LEAN ON ME

Summer is in full swing in the Bluegrass! This has several connotations.  As a Criminal Defense Attorney who specializes in Death Penalty litigation, this means that my case load goes up drastically.  There is something about the summer heat that inflames bad behaviour in people...and sometimes horses.  As a result I have had to come to terms with the fact that tempers flare-equine and human.  Fortunatley, the horse has a soul much deeper and more forgiving than that of most humans-including this one.

I currenlty represent 8 persons who are preparing to go to trial for their very lives.  This means that I am busier than most attorneys who do criminal work- and much more stressed.  One by one my clients are being noticed for death, and this has an effect upon my psychy.  My temper becomes short at times.  Frustration spills over from the work place to the barn. 

This past week, my new boy Witty, has progressed into real dressage training.  Witty is a 4 year old 17 hand American Saddlebred - green as grass with an attitude.  He is totally different that his "brother" Jordan.  Jordan is a Clydesdale cross, schooled to 2nd level, with the most layed back attitude of any horse I know.  He is forgiving- when my aids are not clear, he tolerates me until I get it straight.  He always tries his best- mainly because he knows his job-ususally better than I do- and he's good at it.

Not so much with Witty.  He is green as grass and just beginning to learn to move forward and accept the bridle- to actually carry himself.  He is unbalanced in school figures and does not yet know lateral movement.  What Jordan does automatically Witty must learn from scratch-and it's my responsibility to teach him.

On one such occasion this past week, I was tired and frustrated.  I was teaching Witty to longe with little success.  He knows how to longe, but he loves to spook at everything, fall into the circle, take off- basically act like the an equine idiot-becasue that is what green 4 year old hot blooded horses do.  He was not being bad- he just wasn't being Jordan, and I was having none of it.  As a result, I yelled at him, tried to force him to stay on the circle and basically allowed my frustration and bad day to spill over into his. 

On the walk back to the barn, all I could think was that I had bitten off more than I could chew- that I had made a mistake thinking I could train another horse on my own (as I had with Jordan) with the kind of work load I had,  and was trying to decide which trainer to ship him off to.  When we reached his stall, I began to remove the equipment while he again refused to stand still. Over come with emotion, I began to cry.  I leaned into his neck, sobbing....why couldn't he just get with the program?...why did everything have to be a fight with him? ...I have to fight every day in and out of court, I needed for him to give me a break!

And then the funniest thing happened....I felt his long, elegant neck come over my back, and pull me into his chest.  I stood there crying- allowing the day's frustration to flow out of me with every tear- Witty just stood there, holding me, still and quiet.  He got it.  I allowed myself to be vulnerable  and somehow- eventhough a different species- he got it!  The next day, Witty was a different horse and we had a different relationship.  I think he wanted to be vulnerable to- needed to let me know that he DIDN'T get it, but was wanting and willing to try.  He just needed me to understand that he was not Jordan, didn't know what Jordan knew and couldn't do what Jordan could....yet.  He just needed some understanding.  He needed to lean on me as much as I needed to lean on him.  We were not two separate teams at odds, but rather needed to be two members of the same team.  If we could do that we would succeed...and have fun doing it.

Our training has turned a corner now.  Witty has his head in the game and so do I. Lesson learned.  A horse is a living, thinking creature.  He will have good days and bad days, suffer frustration and elation.  Whatever you think your needs are in a day-probably his are similar.  Keep focused, but not necessarily on yourself.  Allow yourself to support and be supported by your equine partner...lean on each other...when you both come to realize you need to be understood as much as to understand, get ready to win!

Many Avenues....One Path.......

It always interests me to hear discussions among equestrians.  It seems like everyone who rides and actually competes- or doesnt'- seems to have their own idea about how things should be done in order to be successful at their sport....and yours.  If you talk to dressage riders, they will swear that only one set of aids will influence the inside hind properly- reiners will tell you the opposite, and both will insist they are right!

I have had the opportunity of late to be boarded at a saddlebred barn- a first for me.  I am amazed at these horses.  They are as aerobically fit as an eventer! They have to be- they move in a way that seemingly utilizes massive amounts of energy.  To me, a seasoned dressage rider, their movement is unnatural.  However, they are bred to move in such a manner, and watching them work, and seemingly enjoy their work,  I can find the beauty in it. 

The owner of the barn, Beth Whitfield, is a saddlebred trainer.  She comes from a standardbred racing background with a little Monty Roberts thrown in for good measure.   She is smart when it comes to horses, believing that affection is important but obedience is necessary.  She believes that they should be disciplined as the boss mare would discipline them at liberty.  When they disobey in hand, they are backed up several feet in a not so gentle manner.  When they do well, they are asked to lower their head- as a reward and an act of submission. This, she tells me, translates wonderfully to work under saddle- and she is right!

  I have never been into the entire "natural horsemanship" thing, but I have to tell you, it works!  Whitty and I have been working in hand using Beth's principals and he is coming along by leaps and bounds.  He is becoming obedient, respectful of my space, and most importantly, trusting of me and confident in himself.  Beth has patiently showed me the techniques she uses to start young saddlebreds- to get them wise to the bridle and laterally flexible.  I have watched Beth  long lining horses at all gaits.  Horses are not just worked in an arena, but rather are long lined all over the neighborhood - not so different from the way I broke Jordi.

I have read books by dressage masters that have not provided me with the information or techniques necessary to get my beloved Jordi to quit hanging on my hands.  Beth gave me a bit known as a Waterford Snaffle which accomplished in 20 minutes what weeks of transitions could not.  Jordi was light as a feather and carrying himself- apparently laying on that Waterford bit is not a comfy proposition and Jordi learned quickly that he did not want to do that!  Horses, like humans, are comfort seekers. Make it uncomfortable for them to do the wrong thing, and they will choose the correct thing every time!  More importantly, they will choose it quickly because it becomes their idea to do so!

So, the lesson of this blog is simple- don't discount anything or anyone when it comes to equestrian sport.  Your way may be tried and true, but don't think for a minute there is not another technique that will get the job done- maybe better and faster that your own method.  We can learn from everyone who trains or rides these marvelous animals.  We can take another discipline's methodology, tweak it to suit our own, and create success we may never have had otherwise.

The important thing to being successful in any form of equestrian sport is to allow the horse to make the right choices as a thinking and feeling member of the "team".  In this way, the horse learns to join the rider in the work, not just be the object of the work.  The horse learns to enjoy it's job, and a happy horse is a winning horse, regardless of the discipline in which it competes.

When it comes to the path of equestrian success, there are many avenues to take...pick one and enjoy the ride!