Wow! Time is flying and the Washoe ride is already this weekend! Only a few more days left to get stuff packed and ready to go. I thought I'd share my normal pre-ride checklist of things to do. I'm a bit of an obsessive list maker, since I'm not the best at remembering everything if it's not written down. This list is mainly the tasks I need to accomplish before I'm ready to leave for a ride, and the general time frame I like to accomplish them (although I have been known to be running around Friday afternoon cursing and throwing random crap in the trailer):
Two Days Before Leaving
Shop for people food and drinks
Purchase any necessary items for rider, camper, rig or horse
Collect tack and items to be washed
- Saddle pad(s)
- Pommel and/or cantle packs
- Bridle and bit
- Halter, leadrope & reins
- Half chaps
- Horse blankets/coolers/rump rug
- Splint boots
- Girth(s)
- Water bottles
- Elyte Syringes
Most of this goes straight in the washer and air dries. The bit, bottles and syringes go in the dishwasher (often the bottles and syringes are already washed, ready to go from prior use). Biothane tack can go in either.
Inventory crew box and saddle packs, resupply as necessary (post coming on this)
Give a wet mash with electrolytes or additional salt added, this is to help get the horse drinking additional fluids so he's pre-loaded as much as possible on his hydration. The extra salts aren't going to still be in his system by ride time, but they're going to encourage drinking for now.
If my horse was on a more restricted diet, I would also increase the hay ration for the next several days, making sure he had free choice hay available. As it is, he has free choice hay daily.
One Day Prior to Leaving
Do any cooking or assembly necessary for rider food
Prepare ziploc baggies with horse's dry grain/mash ingredients, load into trailer
Stuff hay in bale bag, wrestle into trailer
Clip horse as necessary
Pack rider clothes and other gear, load into camper
Repack washed tack items into appropriate locations
Give wet mash with added salts
Before Leaving for Ride
DRINK FLUIDS - historically, I get busy doing "stuff" and end this day dehydrated. If I make it a point to drink plenty in advance, then I start AND finish my ride the next day in much better shape.
Preload elyte syringes if you do that kind of thing. Each horse is different and you need to find what works best for you. With Sinatra, he preferred to eat his in with his mash - he HATED being syringed and giving them with a "filler" just made it worse. Just plain elytes with water and then a good rinse worked best for him. I'm going to have to see what works best for Diego. I prefer to give them in their feed **IF** they'll eat it.
Give horse a bath if weather permits (I've also done this in advance and then used a light sheet to help keep him clean, really it's about when the best forecast is since I don't have hot running water).
Pre-fill water bottles for ride
Pack all food items
Ensure all critical items are in trailer and/or camper - saddle, girth, bridle, pad, helmet, clothes, shoes, horse and human food. Half that you could borrow in a pinch if needed and the rest is really just fluff (but it's fluff I LIKE to have, don't get me wrong).
Make sure I have necessary paperwork and/or directions to the ride
Don't forget to load the horse...
At the Ride Site
DRINK - my goal is to make sure I drank *at least* 64 oz of fluids before bed tonight...
Unload and set up camp
Get checked and vetted in
Re-attach pommel and/or cantle packs
Go for a brief ride if time allows
Determine if crew box will be needed, add any last minute items if so (i.e. ziploc baggie of grain for horse, people lunch, additional drinks, etc) - drop crew box in designated spot
Give wet mash with electrolytes in the evening
Eat a good dinner
Set out my clothes for in the morning
GO VISIT AND SOCIALIZE!
Try to get to bed at a decent time
Do you have a special pre-ride routine that you use? What about any key items of preparation that you just can't do without?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Moonshine Loop from Lemmon Valley
Funder and I had a GREAT ride out in Lemmon Valley on Sunday (4/18). She brought her GPS and was able to map the route. Her total route shows 19.5 miles, but she rode over and met us at the arena, and rode back when done, so Diego and I probably did around 17 or so. This is one of my favorite loops to do, and thus why I use it on the endurance ride I manage, the Nevada Moonshine Night Ride. It's probably been at least two years since I did the loop, if not three, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I remembered all the turns and which way we needed to go without any issues at all. It was also a great scouting trip to see what kind of condition the trail was in for our upcoming ride in June (6/26/2010).
Getting over to the arena in the morning was probably the hardest part of my day! I've just been so stressed and overwhelmed with work and school lately, and now have been battling a head/chest cold on top of everything else, so it didn't take much to ruin my morning. Having the truck die and refuse to start (older battery which has now been replaced) and needing to call hubby to come rescue me was just about the final straw. I had a momentary debate with myself on if I still wanted to go riding, or just go curl up in bed, and after a call to Funder where it was determined that she WAS willing to wait an extra hour or so for me to get all my crap situated (BLESS HER), I decided to still go.
And am I GLAD I did!!! Once we started riding, it was just an absolutely gorgeous day to be out! The desert is about as green as it gets right now. Riding past all the interesting rock formations, on a beautiful sandy dirt road, with the blue-blue sky above, the snowy mountains in front, and the warm sun shining down... Aaahhh!! JUST what I needed! To top off all the happiness and sunshine, I had the BEST ride on Diego that I've ever had yet! He really was just a super-star all day long. At one point, Dixie really spooked about a funky looking tree stump that was off the trail. I've been wondering how Dig would react to another horse spooking at something. Turns out his response was to look at what Dixie was looking at, go "Huh? Wha..? Hhmm, nothing" and then continue to mosey on down the trail. =)
We then had our first encounter with dirt bikes, and the rider was SO NICE, it could not have gone better. I had dismounted as soon as I heard the bike, but probably didn't even need to. He shut off his bike from a little ways back and coasted to a stop, then the first thing he did was start talking (asked us a question about directions). Immediately the horses were able to identify this weird creature as at least "somewhat human". We walked over and talked with him for a little while, then he asked us if he could start the bike. He started it back up (it was a quieter street legal version) and rode off nice and slow. Neither horse seemed to mind or care at all. Just a great first experience for Dig to have (outside of seeing AJ and Taren ride around up near his corral). Later, he got to see several other bikes and quads going by at a distance, and ride over to a group of guys relaxing with their bikes after their ride.
Another good encounter was when another rider and a very forward Arab mare caught up to us and then jigged/trotted off down the road, and Diego calmly watched them go. Funder had to put her mare behind Diego for a bit since Dixie thought she should go catch that other horse. ;) Two horses was fine, but three was a race! Dig was just in "chill" mode today and nothing seemed to phase him.
Speaking of "race", Diego and I got to do a bit more cantering yesterday as well. Previously, we've only cantered maybe three strides here or there in a few random rides. Things were going so well yesterday that I let him pick up the canter and encouraged him to keep going with it a few different times. He's getting the hang of it. Often, he would only go a few strides, and then transition back to a trot on his own. Once, I had to bring him back down when, as we cantered past a pipeline marker laying on the ground, he got a bit more UP than forward with it, but all in all we were doing very well learning our new "gear".
