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Later, I hope to do a full write up, but let's just say - this weekend was epic! For nearly a year I have been planning a girls weekend with one of my best friends, Hannah. She and I have loved horses, along with Liz, as long as we can remember. Literally, our plan since were about 10 was to own a B&B / Trail ride farm co-op. As we get older, that is looking like a better and better retirement plan.
As you can see from above, the Equine Affair (in its 25th season this year) is chalk full of things to see and do. The event itself boasts, "North America’s premiere equine exposition and equestrian gathering . . . a unique celebration of the horse offering unparalleled educational, entertainment, and shopping opportunities." (link) We had a great time participating in Educational Programs, Breed Demonstrations, Horse and Farm Exhibits, the largest horse-related trade show in North-America, a trade and market place where people could place their unwanted equestrian items on consignment for cash, and the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition - a six minuet competition through seemingly impossible obstacles you never imagined. Each day you could gain entry into all of that for just $15! To me, the ability to get to speak 1:1 with the clinicians was more than worth the $15. I personally was about to speak to my hero Larry Whitesell and his partner Jennifer Bauer. I was able to ask them anything, and even laid the groundwork to bringing them to West Virginia for a Gaited horse clinic of our own! Just check out all the amazing things you could do here. In general, here's Larry's Philosophy and why I like her so much: Gaited horses are genetically bred to gait and if this is true we shouldn’t need special bits, shoes, etc, to get them to do what their genes tell them. Trueness of movement and relaxation are closely linked. To maintain the softness of relaxation, the horse must stay within his realm of true movement. The training process should result in an enhanced gait, not one whose fundamental structure has been changed. Over the years the concept that relaxation be paramount in all training has been obscured by a more mechanical style of training. Riders are often in a rush to make horses gait and neglect basic foundation work. Many riders attempt to obtain gait by driving the horse forcefully into the hand. Riding in lightness challenges the rider to train without creating false movement. We must train our horse not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. Horses express their emotions often by tensing up physically against outside stimuli, including any form of contact with the handler. Getting relaxation so we can teach a correct response, instead of putting a piece of equipment on the horse to persuade him. Depending on the severity of the equipment and the riders hands or temperament, the horse reacts or responds. Horses that react are not as reliable or consistent as those that learn to respond to subtle cues. Crisis management is not management. It leaves many victims in its path. The ability to sit and watch instructors work with others similar to you or riders that may be experiencing something you never thought of is incredibly valuable! Other clinicians I really enjoyed were Ken McNabb and my favorite Australian educator Warwick Schiller. These guys were perfect for where Jean-Luc and I are in our training. However, there were instructors there to work with people on all levels. I truly believe if you are interested in the equestrian arts at all this show is worth going to. I was simply amazing at how well rounded the options where for people. There were presentations in everything from Dressage to carriage driving! Again, I hope to do a few deep dives soon, but all that to say, I have never been surrounded by that many "horse people" in one place AND I LOVED IT!
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This weekend I am loving life with amazing horse people! I have actually never been surrounded by so many horse people all at once. I’m at EQUINE AFFAIRE.
