Finn's Semi-Vacation

I feel bad I haven't posted in forever, but truth be told, nothing much is happening. I started my seasonal job at UPS last Monday (it's pretty much awesome, by the way) and riding is pretty much out on the weekdays until that wraps up right after Christmas.

Last week, I made it out to feed him his grain a couple times during the week. This week, I got out there Wednesday, and I expect I won't go again until Saturday. The plus side of this is it means I'm working a decent number of hours per day, and thus earning much needed cash. The OTHER plus side of this is it means Finn is super excited to see me when I do get down there! It helps that the bottom pasture is closed off... that always gets him more enthusiastic about my arrival.

I expect our rides on the weekends to be low pressure and fun. Mostly, we're just chilling. And thinking. I'm doing a lot of thinking. But the truth is, there's really nothing new to be thought. I know what I need to do with my horse and for myself. Now I just need to do it.

Except one thing: I am contemplating giving regular lessons a try. There's an instructor in the area I think I just might get along with. I am hesitant, but I could really use eyes on the ground sometimes. I could really use someone to hold me more accountable for my riding. So, I'm considering it.

And I'm really torn about the saddle situation. I didn't like the new Thorowgood T8, which means I'd really like to get my hands on one of the older ones before they're all sold. Since they won't be manufactured anymore, there is a very real possibility I won't be able to find one if I don't get one soon. My budget is looking kinda sketchy though, so I'm not sure I can justify it. I've put my Ansur up for sale in a few places hoping to help things along, but I'm not terribly optimistic.

So, that's pretty much it. Boring, I know.

Feel and Timing

As predicted, things are returning to normal between Finn and I. He's been coming up to me in the pasture like usual, and today I turned him loose most of the way across the bottom pasture from Fiver and he showed no need to bolt away from me. In fact, he was still grazing happily where I left him as I pulled out the driveway. That's what I like to see.

I rode him today and yesterday... not unexpectedly, it feels a little like starting over again after his week of semi-vacation. I've been riding out from my car parked at the lower gate and the stretch of driveway that passed behind the upper gate and shelters is providing its usual challenge. Finn is convinced monsters hide there.

Yesterday, I confess I let myself get a little flustered and frustrated, but we eventually achieved some measure of understanding. I made the goal simple: take me to the next "safe-spot" (ie - the space where I park my car when I park near the upper gate) so I can dismount. We did quite a bit of trotting through the scary, squeezy part, and I allowed Finn to show me some rather impressive movement. A few times, he got very suspended and powerful in his trot, and boy is that a feeling! Although it's not coming from a relaxed state right now, I am reluctant to shut it down at this stage. In fact, I want him to feel he can offer that amount of energy and freedom while I'm on his back. I am sure going to want it later! This little horse is going to have an extended trot to die for one day.

Today, I planned to by-pass that confidence issue by leading him to the arena for a ride. I wanted to do a little work on the D,N exercises, because I am eager to keep making progress on that front. But somehow that ended up NOT being what we did. For whatever reason I was compelled to repeat yesterday's goal instead... take me to the "safe-spot" calmly so I can dismount and we can be done.

I'm glad I did, because I actually had an excellent ride. One of the things that was really getting to me yesterday was my failure to feel like I consistently get the HQ/FQ turns right. While I can generally get the HQ and then the shoulders to yield, I knew the footwork wasn't accurate, and I can't consistently cause Finn to step his forehand smoothly across. He is generally either lagging or leaping.

Yesterday I was squarely in a state of conscious incompetence... I felt like Finn was getting more dull to my rein and leg, but I knew that it was because my timing wasn't right and my feel wasn't accurate enough. I was asking him at times he was unable to comply, and not feeling his feet well enough to even know how close or far we were from getting it right. That's what really started frustrating me. But today I was able to keep the frustration at bay and simply practice... brushing it off when we totally missed.

That was a big improvement for sure. And I was able to feel for the hind feet moving under him as he yielded his HQ, and at least attempt to ask the FH to come through when it was able to. I'm aiming to ask when the outside hind lands, and I'm releasing for even small efforts if the inside front attempts to reach promptly when I ask.