The only downside to the ride was that we had a few boot issues. For now, I planning on keeping Diego barefoot, which means we'll be using hoof boots for rides. Since Easycare is coming out with a newer style Glove, which has an improved gaiter and thicker toe, I've been reluctant to invest in new boots until this new style is available. This means I've been making due with Sinatra's older, original style Easyboots, which are a size 1, and of which I have COPIOUS amounts (like 10+, really). Last weekend's ride at Peoria Flats with my mom clearly revealed that Diego needs an 0 rather than a 1 on his rears, so this weekend I left his rears bare and just booted his fronts. Except, that meant that he just wasn't moving right today. He felt like a girl trying to run in high heels, shorter choppy strides. I'm not sure if it's a function of those boots being too big as well (a possibility), or if it was because his hinds got sore on the harder packed roads after several miles. He did move out better on the softer footing, but still not quite like normal. The new and improved Gloves are now available in the size that I need for Dig, so I'm hoping to invest in a full set come next paycheck.
Overall, it was a really great day and I had a really great time. Just what I needed to do. When I woke up Monday morning to go to work, I actually felt like I had taken a mini-vacation, rather than spending half my weekend slaving away on a term paper. I told Funder, "You know, I think I'm really at that I LOVE MY PONY stage now!" =)
Getting over to the arena in the morning was probably the hardest part of my day! I've just been so stressed and overwhelmed with work and school lately, and now have been battling a head/chest cold on top of everything else, so it didn't take much to ruin my morning. Having the truck die and refuse to start (older battery which has now been replaced) and needing to call hubby to come rescue me was just about the final straw. I had a momentary debate with myself on if I still wanted to go riding, or just go curl up in bed, and after a call to Funder where it was determined that she WAS willing to wait an extra hour or so for me to get all my crap situated (BLESS HER), I decided to still go.
And am I GLAD I did!!! Once we started riding, it was just an absolutely gorgeous day to be out! The desert is about as green as it gets right now. Riding past all the interesting rock formations, on a beautiful sandy dirt road, with the blue-blue sky above, the snowy mountains in front, and the warm sun shining down... Aaahhh!! JUST what I needed! To top off all the happiness and sunshine, I had the BEST ride on Diego that I've ever had yet! He really was just a super-star all day long. At one point, Dixie really spooked about a funky looking tree stump that was off the trail. I've been wondering how Dig would react to another horse spooking at something. Turns out his response was to look at what Dixie was looking at, go "Huh? Wha..? Hhmm, nothing" and then continue to mosey on down the trail. =)
We then had our first encounter with dirt bikes, and the rider was SO NICE, it could not have gone better. I had dismounted as soon as I heard the bike, but probably didn't even need to. He shut off his bike from a little ways back and coasted to a stop, then the first thing he did was start talking (asked us a question about directions). Immediately the horses were able to identify this weird creature as at least "somewhat human". We walked over and talked with him for a little while, then he asked us if he could start the bike. He started it back up (it was a quieter street legal version) and rode off nice and slow. Neither horse seemed to mind or care at all. Just a great first experience for Dig to have (outside of seeing AJ and Taren ride around up near his corral). Later, he got to see several other bikes and quads going by at a distance, and ride over to a group of guys relaxing with their bikes after their ride.
Another good encounter was when another rider and a very forward Arab mare caught up to us and then jigged/trotted off down the road, and Diego calmly watched them go. Funder had to put her mare behind Diego for a bit since Dixie thought she should go catch that other horse. ;) Two horses was fine, but three was a race! Dig was just in "chill" mode today and nothing seemed to phase him.Speaking of "race", Diego and I got to do a bit more cantering yesterday as well. Previously, we've only cantered maybe three strides here or there in a few random rides. Things were going so well yesterday that I let him pick up the canter and encouraged him to keep going with it a few different times. He's getting the hang of it. Often, he would only go a few strides, and then transition back to a trot on his own. Once, I had to bring him back down when, as we cantered past a pipeline marker laying on the ground, he got a bit more UP than forward with it, but all in all we were doing very well learning our new "gear".
The only downside to the ride was that we had a few boot issues. For now, I planning on keeping Diego barefoot, which means we'll be using hoof boots for rides. Since Easycare is coming out with a newer style Glove, which has an improved gaiter and thicker toe, I've been reluctant to invest in new boots until this new style is available. This means I've been making due with Sinatra's older, original style Easyboots, which are a size 1, and of which I have COPIOUS amounts (like 10+, really). Last weekend's ride at Peoria Flats with my mom clearly revealed that Diego needs an 0 rather than a 1 on his rears, so this weekend I left his rears bare and just booted his fronts. Except, that meant that he just wasn't moving right today. He felt like a girl trying to run in high heels, shorter choppy strides. I'm not sure if it's a function of those boots being too big as well (a possibility), or if it was because his hinds got sore on the harder packed roads after several miles. He did move out better on the softer footing, but still not quite like normal. The new and improved Gloves are now available in the size that I need for Dig, so I'm hoping to invest in a full set come next paycheck.
Overall, it was a really great day and I had a really great time. Just what I needed to do. When I woke up Monday morning to go to work, I actually felt like I had taken a mini-vacation, rather than spending half my weekend slaving away on a term paper. I told Funder, "You know, I think I'm really at that I LOVE MY PONY stage now!" =)
Going to Washoe
Diego shall be making his official AERC debut at the Washoe Valley Endurance Rides on May 1st and 2nd. At this time, we've signed up to ride both days of LD (25-mile) rides. I know that he can easily handle the 25-mile distance, it's just the pace I'm a bit worried about. We'll be planning on taking most of the allowable time each day. Hopefully we'll finish strong the first day and have no qualms about going out the second. As of the 21st, they had 21 people signed up for the LD on Saturday and 7 for the LD on Sunday (pre-entries closed yesterday, so this number will probably go up a bit more). Whoo hoo! Funder is planning on joining us as well. We'll probably end up riding together, but Dixie is a bit faster paced than Diego, so while Funder has been willing to slow down to ride with us for the most part, perhaps we'll find someone else going equally as slow and she and Dixie can ride at their own prefered pace.
As of last night, the camper is now loaded on the truck. We're going out of town this weekend for a dirt bike race for hubby. I'm a bit undecided as to the hoof protection we're going to be using. The older size 1 easyboots I currently own seem to be just a bit too big for Diego. I think I'm going to end up foaming on some 0's all the way around. One less thing to worry about. I really want to get him going in some Gloves, but am leary to try using a gaitered boot during an actual ride when I haven't even been able to play around with them on a shorter training ride yet. For now, we'll go with what we know at least somewhat works.
As of last night, the camper is now loaded on the truck. We're going out of town this weekend for a dirt bike race for hubby. I'm a bit undecided as to the hoof protection we're going to be using. The older size 1 easyboots I currently own seem to be just a bit too big for Diego. I think I'm going to end up foaming on some 0's all the way around. One less thing to worry about. I really want to get him going in some Gloves, but am leary to try using a gaitered boot during an actual ride when I haven't even been able to play around with them on a shorter training ride yet. For now, we'll go with what we know at least somewhat works.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Decisions, Decisions
I've got a bunch of posts in draft status, some of which are pathetically only a title with a date and maybe a few brief notes. School and work have been keeping me swamped and I just haven't had time to write on my blog. But thankfully I pretty much HAVE been riding! Diego and I are both doing better and better and continuing to make improvements.
