used to signal the horse when to start, stop and turn. Shifting the weight in the saddle is another way to signal the turns.

When Patch seemed ready, George began to introduce the saddle. First he would saddle him and then walk him around with it securely on his back. You always approach a horse on the left side and mount from the left side. The day came when he was ready to try mounting Patch. He took him in the ring, a fenced area for riding lessons and training sessions.

His family and friends stood around outside the fence, quietly watching. This was a crucial day in the training of Patch. He saddled up and walked the horse around the ring a few times. He spoke to him in a gentle voice. He then put the reins over his neck and lifted his boot to the stirrup. Patch turned his head around as if to say, "What are you doing?"

George lifted his weight up to get in the saddle. That made Patch even more curious. He turned to look at what this new phenomenon was. When he turned, he kept right on turning as if he were a puppy chasing its tail. The spectators laughed out loud and it seemed to startle him. He quickly bolted and threw George into the dust on the ground. Then he walked over to the fence and waited for George.

Laughter broke out in the clubhouse as we tried to imagine George, this excellent horseman, sitting in the dust. He smiled at us and said nobody started out as an expert, not even him. We all chatted as we left the clubhouse. Our non fiction horse story was over for the day.

by: Ted Bowler

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