This stuff is SO not easy. Trying to feel what the feet are actually doing has frustrated me endlessly for the last several years... frustrated me to the point that I usually just abandon it and continue on in ignorance. I want to be done with that pattern. There is, after all, only one way to get better, and that is to endure the frustration and commit to the long process of practicing until I get it.

I do so want to actually feel those feet under me, to be able to direct them with good timing and feel as though they are my own. I've got a lot of work to do.

Onward and Upward

Today Finn walked up to me in the pasture from about 100 feet away. I'll take that as progress. I really don't imagine it'll take us too long to get back to normal... horses are so much quicker to move on than we are. The emotional charge is starting to ebb from my thoughts, as I knew it would in time. Onwards and upwards.

I set Finn the very simple goal of not pulling his lead rope through the crook of my elbow as I led him to the gate. Except for two small lapses, he was 100% successful. Aside from giving him his supplements, I decided to start teaching him to place a hind foot in his feed pan. I figured this would be a simple and clear thing we could talk about that shouldn't be too challenging for him, a recipe for success.

I was actually surprised because the first two times I simply lined him up, backed him up, and he stepped in the pan. Easy-peasy. I gave him a small piece of carrot each time. And then he decided he might ought to be concerned.

It took some time to get the third good try. What worked turned out to be convincing Finn that he could, in fact, yield his hindquarters to the other side of the feed pan while keeping his front end still, which meant he was moving the pan under his belly during the yield.

He was initially convinced that this was an impossible feat. Then he made a few sloppy efforts which resulted in him haphazardly stepping in the pan, occasionally dragging it or flipping it around. This put him off at first, and then I think he made the critical mental leap of realizing the moving pan was not actually a threat to his safety. After that he yielded across the pan thoughtfully and accurately, not stepping in or on it at all.

And THEN... I was able to just line him up and back his hind foot into the pan again. Easy-peasy. I delivered another carrot, and we left it at that.

Because I was running short on time, I didn't take him as close to Fiver as I otherwise would have to turn him loose again. When I released him he walked about 20 feet, than bolted off in Fiver's general direction. I hate that feeling, I really do, but today I was able to just write it off as a pattern he has unfortunately developed. It doesn't mean he hates me or can't wait to get away from me... it just is what it is. And we'll fix it, I have no doubt.

So things are looking up with us. I really did know this little hiccup would pass. This doesn't necessarily determine for sure that he is indeed the horse for me, forever... but my patience and good humor for his quirks is restored and we can move on.

Reset

It has definitely been too long (two weeks!) since my last update. One big and exciting thing happened, which is Finn and I had our first conversation about finding the sweet spot somewhat by mistake! Once I realized what I had done, we were able to recreate it a few times. This had definitely encouraged me to be a little less "rigid" as I continue through the D,N material. Sometimes I am way too good at holding myself back!

One bittersweet thing happened... I sent the Thorowgood Jump saddle I was trying back to SmartPak and ordered the new version from Hastilow. It may take up to 10 weeks for the new saddle to arrive. Although I was sad to pack the saddle up and send it away, I really want to give the updated version a try before making a final decision. I am hoping it feels even better than the one I had!

One fascinating thing happened... S was super curious about Finn and the tarp, so she came out and played with him and it for several hours one day last week. One thing is for certain: it is not just me! Of course, I was pretty sure it wasn't just me, but I suppose you never know. Finn definitely wasn't about to give up his reservations about the tarp just because someone else suggested it to him.

And then a few sucky things happened... while watching S play with Finn and the tarp, I kinda alternated between being disheartened and encouraged. While new ideas were discussed (and some of them tried right then and there) and I was afterwards re-inspired to pursue them, over the next few, really quite low-pressure days, Finn became progressively more spooky, more tense and less willing or eager to meet me in the pasture. I gave up on my whole idea of spending 7 days having the tarp around even when we weren't actively discussing it. And then I suppose I just used up my very last drops of patience because, even without the tarp factoring in, I couldn't even bring Finn over to my car for some grain in a relaxed and calm manner.

I drove home in tears wondering if I should just give up. Either on Finn, or on horsemanship as a whole. To be honest, I have not entirely dropped the thought of selling Finn yet. In my mind, there is a very real possibility there might be someone out there better suited to him. Maybe someone he would just "click" with and trust right off the bat. Stranger things have happened.