As ride season is getting underway, I find myself torn between wanting to get out there and get our first few AERC rides under our belts, and waffling on if I feel that we are ready or not. Diego and I haven't done a longer ride (over 10 miles) at anything resembling a ride pace since a 20-miler in February. We have done a pretty quick 10-miler, where he was JUST feeling "settled" and ready to keep going, about the time we were done and back in camp. We've also done a few harder, longer - but pretty much walk-only slower, rides that have varied between 10-15 miles and he never felt tired at all on any of those. But I'm still not sure he's ready for a 50...
Back in December I had posted a tentative ride schedule. Here's where we currently stand with that:
Rides of March - probably the 30-mile LD, this will be our first official AERC ride and the LD is sufficiently difficult that it should be a value-added experience for Diego.
Hubby and I ended up going to San Diego for a business conference this week and I wasn't in town. No ride.
High Desert (mid-April-ish) - Diego's first 50.
I just don't think he's going to be ready for his first 50 this weekend. I've also decided that I'd rather do my LD-distance training rides either at home or at a NEDA ride (which costs around $40) rather than pay AERC fees. We're planning on skipping it.
Washoe in May - probably only one day, these are good tough rides.
Was going to maybe do his first 50 here. Now I'm thinking about doing back-to-back LD rides instead. I won a free entry to one day, which means the AERC rate would equal about what I'm willing to pay to ride that shorter distance over two days... Also, with my previous horse, I had found that doing back-to-back shorter distance rides to be an excellent indicator on if we were ready to move up in distance. Thoughts???
Considering maybe an earlier June 50 - Cooley Ranch, NASTR?
Manage the Nevada Moonshine Night Ride June 26-27th
Tour de Washoo (July 3rd) - This ride was Sinatra and I's first 50. Would really like to ride the 50, maybe do some camping and such in the early summer to get Dig legged up and ready for his first 50 here as well. Not an overly difficult ride, but can be pretty tough due to the heat. We'll pencil this one in...
Bridgeport in August - this one I've wanted to do for YEARS but it has never worked out with my schedule. Hopefully this will be the year. I've marked trail on the first 20-mile loop before and it's just a beautiful ride in the Twin Lakes area of California. Lots of good friends usually attend this ride as well.
Still on the schedule.
High Desert in October (mid-Oct-ish) - Final two days to get the blankie, 50/50 each day
Still would like to do one and/or both days of this ride.
As ride season is getting underway, I find myself torn between wanting to get out there and get our first few AERC rides under our belts, and waffling on if I feel that we are ready or not. Diego and I haven't done a longer ride (over 10 miles) at anything resembling a ride pace since a 20-miler in February. We have done a pretty quick 10-miler, where he was JUST feeling "settled" and ready to keep going, about the time we were done and back in camp. We've also done a few harder, longer - but pretty much walk-only slower, rides that have varied between 10-15 miles and he never felt tired at all on any of those. But I'm still not sure he's ready for a 50...
Back in December I had posted a tentative ride schedule. Here's where we currently stand with that:
Rides of March - probably the 30-mile LD, this will be our first official AERC ride and the LD is sufficiently difficult that it should be a value-added experience for Diego.
Hubby and I ended up going to San Diego for a business conference this week and I wasn't in town. No ride.
High Desert (mid-April-ish) - Diego's first 50.
I just don't think he's going to be ready for his first 50 this weekend. I've also decided that I'd rather do my LD-distance training rides either at home or at a NEDA ride (which costs around $40) rather than pay AERC fees. We're planning on skipping it.
Washoe in May - probably only one day, these are good tough rides.
Was going to maybe do his first 50 here. Now I'm thinking about doing back-to-back LD rides instead. I won a free entry to one day, which means the AERC rate would equal about what I'm willing to pay to ride that shorter distance over two days... Also, with my previous horse, I had found that doing back-to-back shorter distance rides to be an excellent indicator on if we were ready to move up in distance. Thoughts???
Considering maybe an earlier June 50 - Cooley Ranch, NASTR?
Manage the Nevada Moonshine Night Ride June 26-27th
Tour de Washoo (July 3rd) - This ride was Sinatra and I's first 50. Would really like to ride the 50, maybe do some camping and such in the early summer to get Dig legged up and ready for his first 50 here as well. Not an overly difficult ride, but can be pretty tough due to the heat. We'll pencil this one in...
Bridgeport in August - this one I've wanted to do for YEARS but it has never worked out with my schedule. Hopefully this will be the year. I've marked trail on the first 20-mile loop before and it's just a beautiful ride in the Twin Lakes area of California. Lots of good friends usually attend this ride as well.
Still on the schedule.
High Desert in October (mid-Oct-ish) - Final two days to get the blankie, 50/50 each day
Still would like to do one and/or both days of this ride.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Mud and Cows and Canters - Oh My!
Funder and I had a good adventure with the ponies on Friday. I picked her up and we trailered over the hill to the Indian Reservation, with plans to ride out from there and across the valley to do some hillwork on the other side. Most of the footing is very sandy in that area, so we were hoping to avoid most of the slop created by our recent pattern of wet weather. After getting tacked up, we encountered our first, and perhaps most challenging obstacle, not 200 yards from the trailer. The reservation had installed a cattle guard across the road since the last time I had been out that direction. I used to park just on the other side of the boundary fence (a barbed wire affair), but due to a deep and sloppy mud puddle, and no desire to mud-bog with the horse trailer, had instead chosen to park along the gravel road. This left us on the wrong side of the fence and cattle guard, with no gate in sight. After hemming and hawing, and looking around for a few minutes, I decided to see if we couldn't convince the horses to squeeze through the 18"-24" wide opening that was between the end fence post and a shorter, perhaps 2 ft high post that was the anchor point for the cattle guard. This meant that in reality, there was plenty of room for their bodies to fit, but they would have to be careful and negotiate the narrow space with their feet/legs.
Diego was first up to bat, and while he did try, he just couldn't convince himself that he indeed could go through that spot. The matter was a bit further complicated by having a small granite slab directly across from the opening, so they had to step through in one step, and then immediately turn toward the larger fence post to avoid the rock. Dig tried once, but when he rubbed the stirrup on the fence post, that pressure sent him back unsuccessfully. After a few minutes, F and Dixie decided to show us how it was done. Dixie gallantly bulldozed through the obstacle, knocking down the end fence post with a loud crack that left it supported at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Thanks Dix!!! ;) Diego realized he could fit through the newly improved larger opening and we were on our way.
