Speed Control

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by Chase Endurance | November 17, 2015

It wasn’t necessarily my best idea, but it seemed like a good training endeavour (for myself) to let my OTTB (OT) run as fast as he wanted through the single track trail at Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge, B.C. My initial thought was that I should get used to not having steering or speed control while riding.

On the Adventurists website the author describes the Mongolian riding style as much different than the North American style of complete control. In fact, Mongolians “leave the horse a great amount of freedom in a given situation whilst they perform other tasks. They do not expect to completely control the horse but trust it to do its job and find the best way through. Therefore, if a western rider gets on a Mongolian horse and expects absolute control the Mongolian horses essentially rebel.”
I’ve also watched quite a few videos online about prior race competitors and their first rides on the Mongolian horses. I can only assume that the horses were rebelling from western control by trying to behead their riders by running under the tether ropes at break neck speed. Surely, if the new riders simply trusted their horses, they would have found a better way across the wide open steppe.

Luckily the trail I was training on has a significant elevation gain, which kept OT’s speed to a minimum, which further reduced any other possible risks of harm. It was exhilarating to say the least – dodging branches, suffering knee bruises, scratching my new helmet, getting leaves ground into my sunglasses and destroying stirrups...

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