Regardless, I knew the next step would have to be a break until I recovered some patience and desire to interact with him. I skipped the barn entirely one day, then went down just to feed him the next. When he saw me, he galloped to the farthest corner of the field and I didn't have what it takes to go after him, so I just dumped his feed out and went home. The next day (today), I actually caught him up and fed him. So at least now we've put one new positive experience on top of the bad stuff.

Many thoughts, questions and emotions have come up over the last several days and I only want to share those I think are the most important. First, I feel it is apparent that Finn needs a different approach, and I could see it going one of two ways. Either he needs someone to make everything about his relaxation and confidence, going super slow and not getting impatient with him... or he needs someone to make light of his lack of confidence and just laugh it off and work around it. To be frank, I am more inclined to be the latter.

Lastly, I want to share a potentially radical idea I've had about re-framing my horsemanship altogether. I am seriously considering the idea that maybe I don't want to keep Finn "forever." I wasn't committed one way or another when I acquired him... I thought I might sell him on in the future. More to the point, I am wondering whether I really want to keep any horse "forever." In some ways, since I lack the resources to have more than one at a time, feeling like this one has to be "the one" feels a little claustrophobic.

Obviously, I'm not going to move on any of this right away. Even if I decide to re-cast Finn as a resale project, I still have a few things I want him to know before I'd let him move on... ie, the basics of healthy biomechanics... and that'd be a few months in the doing at least. But, I am considering it. And I trust the path forward will become clearer as I, well, move forward. Because either way, the next thing that has to happen is I need to get back on good terms with my horse and my horsemanship.

I may discuss this in more detail in a later blog. It may appear out of the blue, but I assure you it is not. For me, there is definitely an appeal to the idea. A very real appeal. There is part of me that would very much like to buy and sell a few horses without the intention that any of them be my lifetime partner... and keep doing that until I find one I honestly and completely don't want to be without.

For now, though, I'm focusing on getting a reset on my relationship with Finn. Today was a reasonable start. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

500!

As of yesterday, I have logged 501.5 hours with Finn this year. We reached our goal of 500 hours in 2014! And with time to spare, I might add. I am grateful, though, to have done it before I start my seasonal position at UPS, since I am unsure how much time that will leave me to ride. We have had a busy, productive, hard-working year so far, and it is likely we're headed into a bit of a lighter winter.

I was super pleased I was able to "celebrate" reaching 500 hours on a stellar trail ride with S and a visiting friend of hers. We went to Clear Creek and went even further than last time; I think we did between 8 and 9 miles total. The Fall weather was glorious and, as usual, the mountains were beautiful.

"Termination dust" (snow) on the mountains.

Finn was absolutely super. He took a couple small spooks, but for the most part felt very grounded. I think his confidence was a little shaken by the experience at Montaña de Oro. When we turned around, he was a little over-forward for a while, but patiently insisting that he maintain the same distance behind slower-walking Rainey helped him settle down. He gradually started taking more and more responsibility for maintaining the space, even when it meant balancing himself better downhill to avoid falling into it. I was pleased. He also crossed a bridge twice, following Cody closely for confidence. I was VERY pleased. And we even had a chance to practice water crossing, thanks to a large puddle in the parking area!

Fun to ride with a group of three!

All in all, it was a lovely, relaxing, awesome ride. I felt very grateful for the horse underneath me, the time we've spent together this year, and all the tremendous experiences we've had. They've been fun, challenging, funny, scary, frustrating, relaxing and everything else imaginable, and we've been together through it all.

Customary ears photo.

I am, of course, contemplating my goals for next year already. I have a general idea of where I want to head... continuing with our study of Dressage, Naturally, for sure. Starting Finn over fences. Taking him to his first shows at some local dressage and/or H/J schooling shows. But I'm not quite sure what I want my specific goals to be. Whether I want to increase my hours, or trust that being employed all year will make getting 500 again challenging enough. I may set a goal next year for the number of rides I put on him... There are so many options, and I have quite a while to choose.

