google4061d021f6e2e028.html
Fridays are great days for reflections. This week Jean-Luc and I accomplished a few really great things:
Three simple goals that really had a lot going on behind them, most notably - confidence. That simple little word has been the spur in my heel for our success to date. I know this. I ride often ride alone, and I never wish to do anything that would put me in a bad situation. My personality tends to keep me overly cautious, and that is a good thing. However, the other day I was listening to an interview with Monty Roberts on the Horses In the Morning Radio Show. ​Monty shared a story about a woman who knew her horse hated dogs. He could not stand dogs. He was terrified of dogs. This woman came to his clinic and Monty had one of his trainers inspect the horse, then hop on the horse in a round pen. Because he's Monty, he just so happened to have friends with herding dogs available to run around the horse controlled via whistles. The horse did nothing. Monty then asked the woman to get on her horse. As you might guess, the horse started fidgeting, moving around, and fussing. Monty asked the woman to get off and then asked her about her own fear of dogs. SHE was terrified of them, and thus so was her horse. I have heard it over and over that horse are psychic, they can read your thoughts, they can feel your emotions. So, as a solution for the issues I was having with Jean-Luc I did something I hadn't actually tried yet, I tried riding Jean-Luc as if I were the trainer, showing my inner-self how silly I was being. If you think this sounds like a head trip, you would be correct. When I got out of my car all I did was pretend that Jean-Luc was not my horse. Instead, I imagined I was a trainer that came to the barn to help "some poor lady" who had clearly bit off more than she could chew. This "Lady" was fearful. I knew better. I would anticipate antics and pay them no mind. I would push this horse to do as it was told because, as a trainer, I wanted to prove to "this lady" that her horse could do exactly what she asked. Like I said - total head trip, but it worked. That weird little thought in the back of my mind, switching from "poor little lady" to "bad ass trainer" has really helped. Also, there's something in the fact that I don't look at Jean-Luc as "mine." I think, in some ways, the delicate nature lifestyle by which is the previous owner allotted him made me timid when working with him. Until last week, I saw him a little bit of a wimp (sorry bud) but isn't at all. In fact, he has a lot to give. Until this week, however, I hadn't really asked for it. So, yay for strange trippy head tricks. Now, to put some actual training and structure behind it. I learned this lesson from Mary Kitzmiller. She takes the idea of "move your horse's feet" to another level and really breaks it down. According to Kitzmiller, if you work out these 5 parts of your horse, every time you are with them, then issues like fussing while tied up, herd bound issues, and more all seem to dissipate. Kitzmiller's 5 Sections You Should Train Every Day / Breakdown of Control Your Horses Feet Are:
So she asks herself each day, "What have I done today to work the horses ____." Of course, each exercise depends on where the horse is in their training. This to me makes total sense, because the exercises can all be different. It's a simple checklist and guideline to follow as you work with your horse. It isn't complex, and you shouldn't ever need to write it down unless you build out specifics. I am excited to see what comes from it with Jean-Luc. This whole post is a very long way to acknowledge something that has been on my mind. The I still don't think we're "there" yet. Truth is, I haven't had a moment yet when I think he's enjoying our time together as much as time with the herd. But . . . now that I actually calculate things, I may be getting ahead of myself. Jean-Luc and I have officially been in each other's lives for 96 days. (Wednesday, August 15 will make 100!) I do, however, think we are close, and that fills me with hope. The video at the beginning of this post is a terrible filming of the first day I thought Jean-Luc might actually be having fun gaiting around the round pen. It was the first glimpse I saw of his personality, outside of "please put me back on the field with my friends so I can eat things." Seeing that has made me hungry for more. Rather than disparage that we aren't "there yet," I'll simply choose to be thankful that we have come this far in less than 100 days. It also means I will definitely do a write up next week about how both my life and Jean-Luc's has really changed in the past 100 days. Wow. (Bonus Goal: I have begun negotiations with my horse husband, and opened up discussion about planning for a new truck!)
2 Comments
Liz Stout
8/15/2017 06:50:02 am
Ooooooo a truck!!! And great work getting out there , putting in the time, and doing the thing.
Reply
Thanks Liz! It is tough sometimes to remind myself that it still hasn't been THAT long since this THING changed everything. In many ways we've still got nothing but time.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Chelsey. HorseGenerator's Cuevo Gold, or as he's known around this barn, "Jean-Luc Ponycard", was foaled in 2004 from Generator's Hurricane & Cheyenne's Little Bit. Top 10 Blog Favs.Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|