Just today, Best purchase of the morning was definitely my #HandsOnGloves. I also got to see Warwick Schiller (trainer I love teaching all around horsemanship through dressage and video game analogies) and a some Ken McNabb discuss getting over your fears. Here’s just a few shots from the day so far. I believe I'm "paying" for having all the time off a few weeks ago. I have been tons more writing than riding, but nothing fun (like for blogs). Starting several weeks back, my husband and I took a rather traumatic weekend jaunt to his parents' house where our old, protective mother dog nearly tore apart their tiny little white Maltese for trying to mess with our new puppy Teddy - it was awful. I don't care to relive it. The event was just the beginning of what would come to be 3 exasperatingly busy weeks, and there's little relief in sight. He's the light of the family for sure. This guy is my constant companion and would honestly follow me anywhere. At just over 8-months-old he is really coming into his own. Starting with the second weekend, of craziness, I had to leave mid-week to head off on a 3-hour jaunt to a very unorganized event known as the State Thespian Competition. Let just say, as one who used to work with actors professionally for a living, both live stage, film, dancers, and musical acts - this was not a very good showing of who people behave in the real world. Truly, for the 3 days, I was captured at the historic Blennerhassett Hotel, all I could think was, "I'd rather be with my horse." We did not actually stay in the hotel, we just spent 3 very long days competing and going to education classes in the ballrooms, conference rooms etc. Though obnoxiously unorganized, the event did put on a worthy leadership class of note. It made use of Harry Potter to explain effective leadership skills by splitting students into the Hogwarts Houses and allowing them opportunities to work through challenges. Also, for the nerds like myself, there was a great cosplay class taught by an associate professor from WVU. She presently has costumes on Broadway's Anastasia. She brought several fun items for the students play around with and explained to the students that cosplay is a costumer's dream. One That said, my students performed extremely well, were far more well behaved that I remember being at their age, and managed to receive a few superior ratings which also means they will represent our school at the coming National competition in June. The week was basically shot because I threw two dinner parties (which I adored as they were much-needed girls nights in!) and then took my pops out for his 65th birthday dinner. Then, the weekend involved shopping in Pittsburgh with my cousin for our bridesmaid dresses. I have been super lucky in that I usually don't require many alternations. My gut was telling me to just order the size I needed and forego the whole entire trip for some much-needed barn time, but my head said that would end poorly - my head won. I was right, though, I tried on my normal size, and sure enough - fit like a glove. I asked the woman at the store how long it would take to order the right color. She explained that it would be weeks and cost an extra $15 in shipping if I wanted it sent to my house. Now, I am not going to say I acted like a proper lady here, but this store clerk was talking crazy talk if she thought I'd wait that long for a dress that required no alterations, and spend $15 to have it mailed to my house when I saw the store was offering free shipping online. "No big deal," I told her. "I will order it myself and thank you for your service." So, right in the store, I hopped online, typed in my credit card info, and placed the order myself. Saved a whopping $45 when all was said and done. I swear. Sometimes technology astounds me. This week is Easter Vacation (and one more reason I am so thankful I took the job I have teaching!) I figured I would have the chance to ride daily. I figured wrong. Though it is only Wednesday, I missed Tuesday altogether because I became enamored with writing the rest of my student IEPs (Student Individual Education Plans - for students with special education services). This is not something I wanted to do, but a necessary evil. Thing is, I had no idea how long they would take. I have no real issue with student IEPs other than the fact that they're very bureaucratic and while there is absolutely a right way to do them, most of the paperwork I inherited for students on my caseload has been done in a lazy manner that means I have dig for information from years past, fix them, and only then can I begin writing the current year's. It is beyond frustrating, to say the least. Each one that worked on yesterday took no less than two hours- a "reasonable amount of time" from what others tell me. The rest of the week has been spent trying to complete paperwork for the classes I am being forced to take to prove I can actually handle being a special education teacher. Again, the modules are something I thought I come hammer out in a few hours, but as I get towards the end of the courses, the assignments are becoming more and more time-consuming. They aren't really meant to be completed in a day, but I that seems to be my style. I did make it out to the barn on Monday, though. Jean-Luc has surprised me the past few times I was out. He still tries to tell me what we're going to do, but he fights my leadership less and less (maybe it was that Harry Potter leadership class! Ha!). He definitely has created "our routine", but I don't think that's all bad. He knows what is expected of him, and I appreciate that - changing what is expected can cause a minor headache now, so we're working on being "flexible" in more than just the literal sense these days. As you can see, we have a few things to work on. Shame the "Side-eye" competition from http://poorwomanshowing.blogspot.com/ isn't still going on. I feel like we really would have stood a chance with this one.