The going was pretty sloppy, slippy clay mud on top of a firmer sandy base. So there wasn't a lot of suction, but there was a fair amount of slide. Certainly not ideal footing, but I was hopeful we would get to the more sandy terrain pretty quickly. At one point, I heard some warnings and cussing behind me and turned around in time to watch Dixie navigate down the road bank, slip with her front hooves, and then just gracefully fold up under herself and come to a rest laying on her belly, with F still up top. I was riding Diego at this point and he only jumped around a tiny bit. I started laughing at the whole situation, not just the identical expressions of "WTF?!?" on F and Dixie's faces, but that this is the second time in as many rides that the horse I've been riding with has gone down and ended up on the ground. What are the odds? Dixie got right back up without issue and we continued down and onto a lovely sandy road.
Knowing these roads and trails from living out this direction, the plan was the head southwest and ride a couple of the big long hills in the Lemmon Valley area. Once we made the turn onto the south bound road, it wasn't long until we encountered the herd of 20-30 cattle that winter in this area. Now, I know that Diego has seen cows before, but they were still cause for much excitement. I was on foot and we snorted and pranced our way toward the cows. Unfortunately, cows being cows, instead of merely parting like the Red Sea at our approach, they turned and continued down the road in front of us, the same direction we were heading (sigh). I tried to be positive about getting some miles in under my own feet and just continued down the road. After a bit, Diego seemed to be less afraid of the cows, and more interested in them, but I was starting to realize how much this past couple of weeks of work+school were weighing on me, and I was **TIRED** and just didn't feel like trying to deal with it while mounted. Once the cows finally exited the stage, we continued on toward the next road (a trail I use for my Moonshine Ride). I went to mount up and just had to take a moment to breathe and gather myself. At that point, all I wanted to do was lay down and take a nap in the sand. I didn't WANT to ride my stupid, jumpy, green horse. =( I just wanted to be able to sit on my butt and relax. I was tired and suddenly the whole idea just seemed a lot more like work than fun. Bummer.
But swing my leg over I did. With the philosophy that a tired horse is a less jumpy horse, we pointed them up the hill and started to trot. At one point, F and Dixie were in front of us and Diego tucked his head and cantered for a couple of strides. I pulled him back down the second his tail disappeared underneath him in a big tuck, and thankfully he was a good polite boy and complied with my request. F asked me how it was, since we had recently been talking about "is it time to canter" and really, it wasn't too bad. Diego seems to be exceptionally smooth in all of his gaits. We'll still stick with short uphill bits for now though. ;) Diego went in front for a while and again I was impressed with how non-spooky and bold he could be. He almost seems to do BETTER in the front, since his big spooky monsters still tend to attack from behind. Perhaps having another horse behind him is his confidence booster, rather than needing to follow? This thought is a BIG breakthrough for me. All of a sudden the light bulb just came on!!! This does seem to follow his reaction pattern when riding with other horses.
We made it up to the main intersection of the trail and then headed south downhill. DIEGO HAS THE MOST AWESOME DOWNHILL WALK!!! He was just FLOWING, so fast and so smooth. It was just a hair under a trot, and he would try to put in a little jog step every now and then but just lifting my reins was enough to slow him down. At one point, they spooked up a jackrabbit and Diego cut his front feet to the right, a la reining horse, but didn't even budge with his hind end. As we were starting to get near the bottom of the hill, my cell phone rang and it was my hubby wondering where I was. When he told me what time it was, I was flabbergasted! Time had just flown by and we needed to get headed back toward the trailer, not continuing away from it. So we did an about-face and started the horses up the long climb to the top of the mountain. This is the hill that's about 5 miles in on the old Rides of March trail for those that have done that ride. It's about a 1,000 ft climb in about a mile or a mile and a half. A good, strong workout for the horses. They did great, only having to stop a few times to catch their breath. I was most impressed with Diego, he did much better than I would have expected, lucky Arab genes (I'll have to do a post about conditioning a non-Arab vs. Arab once I have a couple of AERC rides on Diego).
This hill has several false summits, but eventually we made it to the top and turned onto the correct side trail down into the adjacent sandy wash. It had been a couple of years since I had ridden that trail (at least two), so I had to look around a bit since it was wider than I remembered and had a new trail on the opposite side of a facing hill. After looking around for a bit, and assuring F (who wasn't worried) that everything connects anyways, we continued on down. It was the correct turn off and we dismounted and handwalked the horses down the back side and almost back down to the road where the cows were. Along this stretch, F got to see the less lovely side of the Nevada desert as we encountered an old dead fridge (with the door still on, a lovely fake cherrywood affair that was a death trap for sure), several old TV's and other assorted junk. I hate that people feel the need to dump their trash on our trails. =(
After getting toward the bottom of the wash and mounting back up, we discussed whether to take the sandy road where all the cows were, or perhaps take the other main road, which had no cows but I suspected would be a lot muddier. We ended up just heading cross ways diagonal across the open plains. And they were open plains, F said she was reminded of scenes of riding in Africa and half suspected to see zebra's any minute. It DID look a lot like that. Very low lying sage, but other than that, just a couple random juniper trees dotted the landscape. Diego was on cow-alert, and just couldn't bring himself to relax, instead having to continually sweep the horizon to spot the random cows that were scattered (a LONG ways away) on both sides. Other than tensing up and doing his now characteristic "one-stride bolt" (he humps his back up and hops forward one step), he wasn't really misbehaving per se. But it's so hard to RELAX when the horse is tense, and I was really having to TRY to relax, which is an oxymoron to say the least. At one point, we rode down into a more low-lying area, and he couldn't SEE the stinkin' cows, but was convinced they were rushing in to surround us for a blood-thirsty attack. After much eye-rolling and circles on my part, we survived to discover that no, the cows were actually NOT plotting diabolical schemes, had barely moved at all, and were more interested in eating.
The remaining trip back to the trailer was pretty low-key. I rode Diego through his first big puddle, which was a non-issue since he seems to love playing in the water. We rode through most of the more slippery mud this time. He was getting a bit tense having to balance himself, plus Dixie was on the opposite side of the road (their friend's but not totally attached, but he is still aware of where she is). Getting back through the Gate of Death was much easier headed this direction. We stood the post back up after we were both through to at least fake it looking normal (and it pretty much does).
During the ride, I was very much having a low-spot mentally. I was fatigued from the past couple of weeks and just not prepared to deal with green horse antics. I was depressed about how long it had taken us to ride a relatively short distance (9.64 miles in 3:04). I wasn't thinking that Diego would be mentally ready/able to deal with doing an actual ride by Rides of March. Just more focused on the negative. After sleeping a large part of this weekend, and now writing this entry, I have a more positive outlook on things. We did walk nearly 90% of this ride, and I was on foot for at least a couple of miles. The poor footing in portions and dealing with the cows really slowed us down. Diego settled much more at the NEDA ride after we were able to trot out a couple of miles, we didn't really have that opportunity during this ride. He hadn't even been out of the paddock for two weeks due to poor weather conditions. My breakthrough on putting him in the front (or at least middle) is a big key element as well. For now, we'll continue to plug along towards our goals and take things one ride at a time.
