Take the Wheel . . .

Driving to the barn yesterday my stomach is heavy with dread. I am not looking forward to riding my horse. We had a very near blow up the other night that was getting bigger in my head every time I thought about it.

What would I tell a friend, committed to working out a relationship with a horse? I'd ask if they were taking the time to get the horse's mind right before they rode? In my case, check. How about your own state of mind? Deep breathe, relax, stretch, stay where your hands are. Okay, check. Now what?

When you are successful, what are you doing? We are in the arena working dressage figures. We are taking lessons, we are at a horse show. Royal succeeds in spades in all these areas.

I am a very firm believer real estate has nothing to do with how a horse behaves, pretty darned sure it all starts, middles and ends in the heart of the person riding. 

Being that the case, what do I do differently on the trail? About a 100 different things.

I tack up. My pony is friendly, gentle. He stands solidly. The nervous swishing about of a couple years ago is long gone. He likes me and has for a long time. The eye that once would look anywhere but at me gazes at me kindly. How to not mess this up? 

I step up from the ground, grinning at my new flexibility. You can say what you want about my Thrive thing but it's given me a new lease on life and that is that.

Royal stands square, waiting while I fiddle with setting the mecate in my belt and out the drive we go.

His araby head comes up, ear starts pointing around and he wants to poke, look at every little thing, maybe spook at the ghost in the lower barn that only he can see. I am thinking this is going to be a long short ride and I am hard wondering if I am the right person for this great horse.

Suddenly I am aware of the difference. I am allowing all this crap. I would never put up with it in a lesson that was costing me money. I remember Jose chastising me for letting a horse go all looky loo in the arena. "What, Terri, are you going to do while jumping a course? Stop and let him look around? 'E must do 'ee's job!!"

I gather up my reins, a little more contact to support him but not a death grip that kills communication. I direct the pointy ear to go forward and I look that way too. I put my leg on him to remind him those feet need to move at a good working walk.

He comes back to me, there are questions. I say go forward pony and mind your business.

We pick up a trot on the shoulder beside the road. I have Axel with me and FYI, we have received firm notice the McTyre's do NOT want dogs on the Ponca trails, so bear in mind. We are going to do a short road ride, the entire point is confidence building and a decision to be made by me.

I keep him pointed forward, ride him exactly like I would in a clinic, a lesson. I catch distraction as it's a thought and give him something else to do without making a federal case out of it. A few steps of shoulder in, increase speed posting in time with his movement, slow by sitting. He responds gorgeously just like he does in the arena. Of course.

Quick side rant. Posting. It took me years to understand the value of learning. Rise and fall with the shoulder on the wall. A SUPER PET PEEVE: watching people bounce up and down with no freaking idea or awareness of what the horse is doing under them! Not the people who are in the learning stages, the ones who think they know what they are doing, and some of you are calling yourselves trainers. 

Here's a tip. Posting can enhance your horse's movement and when you are doing it incorrectly, you not only impede the movement you throw the horse off balance, cause them to be nervous, unhappy and a raft of different evils. In my own defense, the years I didn't understand the value of posting I didn't do it at all . . . better that than some of the crap I've been watching. 

If you want to be a horse trainer, I am all over it. We need GOOD trainers in the world. Get your education. Learn from people who know more than you do. I am in this game over 40 years, retired from it and learning now more than ever. There are ALWAYS people who know more about different things than you do.

Okay, back to our ride, and posting away on my not skittery pony boy. That ear tilts, I check with the other rein. I want inside ear to come back to me, outside ear pointing forwards. Peter taught me that. The feet are right when the brain is right and the ears tell the story.

All that happens. His topline lets down. Sighs. Oh wait, culvert? Horse eating troll hole? I say, nope, I've heard that story, not going for it.

We have a fantastic ride. Later on that day, we have another one. This one is with three other riders. He wants some silliness a couple of times and gets sharply directed to stay between my hands and legs. No violating space which is anywhere outside our bubble. I get big enough it makes an impression without overwhelming him and getting lost in reaction. 

It's give and take, balance and direction. Peter has also taught me you do not correct a horse you direct him. I had no idea what that meant when I heard it the first 100 times or so. Human beings are all about correction. We are usually late to the party so all we can do is react with punishment because we do not know what else to do. 

Direction requires being there early, knowing what is going to happen before what happens happens and instead of being a passenger on your horse, in your life, you take the action and set the course for where you'd rather be.

Yep, there's the philosophical part. If you wait long enough, it will always show up. Are you a passenger or do you take the wheel and drive?   

We returned from our second ride of the day just glowing. Royal was easy, content. He had a leader that took care of him, didn't get him in trouble, didn't put the blame on him who is innocent in the whole deal. 

I can't tell you how many times in my life I have run up against the big things, the ones that cause you to reach deeper than you ever have, to give what you never have in order to get what you never got. There are times I duck the lesson, feeling it's too big for the day. The Universe is kinda patient with things like that if you define patience as you will keep seeing those lessons until you get it right. For me, the stakes get higher, cost of avoidance rises. 