One thing I learned from Monday, is just how much more confident I am on Jean-Luc. Bouncing around the field we listen to each other, and I just didn't have the feeling of utter terror living in my gut. I knew when he was going to break to try and haul off back to the barn, I knew what it meant to sit his pace, and more importantly, I felt like I knew how to bring him back under control. Don't get me wrong we still have so much work to do, but now, it is more about "me" and what I can do to cue better, sit better, and just ride better overall. He's basically doing most of what he's being asked, and that is a really cool thing. We are all, always trying to use data, or some app to help us track our horsey things. Conveniently, today’s world helps us out with smart phone apps that can do just about everything from tracking feedings, to tracking or tracing trails, and even smart phone lessons. The question that I am always struggling with is, “Is this app actually worth my time?” I often wish the reviews in the comments were by other horse people. Below I have picked a horse related app to review for fun. Feel free to use the template to review your own horse related app, and who knows, maybe we could end up with our own database of the best reviewed/ most useful horse apps as recommended by horse people! EquisenseAPP NAME: Equisense - Motion APP PLATFORMS: Apple / Android APP DESCRIPTION: This app collects data about the rider and horse through their Equisense Motion device that is attached to the horse’s girth. In many ways this app is like a fitbit for your horse, however, the app has many features that are useful even without shelling out the hefty 395€ or $490 USD. Because of its usefulness, I am reviewing the free lessons and horse data only. APP FEATURES:
Exercise: Lunge the horse on a 15-20m wide circle. Vary the diamerter and the gait. If needed you can youse training aids (side reins, gouge…etc). Goal: Let the horse work without the rider’s weight. Let the horse express himself more freely. Observe his “natural” locomotion. Attention Points: When lunging we have the tendency to minimize the time spent at walk. It is as important as when the horse is ridden. Pay attention to the left hand/right hand ratio. Personal Thoughts: As you might imagine, this would be useful with the sensor, because you would have an accurate number on your horses flexion left/right. That is what the author of the lesson refers to when asking the individual to pay attention to left hand/right hand ratios. However, you don’t need a sensor to remind you of this. I very much appreciate that this is app is chalk filled with free lessons to help newer riders, such as myself, or riders that might be burnt out, with lesson ideas. Often I have found myself performing an action with Jean-Luc but I am not always 100% sure why we’re doing it or what it will help. This provides focused ideas right in your pocket! APP FEATURES CONT.
OTHER:
APP COST: Free – The App itself is free. You can literally use every part of this app other than the sensor data without having the sensor. Many things you can even input manually. *Reminder: the sensor will run you around $490USD. APP DEVELOPER: Equisense DOWNLOAD LINKS:
SCORING (1-10 pts. | 1 = Not Satisfied | 10 = Extremely Satisfied) APP OVERALL SATISFACTION SCORE: 8 I can't give this a 10 because I would need to utilize the full app. That said the parts that I am able to use I have trouble thinking of improvements. APP USER INTUITIVENESS: 8 This app does a nice job of making it easy to add information about your horse. It doesn’t require a whole lot of thought / trial and error to figure out how to use it. The only reason the score isn't higher is that you do still have to type everything in, and that can be time consuming, especially because there are so many options in the health and care sections, you may enter one thing, and realize you would have rather placed it somewhere else. This is a simple learning curve, but nevertheless. APP AESTHETIC: 10 Of all the apps out there this app’s one of the prettier ones to look at, in my opinion. It makes great use of font, white space, and reduces clutter. I have opened this app on both an iPhone and an iPad only to discover seamless flow between the two. Compared to what is currently on the market, this app's very easy on the eyes. FAVORITE FEATURE:
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE:
THIS APP DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT SHOULD: YES | NO DO I PERSONALLY USE THIS APP (If yes, how long?): YES | NO - one week. WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS APP TO OTHERS: YES | NO WERE YOU ENDORSED IN ANY WAY TO WRITE THIS REVIEW? YES | NO Snow has returned to forecast for the foreseeable future - LE SIGH! This did, however, make for the perfect opportunity to crack open Jean-Luc's new 1200 D/300 g fill Tough1Equine teal/brown turnout blanket. He has a sheet to get him through most of this winter, but why not try a blanket with some fill? I think it will make the guy comfier and stave off any end of season weight loss. He was looking rather handsome if I do say so myself. Things have returned to normal(ish) at work... and while I am thankful, it did make me sad that I don't have the copious amounts of daily horse time. But again, it isn't a bad thing to fall back into the normalcy of work. As a West Virginia School Teacher, I have much to be thankful for #55United #55Strong. 9 days of civil disobedience Tens of thousands of protesters 0 violence 0 property damage 0 arrests West Virginia teachers just taught the most important lesson of their lives side by side with citizens, and the entire world watched. Those things that we value most we must stand up for. It can be done with the utmost of integrity and civility. The winds of change are blowing over our beautiful hills. If you're completely out of the loop with what just happened in my little, oddly shaped state, and without getting too "political," Seth Meyers had some fun breaking it down. As always, #boldlyGO!