Diego was first up to bat, and while he did try, he just couldn't convince himself that he indeed could go through that spot. The matter was a bit further complicated by having a small granite slab directly across from the opening, so they had to step through in one step, and then immediately turn toward the larger fence post to avoid the rock. Dig tried once, but when he rubbed the stirrup on the fence post, that pressure sent him back unsuccessfully. After a few minutes, F and Dixie decided to show us how it was done. Dixie gallantly bulldozed through the obstacle, knocking down the end fence post with a loud crack that left it supported at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Thanks Dix!!! ;) Diego realized he could fit through the newly improved larger opening and we were on our way.
The going was pretty sloppy, slippy clay mud on top of a firmer sandy base. So there wasn't a lot of suction, but there was a fair amount of slide. Certainly not ideal footing, but I was hopeful we would get to the more sandy terrain pretty quickly. At one point, I heard some warnings and cussing behind me and turned around in time to watch Dixie navigate down the road bank, slip with her front hooves, and then just gracefully fold up under herself and come to a rest laying on her belly, with F still up top. I was riding Diego at this point and he only jumped around a tiny bit. I started laughing at the whole situation, not just the identical expressions of "WTF?!?" on F and Dixie's faces, but that this is the second time in as many rides that the horse I've been riding with has gone down and ended up on the ground. What are the odds? Dixie got right back up without issue and we continued down and onto a lovely sandy road.
Knowing these roads and trails from living out this direction, the plan was the head southwest and ride a couple of the big long hills in the Lemmon Valley area. Once we made the turn onto the south bound road, it wasn't long until we encountered the herd of 20-30 cattle that winter in this area. Now, I know that Diego has seen cows before, but they were still cause for much excitement. I was on foot and we snorted and pranced our way toward the cows. Unfortunately, cows being cows, instead of merely parting like the Red Sea at our approach, they turned and continued down the road in front of us, the same direction we were heading (sigh). I tried to be positive about getting some miles in under my own feet and just continued down the road. After a bit, Diego seemed to be less afraid of the cows, and more interested in them, but I was starting to realize how much this past couple of weeks of work+school were weighing on me, and I was **TIRED** and just didn't feel like trying to deal with it while mounted. Once the cows finally exited the stage, we continued on toward the next road (a trail I use for my Moonshine Ride). I went to mount up and just had to take a moment to breathe and gather myself. At that point, all I wanted to do was lay down and take a nap in the sand. I didn't WANT to ride my stupid, jumpy, green horse. =( I just wanted to be able to sit on my butt and relax. I was tired and suddenly the whole idea just seemed a lot more like work than fun. Bummer.
But swing my leg over I did. With the philosophy that a tired horse is a less jumpy horse, we pointed them up the hill and started to trot. At one point, F and Dixie were in front of us and Diego tucked his head and cantered for a couple of strides. I pulled him back down the second his tail disappeared underneath him in a big tuck, and thankfully he was a good polite boy and complied with my request. F asked me how it was, since we had recently been talking about "is it time to canter" and really, it wasn't too bad. Diego seems to be exceptionally smooth in all of his gaits. We'll still stick with short uphill bits for now though. ;) Diego went in front for a while and again I was impressed with how non-spooky and bold he could be. He almost seems to do BETTER in the front, since his big spooky monsters still tend to attack from behind. Perhaps having another horse behind him is his confidence booster, rather than needing to follow? This thought is a BIG breakthrough for me. All of a sudden the light bulb just came on!!! This does seem to follow his reaction pattern when riding with other horses.
We made it up to the main intersection of the trail and then headed south downhill. DIEGO HAS THE MOST AWESOME DOWNHILL WALK!!! He was just FLOWING, so fast and so smooth. It was just a hair under a trot, and he would try to put in a little jog step every now and then but just lifting my reins was enough to slow him down. At one point, they spooked up a jackrabbit and Diego cut his front feet to the right, a la reining horse, but didn't even budge with his hind end. As we were starting to get near the bottom of the hill, my cell phone rang and it was my hubby wondering where I was. When he told me what time it was, I was flabbergasted! Time had just flown by and we needed to get headed back toward the trailer, not continuing away from it. So we did an about-face and started the horses up the long climb to the top of the mountain. This is the hill that's about 5 miles in on the old Rides of March trail for those that have done that ride. It's about a 1,000 ft climb in about a mile or a mile and a half. A good, strong workout for the horses. They did great, only having to stop a few times to catch their breath. I was most impressed with Diego, he did much better than I would have expected, lucky Arab genes (I'll have to do a post about conditioning a non-Arab vs. Arab once I have a couple of AERC rides on Diego).
This hill has several false summits, but eventually we made it to the top and turned onto the correct side trail down into the adjacent sandy wash. It had been a couple of years since I had ridden that trail (at least two), so I had to look around a bit since it was wider than I remembered and had a new trail on the opposite side of a facing hill. After looking around for a bit, and assuring F (who wasn't worried) that everything connects anyways, we continued on down. It was the correct turn off and we dismounted and handwalked the horses down the back side and almost back down to the road where the cows were. Along this stretch, F got to see the less lovely side of the Nevada desert as we encountered an old dead fridge (with the door still on, a lovely fake cherrywood affair that was a death trap for sure), several old TV's and other assorted junk. I hate that people feel the need to dump their trash on our trails. =(
After getting toward the bottom of the wash and mounting back up, we discussed whether to take the sandy road where all the cows were, or perhaps take the other main road, which had no cows but I suspected would be a lot muddier. We ended up just heading cross ways diagonal across the open plains. And they were open plains, F said she was reminded of scenes of riding in Africa and half suspected to see zebra's any minute. It DID look a lot like that. Very low lying sage, but other than that, just a couple random juniper trees dotted the landscape. Diego was on cow-alert, and just couldn't bring himself to relax, instead having to continually sweep the horizon to spot the random cows that were scattered (a LONG ways away) on both sides. Other than tensing up and doing his now characteristic "one-stride bolt" (he humps his back up and hops forward one step), he wasn't really misbehaving per se. But it's so hard to RELAX when the horse is tense, and I was really having to TRY to relax, which is an oxymoron to say the least. At one point, we rode down into a more low-lying area, and he couldn't SEE the stinkin' cows, but was convinced they were rushing in to surround us for a blood-thirsty attack. After much eye-rolling and circles on my part, we survived to discover that no, the cows were actually NOT plotting diabolical schemes, had barely moved at all, and were more interested in eating.
The remaining trip back to the trailer was pretty low-key. I rode Diego through his first big puddle, which was a non-issue since he seems to love playing in the water. We rode through most of the more slippery mud this time. He was getting a bit tense having to balance himself, plus Dixie was on the opposite side of the road (their friend's but not totally attached, but he is still aware of where she is). Getting back through the Gate of Death was much easier headed this direction. We stood the post back up after we were both through to at least fake it looking normal (and it pretty much does).
