Columbia River Beach
We had a really cool horse ride earlier this week. We went out to Fort Stevens Parking Lot A and rather than riding south to the Peter Iredale we rode north to the Jetty. There we rode some paths that took us to Parking Lot C and then to the North side of the Jetty and then to the beach that runs along the Columbia River to Retirement Beach.
Horse riding at the beach is always a crap shoot. Horses will take one day like it’s nothing special, and then next day like sharks are going to jump out of the water at them. Some days they will walk over beach logs and other days they will regard the logs as though they were tigers. The ride out was great, but on the ride back my gelding finally figured that one mare was in heat and the other mare was coming into heat. It was at that point that he reconnected with his former studliness and he started to prance and strut. He was showing off for the girls and I could barely get his attention. I don’t like yarding on a horse’s mouth because they can quickly learn to go against the bit, but I fortunately had a lead rope attached to a rope halter under his bridle. That got his attention…somewhat.
It isn’t a pleasant trip back down the beach when you constantly have to pay attention and correct bad behavior. I was nearly at the point of getting off and walking the rest of the way. It is amazing how brain chemistry works long after a horse has been gelded. It’s not easy to stem sexual attitude in nature, and I plan not riding with a horse in heat again.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
4 Comments:
We've seen both Blue and the other gelding here actually mount the resident mare when she's in heat.
My first horse was a mare, and she was always on her worst behavior when she was in heat.
All I can say is what I've said before... if you are trying to deal with something with a head bigger than yours, you are just asking for trouble....
Is this why castration has not been proven to be an effective “treatment” for sexual offenders?
As for not riding a horse in heat – sounds like a wise decision – but what do I know about horses?? (Not much.)
I used to ride a friends horses at the beach. They lived within a few miles so we didn't have to trailer them. It was always a big joke to give a newbie this cute little gelding to ride down to the beach their first time. He was a great trail horse, well behaved, not afraid of cars, smooth gait, but he LOVED the water.
As soon as you'd go over the last rise and started down onto the beach there was no holding him back no matter what the weather. Straight into the waves at least belly deep. Prancing and splashing, actually dunking his head all the way in. Unless you bailed off in the dry sand you got completely drenched.
He was fun to watch because he was having so much fun. Even after his first bout of fun if you were riding the beach he'd still turn suddenly and be sploshing along knee deep.
ColumbiaCritter
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