Starting Rajmani under the Saddle

Rajmani had an exciting weekend. My friend came to visit and I used the opportunity to ask her to give me a hand in his training. There are a few things which are best done when you have a helper. Sitting on a young horse for the first time is one of them.

Now, I sat on Rajmani a couple of times already, on my own without anyone helping me. But only while he stood still. I did not have someone who could lead him with me sitting on his back, another important step on the way to train your riding horse. This was an opportunity I was not going to miss.

She was due to arrive in the late morning so I left the horses inside after they got their morning feed and Luzern grass until she came and then we went straight to the horses. I put the rope halter on Rajmani and the Merothic leather bit which is fastened with a little leather chin piece and does not require a bridle or headstall. Rajmani likes to have something in his mouth when he gets excited, so it is like a pacifier for small children. I don’t use it too often, but this was one of the days, I found it useful.

We put him next to a wall which I use as a mounting aid, my friend holding him and I slipped on his back. Rajmani was really good and stood still for a few minutes until my friend started leading him around. He followed her around, calm and composed until we went back to the stable after around five minutes and I dismounted, giving him lots of praise. He was then released together with the rest to enjoy their day in the fields.

The following morning, we decided to go one step further, as he had been really good so far and take him out for a little ride. My friend mounted on Sultana, one of his good friends and took Rajmani on the lead rope, just like I had done lots of times during the last two months. The only difference was, I mounted on his back. This time I put a saddle on him as he is not really very comfortable to ride bareback. I bridled him with a natural hackamore which is basically a rope halter with reins and a mecate, a long lead rope. My friend took the lead rope and I had the reins. I mounted him on the mounting aid while my friend held him for me. Then she mounted on Sultana and off we went for a short ride.

We rode for around 3 km and Rajmani was really good. He calmly followed Sultana like he had done so many times before now. I -bit by bit- started to use my legs, voice and reins to direct him, using the lead rope just as a safety net. Throughout the ride, Rajmani was calm and just followed Sultana without much care that there was now a passenger on his back. We passed a few people on motorbikes which did not worry him too much. At times he would look here or there and slow down or turn into that direction, just as young horses quite often do. We rode for about half an hour before returning back to the farm. We took off the saddle and showered the horses before leaving them free. Rajmani trotted off to have a roll in the sand. When he was on the ground, he just relaxed and lay there for a couple of minutes before rolling and getting back up. I suppose it had been quite tough for him. Never underestimate the mental work a young horse has to do when you introduce something new to him. And of course, balancing a rider on his back for the first time is also physically tiring. But he did well and I felt really proud of him. 

He got Monday off, so he could relax a bit and think about this new experience. Tuesday morning my riding student came and I decided to try out, if we could repeat this exercise without the lead rope. I saddled him again and put the natural hackamore on him. My student rode Soma, another calm and easy mare who gets along well with Rajmani. I put him next to my mounting aid and mounted, this time without anyone holding him, like I had done before. my riding student was already mounted and waited for me. This time, Rajmani and me were on our own, there was no lead rope, no safety net. Soma went ahead and I clicked my tongue and pressed my legs to tell Rajmani to follow her. He quietly followed Soma, wondering perhaps where the lead rope was gone. With Soma ahead, he followed her easily and I relaxed after a couple of minutes.

We rode over the dam and suddenly Soma stopped to release a couple of droppings. Rajmani found the pile of poo in front of his nose extremely interesting. After all, he had been gelded only a few months ago and was still definitely attracted by mares. He stopped and dropped his head to take a sniff. Soma continued and Rajmani was too engrossed in the pile of fresh droppings to follow her. I urged him on with voice and legs, but he totally ignored me. I used the end of my lead rope to brush against his backside. Abruptly woken from his fantasy, he reared up just slightly, just kind of lifted his forefeet from the ground. Then he realised that Soma was ahead, so he started walking to catch up with her. I urged him on and he settled back into his place behind Soma. The rest of the ride was then uneventful. We passed three motorcycles, one which was loaded with fresh lucern grass which caused him to pause and turn his nose in the direction. The motorcycle passed and we continued. We did a round, returning back to the farm after riding about 3 km, only walk. Again, I was happy, that he had conducted himself so well. We took off the saddle, gave the horses a quick wash and gave them the second breakfast. I would say, Rajmani is well on his way now. Still lots to learn, but the foundation is growing.