And here's my favorite pic from the ride; I'm so glad it occurred to me that this little turn in the trail would make a nice photo op! I adore Finn's expression here, even though one can barely make it out. I'm just glad to have a photo that captures my joy for me... my love for this challenging little horse and for the beauty of Northern Nevada. Things are looking up. :)

Two Videos are Better Than One

First up, when R was out at the farm with me yesterday, he took a few short videos of me riding Finn in the new saddle. I wanted to keep it simple, so I rode a large circle around him and he shot a lap or two of each gait. Here is the finished product:



R over-exposed so I'd be able to see detail around the saddle, since that was the main point of the project. Must say, I like how it looks on us!

I think this will also serve as a better "before" video for our study of Dressage, Naturally because I have figured a few things out since that last video that have really shifted some things. For one, Karen's presentation about the four different postures helped me gain clarity. In this video, I am committed to the "whatever" posture... ie - I'm letting Finn do as he pleases. I'm not asking him to hols himself in any particular way, and I'm not being super particular about his energy. I'm just rolling my bubble along and expecting him to stay in it.

One thing I do want to note is that this video definitely shows me I need to revise my feel for energy a bit. Finn is really moving well in this video... certainly not super active and inspiring, but he is a flowing mover with a long stride and a natural desire to stay balanced. While we will, over time, be more balanced and do higher energy things in balance, I think it is a bit unfair of me to pick at him incessantly over this neutral energy, as he is certainly not crawling.

I sort of wish we'd taken some video of our transitions, because our transitions have really gotten better since I started experimenting with "go is release" and being more deliberate about the "get ready" part of the transition. Far from perfect, but so, so much better!

Next up, I took the tarp out with me today and alternated playing with it and playing with the cavalletti. Finn ACED the cavalletti, by the way... even at the canter! He definitely showed me that he understood the objective of maintaining gait through the canter poles, and even adjusted his stride approaching the poles to meet them at a doable distance. Super horse!

Back to the video, though, this is just one of the things we did with the tarp today. I was super pleased with Finn's reaction. This is where we ended up, obviously; not where we started. Even when we started, though, he was very self-controlled. I kept tossing until he could refrain from moving his feet to sniff the tarp where it landed.

You can see in the video that a couple unexpected things happened, and Finn handled them like a pro. Go pony!



We also worked on crossing the tarp and had the interesting revelation that sometimes more is better. For example, crossing the tarp at a trot might be easier than crossing it at a walk. And getting a walk across the whole tarp laid flat might be easier than getting the walk when the tarp is folded in half. All in all, I'm happy I was able to keep an open mind and be flexible in search of what would help Finn accomplish what I was asking of him!

What's Up

I've been a somewhat neglectful blogger this last few weeks, I think. Especially because there's actually been quite a bit of "excitement" going on here, what with the arrival of the Thorowgood T8 Jump saddle I ordered from SmartPak. It arrived on Thursday and has been the main focus of my existence ever since.

Tell me that isn't a thing of beauty. Go ahead and try. It's a synthetic/leather hybrid, but I think it could easily pass for leather to anyone who doesn't look close. Don't you? It also feels lovely (especially the leather parts) and the workmanship appears excellent. For a $895 saddle, I am definitely impressed.

Beauty is as beauty does, of course, but half the beauty of this saddle is it sits on Finn's back like it belongs there. Oh thank heavens; I think I almost forgot a saddle could do that! While I'm still not 100% confident of the fit (will I ever be?), there is no doubt that it is the best of the saddles we've tried. I'm still unresolved on the finer points, but the basics are correct.

I had R come to the barn to take some photos and video of me sitting in the saddle so I could get a better perspective on how it fits me. I'm no expert, but I think it looks darn good. No doubt in my mind it feels stellar. When I tried the Barnsby on him a few weeks ago, or the Balance saddles a few months ago, it felt awful. I wondered if I was so used to riding treeless that anything else would feel weird. This, though, does not feel weird. It feels absolutely natural.

Holy cow, am I really gonna jump this horse one day!? Yes, my friends. The answer is yes. The jury is still out on how exactly this saddle deal is going to resolve itself, but I'm confident at this point the end result will be a Thorowgood in my possession. Huzzah!

In other news, I rejoined the Dressage, Naturally Classroom and have been catching up on the videos I missed since my membership lapsed. While there are MANY things I could share about the videos I've watched, my primary observation has been that the information in the classroom is presented in a more fluid way than the book. Watching some videos of Karen herself riding has made me realize I am probably being too much of a perfectionist and dwelling too long on the very basic basics.