Jean-Luc and I have had the opportunity to really focus on things together lately. As you might have seen in an earlier post, I was a little down on myself for not being able to get this critter to gait as well as I know he can after nearly a year together.
I wanted to "be there" but the truth is, we just haven't been focusing on that particular skill. Honestly, looking back through this blog, our journey had us working on just moving. We needed to find success as a team before I thought we were ready to find any kind of success in regards to honing skills. February has rocketed us to new places. I have shifted focus to movement under saddle. Personally, I needed this. I needed to grow in confidence with Jean-Luc to get us out of a rut. So, despite my usually meek and chicken-like brain, that is what we have done. For roughly a week I tried not to care so much about Jean-Luc's body position, speed, or head carriage. Instead, I wanted to pay attention to my seat, stopping, and just generally garnering a feeling of confident control. It may seem a little counter-intuitive because I didn't care as much about all those micro movements above, right? What I mean is that I wanted to be able to sit on my horse and know that he wasn't going to toss me. I needed to trust him - and that is just what I did. Thankfully, it leads to some pretty deep revelations: A. When riding a pacey horse, they're going to also not be able to turn quickly in any direction because their legs are on the same side of their body. If they try they'll likely throw themselves off balance. B. I know little about bits, but the Korsteel Uxeter Kimberwicke Liz recommended we try is really working out for us. C. This horse (and let's be real most horses) just want a leader that is sure of themselves and can lead. Allowing the tables to turn works in favor for no one! D. While most people recommend working a horse slowly from a walk into a gait, for Jean-Luc and me, we had better success coming down from a pace into the gait. I would say that it is likely because he's a little hot in general? Not sure. E. Which leads me to this simple truth, "most people" have an opinion. You can listen to them, but who you should really be listing to is your horse. If you can hear, and more importantly understand what your horse is saying, then you're doing it right. Here in these two videos, though, I did meet some lovely people through the Facebook group, The Natural Tennessee Walking Horse. I am always amazed by how much people just want to help. One person, a trainer out NC, seemed to have a similar training preference as me and offered to analyze a few videos of us if I'd send them to her - sweet deal! I sent them over and in the first one, she noted how "we're almost there," but that I was allowing Jean-Luc to toss his head anywhere and not tuck his nose. She, like many gaited trainers, recommended if I could just ask for a little "not cranking down on his head," but a little tip in his nose that he would lift his legs up under him more and hollow out his back. I am also learning to sit on a gaited horse, so forgive me if you see some wiggling, and legs that look too far forward. The thing is, if I centered myself and almost rocked back some, it seemed as if Jean-Luc moved better. In the second video, I feel a little out of control. I would say that it has to do with the fact that we were in a small ring and not on a straight path (gaited practice really is easier when you're going straight). However, check out the difference when I ask him to tuck his nose and keep just a little pressure with my hands. I could literally feel him pushing with his hind legs - a new feeling altogether for us. Snow is in the forecast for the next few days, but I can't wait to saddle up and continue this work!
Jean-Luc and I have spent quite a bit of time together this month. I have noticed, or well, agree with those who believe that a horse bonds with a person who makes them move their feet. We have really been moving our feet together quite a bit lately. Several of these images are post workout and I swear, he's smiling. Perhaps, he is starting to see me as his gym buddy? Who knows?
Due to some rather inconvenient circumstances happening around the state, work has afforded more time with Jean-Luc. I am making the most of that time by heading to the barn at least every other day. Until today, the weather has been absolutely abysmal. I never knew I how much I hated mud and rain until I owned a horse. As you may have read in the last post, one of my ultimate goals with Jean-Luc is to help him become a balanced critter. His natural pace really has him all over the place. Just look at this photo! Here, he is just walking to me from the field and he's leaning all over the place. His lateral movement can be pretty wild to sit sometimes. When working at a pace, it is impossible to make sharp turns and causes the horse to constantly trip. It isn't good for his back either, and that is why I am spending so much time on all these tiny, micro-movements / efforts. More saddle time has really helped us out, too. Though I do not wish to encourage his pace, he is pretty high strung, so at least for now, we pace until he is relaxed enough to fall into a gait. That isn't ideal. Normally, you would work up from the walk into a gait, rather than down into a gait from the pace. However, it is what is working for us. The other day, though, the weather and conditions just weren't going to allow for us to be outside at that time. Thus, I started working in the barn on a lesson I had reviewed from Gaited Horse Trainer, Larry Whitesell. I found his site on Facebook nearly six months ago, but this is the first real lesson I have tried. Below is the link to the original video lesson. After reviewing, and knowing there wasn't much I could do with Jean-Luc outside, I decided to give this video a try. Below is the link to our first attempt. You will see that Larry emphasizes several practical ideas, but primarily that the bridle is to be used to talk to the horse's feet. Also, none of these exercises require more than feather light touches. The goal was to get Jean-Luc to back using a feather-light touch on his bridle. The direction from Larry is not to push is not straight back into the horse's chest because that will pinch their tongue. You are to move towards their ears. Also, this motion is to come from your core, not your arms. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the first attempt's results. I know we have a long way to go, but this should help Jean-Luc learn to hind end rather than his front legs when stopping - something he is notorious for. Truly riding any sort of downhill slope on this guy feels like you are descending atop a jackhammer!