During the ride, I was very much having a low-spot mentally. I was fatigued from the past couple of weeks and just not prepared to deal with green horse antics. I was depressed about how long it had taken us to ride a relatively short distance (9.64 miles in 3:04). I wasn't thinking that Diego would be mentally ready/able to deal with doing an actual ride by Rides of March. Just more focused on the negative. After sleeping a large part of this weekend, and now writing this entry, I have a more positive outlook on things. We did walk nearly 90% of this ride, and I was on foot for at least a couple of miles. The poor footing in portions and dealing with the cows really slowed us down. Diego settled much more at the NEDA ride after we were able to trot out a couple of miles, we didn't really have that opportunity during this ride. He hadn't even been out of the paddock for two weeks due to poor weather conditions. My breakthrough on putting him in the front (or at least middle) is a big key element as well. For now, we'll continue to plug along towards our goals and take things one ride at a time.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mental Training for the Rider
Reposted from: HorseCity.com
Mental Training for the Rider
by Charles Wilhelm
www.charleswilhelm.com
The first thing when talking about mental training for the rider is that I believe we all need to understand we must be very positive thinking in our abilities. We must believe absolutely in what we are able to do. And that means recognizing what are abilities actually are no matter the level. At the same time, we have to bring into account negativity. Why negativity? Because while we want to be extremely positive about our own abilities, we also have to be realistic about where the horse is in its own training. Once we are truly aware of both the positives and the negatives in our relationship, we then also need to not become overly attached to those ideas and allow them to interfere with our intentions, meaning the exercises we have planned.
Intent and Focus
Clear intentions in training are vital. We need to identify what we intend our goals to be. And that includes where to start, how to get there, and where to end. We absolutely have to prepare our mental state to stay focused on these goals rather than to react to the environment around us. You may be working with your horse and have another horse get totally out of control, or hear another rider shouting at someone but you have to stay utterly focused on the horse you are working with. Find your center and stay on track with your own work. Don't allow yourself to get distracted and you will find your horse is much less likely to get distracted as well. If you are focused, your horse will be focused it really is that straightforward.
Many people don't recognize what intentions really mean in terms of horsemanship and yet that really is the magic in training. The dictionary definition of the word intention is: "A course of action that one intends to follow. An aim that guides action; an objective." So when we are clear in our minds as to what our intentions are, our goals about how to achieve those intentions become clear as well. The mental process actually provides physical form. And as the horse reads body language the positioning of your body makes the magical communication happen with the horse. For example, when out trail riding, if your intention is to turn right and go through a gate, you need to already see yourself doing it in your mind's eye before you begin actually doing it. The process may have some difficulty in the horse not understanding or getting confused, but if you stay focused on going through the gate as you imagine it, it greatly helps the horse as they need purpose. One of the things that we have talked about before, is that with any exercise we do, we have to be able to picture our doing it every step. So imagine riding up to the gate, step, pivot, go through the gate, step, pivot to close the gate, move out away from the gate. If we cannot picture it, we will not be successful. If you can only see yourself going through the gate, then that's all you should do. Only do what you can actually perceive. Adjust your goals to meet your own ability to imagine.
Focus on Good Behavior
Another important aspect of your own mental training is not to get involved in the negative behavior of the horse. For example, if I have a rude, belligerent horse I do not get caught up in his negative behavior. I remain focused on the goals of the training only. If we are working in the round pen and he is bolting or charging, I am focused only on getting the response I want, which is for the horse to be relaxed, to have rhythm, balance, cadence, and that he wants to be with me. I am not worrying about the other behaviors just focused on what I need to do to achieve my goals. And frankly, that's often just a question of time, which is irrelevant to a horse. They operate on their own time. But again the mental image is key. You have to imagine the behavior and response you intend to get from the horse. It's the same with real estate. You can go out and look at a house as it is, or see it as it's meant to be. Do you get caught up on a brown lawn and peeling paint, or can you imagine the house after you have worked on it and see how it could look/should look? It's vital to learn to use our imagination to succeed and that's available to everyone we just don't seem to use it often with our horses.
Take the Chance, Accept the Risk
One of the reasons probably is that we get so fixated on fear and intimidation. But the reality is, those are very normal feelings when being around horses! But as a professional or even just a serious horse-lover, you have to be willing to take that extra step, whether it's to go into a show arena or out on the trail. You have to simply get on the horse one day, and to allow the practice of handling horses to take on its own life. But at some point, you have to be willing to take that chance, to accept the risk. And to do that - you have to be able to imagine yourself doing it with crystal clarity.
This is an especially common problem with many of the riders who return to horses as adults. They often feel like they want to give up, or get overwhelmed quickly. And that's no surprise. It seemed so easy to ride when we were young, and falling off was never a big deal. Now that we are older and don't bounce so good there is even more danger in handling and riding horses. So when you have those times of feeling overwhelmed or giving up, all it really means is that you need to back up in your relationship with the horse, and return to the basics until you are more comfortable. Can that mean you may be doing just groundwork for six months? Maybe. So what? I have a client who was extremely fearful. She returned to riding in her late 40's and got hurt trail riding shortly afterwards. But rather than giving up, she spent a year working her horse from the ground, and then finally riding in the round pen, then the arena, and then at about the end of that year, went back out on the trail. She has been she riding everywhere on the trail ever since! She did not give up. She instead reset her goals to be in line with what she could imagine herself doing. And slowly as her confidence built, she was able to imagine herself being more and more ambitious in her goals. Finally she broke through the fear barrier altogether and is now living her dream with her horse.
Your Mental State
It's easy to lose confidence when we push ourselves beyond what we can imagine ourselves doing. So have confidence in what your abilities truly are, define your intentions based on those abilities, imagine yourself accomplishing your intentions, and then stay completely focused on working with those goals every time you are with your horse.
Your mental state and preparation for your horse's training really is the most important thing that will determine your success, or failures. What you can imagine yourself doing, you can achieve! So don't be afraid to dream big when it comes to your relationship with your horse. Believe in yourself, be patient, persistent and those dreams will come true.
_________________________________
About Charles Wilhelm
Known as the creator of Ultimate Foundation Training, Charles combines the best of traditional, classical and natural horsemanship into a methodology that is applicable to any riding discipline. His extensive background includes: Dressage, Working Cow Horse, Reining, Western Pleasure and Trail. He is known for communicating and motivating people as well as his astounding natural abilities with a horse. He believes "It's Never, Ever the Horse's Fault" and his training methods reflect that belief. Charles specializes in re-schooling horses with often-severe issues.
Charles has a weekly television show, writes monthly columns, has two books and numerous training DVDs. He performs clinics and demonstrations at venues throughout the country. He offers extensive hands-on learning programs for every level of horsemanship that reflect his motto "Success Through Knowledge".
Click here for Charles Wilhelm's site.
Mental Training for the Rider
by Charles Wilhelm
www.charleswilhelm.com
The first thing when talking about mental training for the rider is that I believe we all need to understand we must be very positive thinking in our abilities. We must believe absolutely in what we are able to do. And that means recognizing what are abilities actually are no matter the level. At the same time, we have to bring into account negativity. Why negativity? Because while we want to be extremely positive about our own abilities, we also have to be realistic about where the horse is in its own training. Once we are truly aware of both the positives and the negatives in our relationship, we then also need to not become overly attached to those ideas and allow them to interfere with our intentions, meaning the exercises we have planned.
