Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Go Slow Then Fast

“It’s hard for those ‘peanut rollers’ to understand they’re being asked to run.”

Actually, a number of horses ridden only in show pleasure classes haven’t ever run with a rider aboard.

Of course, all know how to run in the pasture. Yet, sadly certain horses are so intimated they don’t seem to remember how to run when being ridden.

For clarification, ‘peanut roller,’ again unfortunately, is now a fairly common term in horseshow circles. It describes a horse being ridden at a very slow gait carrying the head unnaturally low.

At a glance to a lay onlooker, it actually could appear that the nose is pushing something on the ground.

Horses being trained, ridden and shown in this manner have become a highly controversial issue. It has even been considered inhumane to make a horse ride in such an artificial form.

Rulebooks and judges training have for years prohibited officials from placing entries ridden in this manner. That’s not stopped the “problem” as horses are still being shown that way.

Maggie’s is not a ‘peanut roller’ by any means. However, it’s always been a continuous effort to keep her riding slow with level neck and pleasant natural head carriage.

 Sometimes she works nearly as desired and other times not. Maggie can easily get excited picking up her head and going faster, but not running.

Such speedup gets a reprimand, which generally hurts her feelings, even if not slowing down to desired rate.

Cody is the running horse which when ridden correctly can be successful in barrel races and patterned speed events.  However, a bit of pilot error and the rider could fall off.

With that concern, Maggie has been asked to compete in running events, too. She’s expected to go slow in some classes and then run in others.

Good horses should be able to do it all, but there really aren’t very many that do anymore.

Poor Maggie just didn’t understand she was really supposed to run when first asked to do so. But as the old saying goes, “it’s easier to speed them up than slow them down.”

So far, Maggie’s still riding fairly calm in pleasure competition, then speeding up in races.

Reminded of Ephesians 4:1: “Get out there and go slow, better yet, run on the road God called you to travel.”

+++ALLELUIA+++

XII–23–6-3-18

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