Building balance and strength has always been my goal for Jean-Luc. This Spring we are beginning get very serious about it. I just pray I have the patience and dedication to watch it happen. If you’ve been following this journey of ours for any amount of time, you likely already have noticed “goal setting” and “simple wins” are how I live my life. This particular post hearkens back to a post I wrote earlier on goal setting (https://horsebackwriting.weebly.com/blog/goal-setting-the-method-to-my-madness) but from a different angle. You see, Jean-Luc and me, we fail. We fail often. However, if we just focused on those failures, instead of our “wins” then our failure could easily eat us alive. I, like many riders I’ve met, struggle with feeling like we may never accomplish our goals. The only way I’ve been able to keep those feelings of being overwhelmed at bay is to concentrate on a simple thought process, “What can we do today that we couldn’t do yesterday?” In other words, how can we get 1% better today? Personally, I try to keep this philosophy in mind every day when working with Jean-Luc. To be clear, I did not make up this philosophy or pull it from the sky. It is based on the Japanese Business Philosophy known as kaizen (改善) – a philosophy pertaining to continuously small improvements over time; this idea was developed after the Second World War and borrows from American business and quality management teachers. Because of its practical and easily applicable nature, many outside of business realms have also adopted this way of thinking. Jean-Luc and I have been together two months shy of a year. In many ways, I believe we’ve made great strides. However, In other areas, I feel like we haven’t made any improvement, got started. When writing this post I was excited to review our riding footage. After reviewing that riding footage, I can say that I felt 1%, maybe even 5% more comfortable, but I don't know that I looked any better. In fact, in some ways, Jean-Luc's body positions may have regressed. Regardless, after the last post, I knew it was time for the two of us to buckle down and focus. here.” This is so wrong it makes me laugh. Heads are all kinds of high, I'm leaning forward so tense I could likely clinch a penny betwixt my cheeks. Also, just an aside, I'm 30 lbs heavier here than in recent months. That said, Jean-Luc is so nice and clean. I am longing for summer months because I'm over the mud, rain, and snow! This post is dedicated to trying to see if we’ve really made progress, or if I’ve willed progress for us. Specifically, I’ve pulled clips and images that focus on my time in the saddle with Jean-Luc (not so much groundwork or other areas). Thanks to some much-needed coaching and encouragement from Liz, I believe I’ve found the courage I was looking for buried deep within. One area I know counts as a win would be the fact that yesterday, Jean-Luc and I managed to get across the creek and actually walk several laps around the field calmly (after quickly trotting all over the place first). Jean-Luc has a habit, like many horses, of catching me and my mind up in “his game.” For example, I was never able to even get Jean-Luc to cross the small creek into the “big field” you’ve heard so much about because of his utter refusal to go there. Well, the big goal is to be able to conduct workouts over in the “big field” regularly. Before we can even do that and start working under saddle, we just needed to be able to get there regularly. Before we could start “getting there regularly,” we needed to just GET THERE. This video below is us meeting the first part of the aforementioned “getting there." We did it! And not only did we do it. We made it to the “big field” after crossing a creek that basically had turned in to a small river. It took so much coaxing, but I told myself and said aloud to Jean-Luc, “I’m not playing your game today! Today, we play my game. And that game is CROSS THE RIVER!” So we did! The video is us coming back from the big field! So when it comes to the things that I believe we have achieved in nearly a year, I believe this 9 things we accomplished in 99 days still hold true (https://horsebackwriting.weebly.com/blog/category/goals): 1. Load Successfully on a Trailer 2. Trail Ride 3. Ride in a Parade 4. Make New Horseback Riding Friends 5. Learn to "Gait" 6. Take The Best Care Possible of My Horse 7. Volunteer for the Endurance Ride 8. Secret Goal 9. Find Me & Regain Some Confidence But when I look back at the things we’ve “accomplished” since these goals were achieved, I’m not too sure what they are? These were huge deals! Now, the fine-tuning begins, I guess, and that is harder, for sure. For example goal #2 Trail ride – We completed a massive trail ride together and this season I can think of 90, logged miles and at least three pretty large group or overnight rides Jean-Luc and I did together in since we’ve been together. That is a big deal, but the reality is also that endurance riders (which are not) can complete 100 miles in 48 hours or less. I don’t say that to be down on our accomplishments, but to keep us humble and put things into perspective for where we could go. #3 Ride in a Parade – I would like to have