Intent and Focus
Clear intentions in training are vital. We need to identify what we intend our goals to be. And that includes where to start, how to get there, and where to end. We absolutely have to prepare our mental state to stay focused on these goals rather than to react to the environment around us. You may be working with your horse and have another horse get totally out of control, or hear another rider shouting at someone but you have to stay utterly focused on the horse you are working with. Find your center and stay on track with your own work. Don't allow yourself to get distracted and you will find your horse is much less likely to get distracted as well. If you are focused, your horse will be focused it really is that straightforward.
Many people don't recognize what intentions really mean in terms of horsemanship and yet that really is the magic in training. The dictionary definition of the word intention is: "A course of action that one intends to follow. An aim that guides action; an objective." So when we are clear in our minds as to what our intentions are, our goals about how to achieve those intentions become clear as well. The mental process actually provides physical form. And as the horse reads body language the positioning of your body makes the magical communication happen with the horse. For example, when out trail riding, if your intention is to turn right and go through a gate, you need to already see yourself doing it in your mind's eye before you begin actually doing it. The process may have some difficulty in the horse not understanding or getting confused, but if you stay focused on going through the gate as you imagine it, it greatly helps the horse as they need purpose. One of the things that we have talked about before, is that with any exercise we do, we have to be able to picture our doing it every step. So imagine riding up to the gate, step, pivot, go through the gate, step, pivot to close the gate, move out away from the gate. If we cannot picture it, we will not be successful. If you can only see yourself going through the gate, then that's all you should do. Only do what you can actually perceive. Adjust your goals to meet your own ability to imagine.
Focus on Good Behavior
Another important aspect of your own mental training is not to get involved in the negative behavior of the horse. For example, if I have a rude, belligerent horse I do not get caught up in his negative behavior. I remain focused on the goals of the training only. If we are working in the round pen and he is bolting or charging, I am focused only on getting the response I want, which is for the horse to be relaxed, to have rhythm, balance, cadence, and that he wants to be with me. I am not worrying about the other behaviors just focused on what I need to do to achieve my goals. And frankly, that's often just a question of time, which is irrelevant to a horse. They operate on their own time. But again the mental image is key. You have to imagine the behavior and response you intend to get from the horse. It's the same with real estate. You can go out and look at a house as it is, or see it as it's meant to be. Do you get caught up on a brown lawn and peeling paint, or can you imagine the house after you have worked on it and see how it could look/should look? It's vital to learn to use our imagination to succeed and that's available to everyone we just don't seem to use it often with our horses.
Take the Chance, Accept the Risk
One of the reasons probably is that we get so fixated on fear and intimidation. But the reality is, those are very normal feelings when being around horses! But as a professional or even just a serious horse-lover, you have to be willing to take that extra step, whether it's to go into a show arena or out on the trail. You have to simply get on the horse one day, and to allow the practice of handling horses to take on its own life. But at some point, you have to be willing to take that chance, to accept the risk. And to do that - you have to be able to imagine yourself doing it with crystal clarity.
This is an especially common problem with many of the riders who return to horses as adults. They often feel like they want to give up, or get overwhelmed quickly. And that's no surprise. It seemed so easy to ride when we were young, and falling off was never a big deal. Now that we are older and don't bounce so good there is even more danger in handling and riding horses. So when you have those times of feeling overwhelmed or giving up, all it really means is that you need to back up in your relationship with the horse, and return to the basics until you are more comfortable. Can that mean you may be doing just groundwork for six months? Maybe. So what? I have a client who was extremely fearful. She returned to riding in her late 40's and got hurt trail riding shortly afterwards. But rather than giving up, she spent a year working her horse from the ground, and then finally riding in the round pen, then the arena, and then at about the end of that year, went back out on the trail. She has been she riding everywhere on the trail ever since! She did not give up. She instead reset her goals to be in line with what she could imagine herself doing. And slowly as her confidence built, she was able to imagine herself being more and more ambitious in her goals. Finally she broke through the fear barrier altogether and is now living her dream with her horse.
Your Mental State
It's easy to lose confidence when we push ourselves beyond what we can imagine ourselves doing. So have confidence in what your abilities truly are, define your intentions based on those abilities, imagine yourself accomplishing your intentions, and then stay completely focused on working with those goals every time you are with your horse.
Your mental state and preparation for your horse's training really is the most important thing that will determine your success, or failures. What you can imagine yourself doing, you can achieve! So don't be afraid to dream big when it comes to your relationship with your horse. Believe in yourself, be patient, persistent and those dreams will come true.
_________________________________
About Charles Wilhelm
Known as the creator of Ultimate Foundation Training, Charles combines the best of traditional, classical and natural horsemanship into a methodology that is applicable to any riding discipline. His extensive background includes: Dressage, Working Cow Horse, Reining, Western Pleasure and Trail. He is known for communicating and motivating people as well as his astounding natural abilities with a horse. He believes "It's Never, Ever the Horse's Fault" and his training methods reflect that belief. Charles specializes in re-schooling horses with often-severe issues.
Charles has a weekly television show, writes monthly columns, has two books and numerous training DVDs. He performs clinics and demonstrations at venues throughout the country. He offers extensive hands-on learning programs for every level of horsemanship that reflect his motto "Success Through Knowledge".
Click here for Charles Wilhelm's site.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Old Epiphany Thing
This came to me via a friend of a friend type thing (Fran is a friend of my mom's). Written by Fran Odom with Odom's Mountain Horse Ranch. She wrote this back in 2006 and it was something so profound that I saved it at the time. I rediscovered it today and am sharing with you. Read it once, read it again, then read it one more time. There is some VERY deep and interesting thoughts here. Emphasis in blue are mine:
Hi,
I had a new understanding come to me today. In working Hijo in the round pen, I noticed we had a long way to go. His turns to the inside were poor. When cued, he would stop straight, look at me, sometimes decide I was indicating to reverse, step around on his front feet and move off.
My first analysis determined that his move was not on his hinds stepping under, therefore I was getting nothing from him. This disclosed that somehow, some way I needed to drive him into the movement so that the momentum did not cease as he reversed to the inside. In observing his way of going I noticed it was haltingly always prepared to stop. Interpreting that attitude into future activities meant he would not go when needed nor would he stop when needed.
I decided to push for a canter – until he believed in me. It took a long time and many stops and goes before it came. But in the end the side that was so darn difficult indeed did a lovely wide inside turn never halting the movement. That was very pleasing. He learned it and repeated it well thereafter. However….
Going in the opposite direction has ALWAYS, since day one, been an issue to this horse. He did/does not like the look of life on that side. At any given moment he will attempt to turn and reverse. His inside turn is naturally inclined due to this preference; the goal was to keep him moving. He could make 7 or 8 laps and should I move an eyelash he would give it the old college try, even considering going over the top rail. He really didn’t want to go that direction.