This is a tough balance for me to find. Yes, I want to do things thoroughly, but being too much of a stickler can really be counter-productive. If I expect that Finn must come out every day with perfect responses about energy, relaxation and balance before we're allowed to move on, I'll really be holding us back. As long as we can have and improve the conversations through our rides, they'll continue to improve on a more fundamental level over time.

So, I'm resolving to be a little less of a stickler... to play and experiment more freely... and allow Finn to show me the shining, healthy, powerful pony he's always had inside!

Go is Release

Karen Rohlf does this speed-coaching thing on Facebook. The "game" is you have to pose your question or problem in only five words, and she answers in three. She posts about it unannounced and, in theory, only answers the first handful of questions she receives, so a little luck and good timing is essential. It just so happens those things were on my side yesterday evening!

I even had a question planned, one I'd been thinking about asking if I was ever "on time" for Karen's post. I hadn't thought about it in a few weeks though, and I almost didn't ask because I didn't feel like it was such a pressing issue for Finn and I anymore. In the end, though, I decided to go ahead with it. The question (or problem) was: "distinguish 'get ready' and 'go.'"

Karen's answer was: "Go is release."

My initial thought was "hmmm." Clearly the point of a three-word answer is to point one's thoughts in the right direction rather than fully explain anything! So think I did... and not without a bit of confusion and a touch of frustration. Okay, go is release... but how?

It's not like the idea was totally foreign to me. I can recall the feeling of asking for a trot lengthening like that... when you compress the trot a bit and build up energy in the corner and then allow the horse to power up into the diagonal or long side, and it does feel like release. But I was a little stuck on how that applied to other transitions. Halt to walk, for example. And I was even more stuck on how it'd apply to riding on a loose rein or even playing on line. I suppose because I was erroneously thinking of the reins as the only way to instruct the horse to wait while you build the next gait inside the current one. How wrong was I!

I think the best thing about Karen's response was that it reminded me that "go" can and should feel like a release, which is a far, far cry from where Finn and I have been lately! As I contemplated that last night, I could see that I had gotten way off track, because "go" felt like pressure and more pressure, like PUSHING and disharmony. In short, it felt pretty awful!

So, I went to the barn today thinking about that. I also downloaded Karen's audio recording about relaxation, energy and balance, and listened to the energy segment while driving to the barn. That provided another super helpful gem in the form of a simulation demonstrating how the "get ready" and "go" conversations might sound from one human to another.

I played with Finn on line only today. I slowed down and was more deliberate. I talked aloud a bit more to help myself focus on the desired feel. And I tried to feel the new gait within the old one, build it up, and find a feeling of simply releasing into the transitions. To some degree this was a leap of faith... I just pretended I expected it to work, and lo and behold, it actually did. Yes, I had to get a bit "bigger" to clarify to Finn what I meant a few times, and a few times I had to remind him to try instead of tuning me out, but the bottom line is WE FOUND IT.

We found upward transitions that felt like release. We found a walk that had a trot inside, and a trot that contained a canter. And in taking things a little slower with the trot, I think we even found a few tiny glimpses of real power (that elusive combination of energy and relaxation) in which Finn pushed and lengthened with each stride instead of hurrying. The silly thing is, he is apt to do that... but I have a sharper eye for quick than powerful, and I think tend to push him quicker than I should.

So, hooray! It felt like a big triumph for us. In addition to all the transitions and gaits being improved, Finn's attitude was also much more willing! Goodness I hope I can find this stuff under saddle next. Crossing my fingers that the Thorowgood arrives early enough tomorrow to take it out to the barn, but I'm not holding my breath.

Groundwork

Somewhat without meaning to, I ended up deciding to give Finn a light week. He certainly deserves it after how hard he worked and tried on the camping trip. To some degree this was precipitated by my ongoing concerns about the suitability of the Ansur saddle and the fact that the Thorowgood T8 jumping saddle I've been wanting to try is due to arrive on Thursday. On point or not, I kinda wanted to give his back a break before fitting and trying the new saddle.