ridden through another town this year, but we only rode through one parade. Truth be told Jean-Luc and I avoided the main chaos of the event, too. We could ride in the very front, rather than at the end. We also missed the Mountain State Forest Festival Parade (mainly because I didn’t have anyone to ride in it with and it wasn’t all that practical to get there and load in and out since I don’t have my own trailer). Also, Jean-Luc and I missed the Christmas ride, too. So, again, while I see several missed opportunities, I also see room for improvement. #4 Make New Horseback Riding Friends – I’m officially a “bitty in training” so I feel like this is going well, but one can ALWAYS make new horsey friends. #5 Learn to Gait – we still have a LONG way to go here. While Jean-Luc knows what gaiting is, we’ve had to regress some here to encourage overall movement. Like any horse, gaining control of a horse that doesn’t want to play YOUR game can often still involve making the horse move their feet. #6 Take the Best Possible Care of My Horse – This is a never-ending lesson. Exhibit A we, together, survived one really bad choke this year. We will continue to experience things as they come, but my goal is to think, “What proactive measures can I take to ensure Jean Luc’s health?” #7 Volunteer for the Endurance Ride – Well, that Jean-Luc and I did complete with flying colors. The evolution would be to volunteer more time to horse causes. I believe we will exceed this by more than 1% in the coming months because I have been voted secretary of the local riding club that I am a part of and that puts on the Endurance Ride. It feels like a real honor (or perhaps I lost a bet)? Regardless, I’ve very excited to contribute. # 8 Secret Goal – is still a secret. #9 Find and Regain My Confidence In keeping with the theme of Kaizen, the natural progression of goals is often for them to devolve into several other smaller goals that work towards progression as a whole. The following are the paths I see for us to be able to get there: LEARN TO GAIT - to do this right, I believe there are a few things that really need to come together prior to seeing actual progress here. #5 A – Build a Balanced Body . . . Honestly, I don’t actually know how we’re going to do this. I believe more time in the saddle with help both of us? I have chosen to ride more and do a little less ground work. The groundwork we will be focusing on will likely involve cantering. Help is welcome here. Keeping it completely real, I am nervous to do too much here without someone that knows what they’re doing. I know some basics and acknowledge his body is all over the place. Building proper balance will lead to muscle, and I just don’t want to build the wrong muscles if that makes sense? #5 B – Build Muscle in the Hind End – Riding more will help this no matter what. Am I crazy to think that if we just keep riding anywhere and everywhere as much as possible together that we’ll get better? Honestly, that is kind of my plan here. I hear many people preach, “Time and Miles.” It is hard to me to not have a specific plan, that’s just my personality, but perhaps too specific would result in the feeling of failure over and over again. There’s something to be said for flexibility. #5 C – Become more comfortable riding the trot #5 D – Become more comfortable riding the canter #5 E – Work on transitioning from walk to trot #5 F – Work on transitioning into and out of cantering *After completing the CRITICAL GOAL found below, my plan is to create a very specific CRITICAL GOAL for those above. TRAIL RIDE – What I really want to accomplish is being able to head out for a trail ride, alone, and calmly with Jean-Luc. I really would like to simply walk around and explore. This is when I am most at peace. It is why I purchased a horse in the first place. Me. Horse. Nature. Therefore, I have created a “Critical Focus” around this idea to hopefully get there, all the while keeping the principle of Kaizen in mind while working to do so. #2 A – Learn to Be Comfortable Away from the Herd – Before we can even walk on trails alone comfortably, we have to be able to walk away from the barn comfortably. The more time we can get in the saddle away from the herd the better. # 2 B – Get to the “Big Field” Without Fussing #2 C – Work Comfortably in the “Big Field” – this goal really needs better defined for measurement purposes. CRITICAL FOCUS GOAL: By April 30, Jean-Luc and I will make it into the Big Field without the aid of another horse to lead us there 8 times and complete 6 laps (3 in each direction) with 10 or fewer attempts to bolt back to the barn. This is a lot to say, I’m not sure how far we’ve come? I know we have miles to go. I hope to celebrate our successes, and look forward to that which is yet to come. If you wish and have time, here are few videos of us from the summer and the last is the most recent one of us riding together. As I said above, watching them, I'm not sure we've really made that much progress, which is sad, but it does show there's plenty of work to do! Ugh, did I mention I am tired of the mud! Forgive my dirty horse. Can you say, "BATH!" Next time it is warm, this critter is of course getting one.