Some of my exercises would be to ask for the outside turn instead (because the inside was his preference) and then an inside and continue forward (a 360).
As I observed his consistent effort to choose his own change in direction, I began to think about what affect I would have on him if I stopped too soon OR if I did not correct him until he became comfortable in the direction I requested.
The answer to that thought is fairly profound to me at this point. It may sound too simple. This horse needed to believe in me. Over and over he tested mostly because he didn’t feel comfortable on one side. He needed to not only do it but believe he could do it. When he would stop and try to reverse, his correction and being set back on course by me was the support he needed. For some reason as he went round and round, he believed it would end because he couldn’t do it without end (this type of belief the horse holds is that devil named Resistance). It was a responsibility of mine to stay long enough while he did it until……..
Until he began to feel well maybe I CAN do it… He tells himself and me his change of thought by licking his lips, stretching his neck, relaxing in the movement, taking direction and returning to it without stress or argument. He begins to get the feel of that direction and finding it comfortable.
The part I play in it is a commitment to him both by staying with him and being there for him when he thinks he must fail (quit) and pushing him onward until it no longer is an issue. In so doing he knows that I know his every moment of “weakness” wherein I made him strong. I was right there every single time and not once did I let him make that mistake. He can believe in me because I believed in him. It is only through this work and support can the horse grow in confidence. ~ C here: Go read that one again.
We humans think that when they do it wrong, we are being kind to not notice. Instead if we notice and correct it, the horse is comforted by that act. His comfort is knowing you are right there every second to support him.
I never viewed this effort as making a weak animal strong. I never realized the depth of the instinct to resist and hold onto an idea of not giving in. I now see the “do what you gotta do until you can get out of there!” resistance.
I never understood how letting the horse not do it perfectly was undermining his entire outlook and confidence. Because as long as he does not feel himself let go and stop resisting, he is learning how long it takes to hold out.
Back when I successfully got his GOOD inside turn on the difficult side, I stopped to allow him a little breather. During that time I asked him to come in to me. He couldn’t. After he worked through going the other direction without interruption, when I stopped him he came right in. The round pen is very revealing if you open your eyes and see what really is happening.
I still do not feel that I expressed all of the lesson I learned today. It’s pretty deep to see the difference between fake it and give it all. Had Jerry Tindell (Fran's instructor) not stayed so long with that red horse in the round pen, I would not have seen what was necessary to know when the give happened. The impact on the horse must really be something for it to experience. I know that if Sport had experienced all this in the beginning it would not have taken him so long to get this far.
I am a fairly stubborn person. I learned to hold out. Period.
To change, to soften, to release an idea, to reconsider, to try, those are not easy to do when holding out is the way of life. I can understand the lifted load a horse must feel when he has gone through the process. Once through the process he learned the answer. Now he holds the answer and can use it every time he is asked and use it with confidence! That must be empowering!!!
Well I am finished trying to explain now. I hope that something I said held meaning…and perhaps opened a small door for someone.
Hi,
I had a new understanding come to me today. In working Hijo in the round pen, I noticed we had a long way to go. His turns to the inside were poor. When cued, he would stop straight, look at me, sometimes decide I was indicating to reverse, step around on his front feet and move off.
My first analysis determined that his move was not on his hinds stepping under, therefore I was getting nothing from him. This disclosed that somehow, some way I needed to drive him into the movement so that the momentum did not cease as he reversed to the inside. In observing his way of going I noticed it was haltingly always prepared to stop. Interpreting that attitude into future activities meant he would not go when needed nor would he stop when needed.
I decided to push for a canter – until he believed in me. It took a long time and many stops and goes before it came. But in the end the side that was so darn difficult indeed did a lovely wide inside turn never halting the movement. That was very pleasing. He learned it and repeated it well thereafter. However….
Going in the opposite direction has ALWAYS, since day one, been an issue to this horse. He did/does not like the look of life on that side. At any given moment he will attempt to turn and reverse. His inside turn is naturally inclined due to this preference; the goal was to keep him moving. He could make 7 or 8 laps and should I move an eyelash he would give it the old college try, even considering going over the top rail. He really didn’t want to go that direction.
Some of my exercises would be to ask for the outside turn instead (because the inside was his preference) and then an inside and continue forward (a 360).
As I observed his consistent effort to choose his own change in direction, I began to think about what affect I would have on him if I stopped too soon OR if I did not correct him until he became comfortable in the direction I requested.
The answer to that thought is fairly profound to me at this point. It may sound too simple. This horse needed to believe in me. Over and over he tested mostly because he didn’t feel comfortable on one side. He needed to not only do it but believe he could do it. When he would stop and try to reverse, his correction and being set back on course by me was the support he needed. For some reason as he went round and round, he believed it would end because he couldn’t do it without end (this type of belief the horse holds is that devil named Resistance). It was a responsibility of mine to stay long enough while he did it until……..
Until he began to feel well maybe I CAN do it… He tells himself and me his change of thought by licking his lips, stretching his neck, relaxing in the movement, taking direction and returning to it without stress or argument. He begins to get the feel of that direction and finding it comfortable.
The part I play in it is a commitment to him both by staying with him and being there for him when he thinks he must fail (quit) and pushing him onward until it no longer is an issue. In so doing he knows that I know his every moment of “weakness” wherein I made him strong. I was right there every single time and not once did I let him make that mistake. He can believe in me because I believed in him. It is only through this work and support can the horse grow in confidence. ~ C here: Go read that one again.
We humans think that when they do it wrong, we are being kind to not notice. Instead if we notice and correct it, the horse is comforted by that act. His comfort is knowing you are right there every second to support him.
I never viewed this effort as making a weak animal strong. I never realized the depth of the instinct to resist and hold onto an idea of not giving in. I now see the “do what you gotta do until you can get out of there!” resistance.
I never understood how letting the horse not do it perfectly was undermining his entire outlook and confidence. Because as long as he does not feel himself let go and stop resisting, he is learning how long it takes to hold out.
Back when I successfully got his GOOD inside turn on the difficult side, I stopped to allow him a little breather. During that time I asked him to come in to me. He couldn’t. After he worked through going the other direction without interruption, when I stopped him he came right in. The round pen is very revealing if you open your eyes and see what really is happening.
I still do not feel that I expressed all of the lesson I learned today. It’s pretty deep to see the difference between fake it and give it all. Had Jerry Tindell (Fran's instructor) not stayed so long with that red horse in the round pen, I would not have seen what was necessary to know when the give happened. The impact on the horse must really be something for it to experience. I know that if Sport had experienced all this in the beginning it would not have taken him so long to get this far.
I am a fairly stubborn person. I learned to hold out. Period.
To change, to soften, to release an idea, to reconsider, to try, those are not easy to do when holding out is the way of life. I can understand the lifted load a horse must feel when he has gone through the process. Once through the process he learned the answer. Now he holds the answer and can use it every time he is asked and use it with confidence! That must be empowering!!!
Well I am finished trying to explain now. I hope that something I said held meaning…and perhaps opened a small door for someone.
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