Discipline, mindset, action. Decide you are successful. If you were a millionaire, self made, how would you act? A St. Prix rider, how do you treat your horse? When you don't know what to do, learn from someone who does. That is life as I know it.

There's a feeling you will get when you are flowing with the Universe (some of you call this God). It's like no other. Take action, put one foot in front of the other, trust in your guidance and there's not a thing in the world that is too big to get to the other side. I'll keep riding Royal and see where the ride takes us. We are not done, by a long shot.

Until next time.

Life Without Horses

During my recovery, it had occurred to me to wonder if I were approaching a stage of life that didn't have horses in it. A worthy question and one I've asked myself the few times I have hit the ground hard enough to either break something or damage myself into months of downtime and healing. I think only a sane person would wonder if continuing to put themselves in position for such things to happen is a good idea.

Then, there is the money. Non-horse people have zero idea how much money we plug into our sport, our hobby. I am currently in the process of closing a deal on an F250 I absolutely would not require in a life that didn't have horses in it. My trailer shopping budget is between 14 and 18k. Money that could go a bunch of different things . . . sans horses.

Except for days like the one in my last blog. And today. A day spent at the barn, doing barn things, smelling barn smells in the company of friends doing the same. Scrubbing buckets, hanging them back in place, petting the residents in their stalls, and watching my own two beasts down in their pen below unsuspectingly waiting their turn.

The glorious ride on Royal. I find myself posting around the arena, a little out of breath, a little off balance but he's keeping his cadence and I'm working on keeping up. I am not afraid. If you have followed my blog you know the fear demons that have beset me. I wondered if they'd raise their unwelcome heads again. That's another thing about a horse-less life. You never have to swallow back your fear and put your foot in the stirrup one more time. I have a feeling, though, the fear really has nothing to do with horses whatsoever but more the emptiness inside a person that lacks confidence in themselves. So, then, probably find that guy again some other place, horses or no.

I'm posting around, enjoying how very solid he feels. How straight a line he cuts, how nicely he rounds or squares into the corners depending on what I'm asking. During the warm up, I want him to come onto the outside rein, yield to my inside leg. To the right is tough. I go to put my right leg on him and it doesn't hurt, thankfully (no horses, less pain? maybe) but it also doesn't do put much strength into the effort either. He doesn't want to round into the small circle. His rib cage bumps my leg. I bump it back. Get over there.

We mess. I am looking for him to relax his underline, his throat, underside of his neck. It happens and his ears are right, his feet are right and his brain is between his curly ears where it belongs. This is what "putting them up on a good note" really means. I think back on how angry I was that Peter had me ride Royal after that steer when I was completely terrified he'd go to bucking again. Riding into that arena took every bit of steel I have in me. It worked out and I am so grateful that I rode. I got back, four months later on a horse I had faith in rather than one I had just shattered bones on. He had faith in me, too. World of difference.

Our 20 meter circles are decent. I know where the marks are now and Greg and I chat about the Shaggy show coming up first weekend of April. I had really hoped to move us into Training Level this year. I had not planned on several months of down time setting us firmly back in our schedule.

I am pleased though that we are not reinventing the wheel, Royal and I. We are both in a good place and we remember what we are doing. We will ride the Intro tests, for sure.

I look ahead. We are coming to the time if we were taking a lesson that Becky would say, okay when you hit M, round the corner, sit a few beats and ask for the canter.

I had almost ruined Royal's canter transition. I'd exaggerate my cues to set him up, do too much, get in his way. He was so annoyed with it all he'd stopped wanting to. Becky said, stop all that movement in the saddle. Sit like a princess, put your leg on him and EXPECT him to canter.

So we round at the bottom of the arena. I sit a few beats, put my leg on him and  . . . ka dum thump, ka dum thump, gorgeous little three beat canter. I'm so excited (he's not bucking or even thinking about bucking, he's on the correct lead, this is gorgeous   . .  this is  . . aw shit.) We lost it and trotted around. I gather him up and my ask the next time is not as natural and he pounds his trot into the ground. No canter from here. Can't happen, won't happen.

Come around again, sit back. One, two, three. Leg on. Here we go . .  . so lovely

Greg had to go and he took his big pony out. Royal's ears snap forward in a hard point. I'm being left? Oh no! This won't do!

That Royal. That's the one that gets in trouble. I circle him, working those ears, one pinned firmly to the barn door, the other flickering back and forth. With me, leaving me, with me, leaving . . . now, finally, both with me and we are back after it.

Other way, we get the canter super easy. I sit back, he floats. This is what it's supposed to be like. This is what it is, the deal. You don't get moments like this in a life without horses.

You don't get soft nickers from the other horse tied to the wall, his eyes not on the horse coming back toward him but fixed on YOU. The soft muzzle playing lip games, the big bald Painted face tucking to your chest when you rub a knot out of his neck. You don't get to see them sigh with relief when you help them relax, find confidence and let down from their worry.

There are so many things you don't get to have in a life that doesn't have horses in it, I'm not sure it would be worth living for me. I' m pretty glad it doesn't have to be that way. We are going to ride Training level too. No reason why not.