"Maybe I'm in over my head?” “I don’t know if I’m the right person for you?” “I’m not sure we’re meant to have each other?” “I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew?” “I am not a good enough equestrian/horseman/trainer to work with you. . .” Doubts. Doubts are the only thing that went through my head with Jean-Luc yesterday. After a rather successful day on Saturday, our most recent training session, Monday, started like a flaming meteor crashing from the sky. Doubts. Doubts are the only thing that went through my head with Jean-Luc yesterday. After a rather successful day on Saturday, our most recent training session, Monday, started like a flaming meteor crashing from the sky. Let’s start with Saturday, though. I had found some new confidence thanks to my recent romp in the field earlier that week with Liz. Saturday, after a short warm-up that involved some cantering, we made it across the creek into the big field without a meltdown and training overall had been only rolling along. Unlike my time with Liz though, Jean-Luc never managed to relax in the big field on Saturday. I know he gets bored easily, so while in the field I moved all over the place, trying to never just go in circles. We had a good time, but when I went to make for home, he was ready to bolt. I could not let him do this, so I would take a few steps and make him circle. Then we would take a few more steps and circle again. After approximately 100 yards and taking the longest way home possible, I began to get frustrated. Coming out of the circle he wasn’t even slowing down, rather speeding up. I was making things worse, somehow. Though I remained in enough control to basically get what I was asking for, I could tell I was fighting a losing battle. We zigged. We zagged. I did all I could to make our walk back to the barn as slow as possible – it was miserable. I could not end on that note, so I worked in more circles behind the barn that day. He responded quite well in that space, I can only assume because he was near the other horses. Eventually, I felt we’d done enough that ending our time together didn’t appear like I was allowing him to have the upper hand. On Monday, my plan was to repeat our work in the exact same spaces - start in the outdoor round pen, warm up, and make it to the field where we could go over a few poles and things. Per usual, I snapped on my helmet and together, we walked calmly into the round pen. After getting into the center of the ring, I went to send Jean-Luc and begin our warm up, like always, at a walk around the pen. This is when everything shattered to pieces. Jean-Luc, uncharacteristically, exploded into a canter/gallop around the round pen. My perception was that he was angry to even be in the pen and wanted out. He ran like mad, eventually even tossing in a buck as well. He has done this one other time and trust me I kept him running. I couldn’t let him stop. Despite the fact that I was nervous, letting him stop would mean I lost. So we just kept running, even though the footing conditions were not ideal. As soon as I felt like I could slow/stop Jean-Luc with the cue being seen as my idea and not his, I did so. The rest of this time in the warm-up area went pretty smoothly, however, it was admittedly difficult to get my wits back. You’ll see in the video, he was pretty chill by the time we ended. This was about five min. after he calmed down. Notice how far up under himself he is bringing his back inside leg. His back outside leg is a little stiffer. However, it's quite the improvement and one I did not notice until this post. Later, his head lowered more, but I am awful at filming and focusing to work JL at the same time. Hopefully more videos to come, though. They are very beneficial in evaluating progress, for sure. After debating the pros and cons, I told myself I would stick to the plan and try to get into the big field.