It was also brought about by a desire to revisit some groundwork after our the Montaña de Oro trip. I figured a few days focusing on groundwork would be a nice change of pace and give Finn's back a break, too. Seemed like an all-around win.

I pulled out Buck Brannaman's red groundwork book and started looking through it for things we haven't done yet. Since we now have a nice round pen to work with, I am also able to do some things I couldn't do before. For example, the lass rope exercise where you throw the slack between the horse and the fence while the horse is moving around the pen and then yield the HQ towards you and allow the horse to change eyes and go the other way. That one confused Finn at first, but the great thing about him is confusion doesn't really turn into fear with this stuff. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had kicked at the rope as part of his learning curve, but he never did.

Today I even did the exercise where you "rope" a hind foot and stop the horse from trot or canter by applying steady pressure. While this made me a little nervous, once again there was no panic on Finn's part. Our biggest challenge was that Finn wanted to turn towards me when he stopped.

Finn's laid back reactions to this stuff are definitely encouraging. At least I can say he's got some good stuff in him, but of course I'm still wondering about the stuff that isn't. So this is all fine and dandy, but his spooks and reactions on the camping trip tell me there is still stuff that needs to be dug out. I'm just not sure how to go about getting at it. More plastic bag, I guess. And more tarp. Maybe tomorrow I'll bring those toys and do some of the fence work with them and see what I can find.

I have been considering looping the handles of a plastic bag around his fetlock, but I wonder if that's taking it too far. For one thing, I worry he'll step on the bag with his other front foot, or even a hind. On the one hand I suppose I'd like him to be prepared for the eventuality, just don't want to be unfair or unsafe in the process of getting him there.

I've also been continuing to practice my D,N groundwork, working towards finding the sweet spot on line, and today I added in a few cavalletti exercises as well. First I set them for a walk and rewarded him when he chose to stretch his stride and go forward to make them instead of putting in a tiny half-step to make the distance work. I then set them at a trot, which he is an old pro at. He stretches his top line and looks LOVELY over trot poles.

Finally, I really upped the ante and set two canter poles for him! I experimented with the distance and settled at 10 - 11 of my foot lengths. At this stage of the game, I don't want to make it hard for him. I want the distance to match his stride pretty closely. Even with an easy distance, this was definitely a challenge. Many attempts were fumbled. Going right (and uphill, the way I had the poles set) was easier than going left.

He got a little rushed at points, especially because I had to remind him a few times what the request for canter meant. (Energy!) His last success to the right was a thing of beauty... he was relaxed, has a slightly slower tempo, and actually stretched a bit to find the distance. His last success to the left was a lot less glorious, but it was a start. This is definitely going on our list of things to keep on doing. I'd like to get to cantering all four poles someday soon, so I'll just keep building him up until he's ready.

Wrapping up, I want to share this conformation shot R took of Finn about two weeks ago:

I know the light is a little harsh on his neck. I'm going to consider this our starting point for our new adventure into dressage. For comparison, here's a photo of Finn before he was started:

Gosh he's pretty, isn't he? It can be difficult to make useful comparisons between photos with a lot of inconsistency... the horse has definitely changed in demeanor, which for sure effects his appearance. I also can't vouch for the ground in either of these situations being especially level. But the one thing I do believe I see is an increase in the dip in front of his withers in the more recent photo.

I'm not going to obsess over it, but this does add a little bit of urgency to my decision to begin the D,N program with him. I am in a hurry to learn to help my horse move better and be healthier! The trick is to not let that hurry enter into our day-to-day interactions and cause impatience.

Montaña de Oro: We're Back!

Actually, we got back late Wednesday night, but it has taken me this long to scrape up the motivation to write a blog post about it. The trip to Montaña de Oro was more challenging than I expected in several ways, and I think Finn and I were both pretty drained by the experience.

First off, the trails were more of a physical challenge than I expected. Many of the trails around the horse camp and towards the beach consisted of deep sand. While perfectly logical, I just wasn't prepared for that, especially because many of the trails also featured significant elevation changes. Fortunately, Finn was up to the job, thanks to our extensive riding all summer.

Sandy trail en route to the beach.