“I can fake enough confidence to get my bum in this saddle, and I’ll be all the more proud of myself for it,” I told myself. So I did just that ... or, well some of that. I walked back to the barn to get Jean-Luc’s bridle and put up the lunge equipment. He stood just fine while I mounted. He acted like a proper gentleman. Sitting in the barn nestled between my fuzzy saddle and winter riding pants I swallowed all the fear I could find. Mentally, I did my best to visualize that fear in the pit of stomach and breath it out through my nose. We were off and heading for the big field. Unlike previous days, Jean-Luc tried to turn around multiple times before we even got close to the small creek we need to cross to get into the field. I knew I mentally screwed up when I saw the creek. “That’s one high creek,” I thought. "Jean-Luc's going to hate that." No sooner had I had that thought did Jean-Luc bulk at the idea of going down the hill into the water. Try as I might, he was not going down the hill across the creek. I lost. But, I wasn’t okay with completely failing, so I chose a different path down along the creek beside some trees. He was very excited, but he went. Upon turning back up the road toward the barn he became even more excited. I picked any number of paths to go that were not directly back to the barn. I made him walk forward a few steps and stop, over and over. We walked through a small grassy area off to the side of a road cone. We stopped and started over and over. When we decided to head back to the barn it was absolutely my choice. I could not end the lesson with this though, so I went to the backfield again. He settled and we completed some circle/speed work. When I felt like I was in control I dismounted, practiced some ground tie work, remounted and guided him back to the barn. Honestly, when I left I did not feel all that great. The phrases from earlier were the only things running through my head the entire way home. “Am I a good enough person for this horse?”, “Should someone else have this horse?”, “What am I thinking, thinking I know what I’m doing here?” Needless to say, they were pretty negative. Today, I have had time to process. I am not typically a glass half empty person. I will not let this be any sort of exception. While I may need help, the things that happened happen to everyone. Doubts come and go just like the tide. Multiple times per day the ocean will have highs and lows. Not to make excuses, but some facts are: Jean-Luc actually never has relaxed much working away from the herd. To have him do anything, and not be beside them is actually, frustratingly slow, progress - but progress all the same. Also, Jean-Luc is not a fan of the cold. I have learned he has a crap attitude when the temperature is cold. I was recently also able to discern that his crap attitude is a weird manifestation of what I can only describe as “Food Worry” – when the grass is gone and only hay/grain are available this horse is terrified he won’t have enough to eat. There’s plenty for all, but I am not sure what else can be done to reassure him that when I take him out of the field, away from his hay bales, the other horses won’t eat it all while he’s gone? Another observation I’ve made over the year is unlike other horses I have ridden, I don’t know that Jean-Luc associates time with me as “fun.” In fact, I definitely think he sees time with me as “work.” Perhaps this is a misfortune of my own doing? Perhaps Jean-Luc’s perception can only be my perception? While I often have a feeling of accomplishment that leads to fun, in general, I don’t cut loose very often (both with Jean-Luc and in life). I tend to take things pretty seriously most of the time. Regardless, only on rare occasions have I felt like we’re enjoying one another’s presence – sad, maybe? Nevertheless, true. Unlike other horses I have experienced I find that my work with Jean-Luc requires a hyper-focus. I really have not had a ride with Jean-Luc where I could just “be” or relax. With Jean-Luc, I'm "always on." I have found he will test me every time we are together. He is always trying to see if I will ever relent and allow him to be the leader – my firm answer is, “No.” Am I to assume this is the definition of a “Headstrong horse?” Or did I hit something more profound? We need more “fun” in our times together. What does that even mean? How do I balance discipline and fun with this horse? I visited the critter today and did nothing other than hanging out for about 30 minutes. He was still pretty excited and concerned about the others eating all the hay while he was gone, however, my hope was that not asking anything of him today could put us back on track? I mean I do this once or twice a week anyway, but it felt like today might actually be a good day to just not ask anything. I don’t know? Clearly, I am questioning a lot today. For whatever reason, my confidence feels shaken? I believe in putting my head down and being persistent. I believe just spending more and more time together will remedy some of this. I have faith in the fact that I am not the only person to ever go through “horse doubts”. I look forward to the weeks to come. |
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
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