Next, the trails definitely challenged Finn's confidence more than I expected. There were many places where steps had been added to help resist erosion, and if there was more than one step close together, it became cause for consternation. I was definitely surprised by this, and there were several places where I had to get off to walk Finn through tricky parts of the trail. In fact, on day three, we encountered what pretty much amounted to a full-on flight of stairs, and I simply chose to get off and walk him back to camp. By that point, it was clear he wasn't getting more confident, but instead more anxious, so I figured it was time to cut our losses.

The beach also challenged Finn more than I expected. While I certainly wasn't expecting him to walk right into the surf without question, I didn't realize we would have so much trouble with clumps of seaweed, the way wet sand changes color when you step on it, or even the effect of hoof prints being left on fresh sand. Looking back I sort of wish I had lowered my standards a whole bunch and simply been happy with less, as even my best efforts fell short of accomplishing what I thought were reasonable goals. Live and learn, I guess.

Really not bad for first-timers.

Finally, the size of the group seemed to unnerve Finn more than I expected as well. After his success riding out with the group during the Washoe Lake overnight, I thought we were covered, but this environment was much less forgiving for a nervous horse and offered far fewer options for helping him stay with me.  I had some success just keeping him in front of the group when he was feeling a little amped, and we definitely had spans where he was able to relax and be in the middle, or even the back, so it's not like there are NO positives to note.

Bringing up the rear on day one.

Finn became extremely attached to Tiva during this trip. Perhaps I shouldn't have put him in a pen next to her... something I will consider for next time. But this wasn't a huge surprise; while S and I have worked on separation on our rides around home, I know Finn isn't fully confident when Tiva leaves us behind. If Tiva is behind us, he's usually fine, but Tiva going out ahead of us is a whole different story. He is by no means unmanageable or impossible over this, but it is difficult to have genuine connection with your horse when half his brain is locked on keeping track of his buddy.

Not saying they don't make a cute pair...

Finn's confidence definitely took a hit on this trip, and I'd have to say I think mine did, too. Especially because on day two I fell off Finn for the first time, and the second. Yeah, day two kinda sucked.

The first fall happened like this: I was riding along on a loose rein and Finn felt totally relaxed. Tiva was leading us by a horse length or two, and the rest of the pack was behind us. We were winding through some sandy trails towards the beach. Tiva tripped and stumbled, and my horse pretty much vanished from underneath me. There were some loose branches in the sand around where this happened, so they may have played a part in Finn's spook, but I'm not really certain.

I hit the ground with the reins still in my hand and, of course, tried to hold on to keep from losing my horse. Unfortunately that basically turned me into an unidentified potential monster trapping Finn in a mortal danger in his mind and he sent a double-barrel kick my way and connected with my right shin. At that point I am grateful I had the presence of mind to recognize what was happening and just let go. He blasted past the other riders at Mach 10 and galloped off like the terrified prey animal he was.

Luckily, and true to form, he didn't go far. With nothing further contributing to his terror, he crossed his flight line, realized he was alone and stopped to look for the herd, which was waiting where he had left us. I prepared to hike out there to fetch him, but he soon came bounding back, cutting through the brush, and headed straight for Tiva. After pausing for a few minutes to let our adrenaline wear off, I remounted and we continued on our way.

The second fall happened on the beach. I was trying to get Finn to step into the receding waves and he got startled and once again spun so fast it was like he practically disappeared from under me. Luckily this time I landed on my bum in front of him, in a position where I could hold onto my reins without risk of being kicked. After pulling back for a moment, he calmed down and realized it was just me down there.

I'm not going to lie, this is somewhat unnerving. I have sat through lots of Finn's spooks, but these were really in a whole different category when it comes to speed and suddenness. Maybe I would have held on better if I'd had my own saddle with it's lovely suede seat (I do find the saddle I'm borrowing from S very slippery to sit on), but who really knows? On a positive note, at least the saddle didn't spin like I've always worried about!

I am considering not riding in S's saddle anymore... which will basically amount to not riding anymore until I can get a new saddle. I have one en route from Smart Pak to try that I have high hopes for... I am REALLY hoping the Thorowgood T8 Jump saddle proves the answer for us.

But I am itching to get back on my horse. We finished out that second ride without any further problems; Finn was as relaxed as could be heading home from the beach, aside from being extra skeptical about a few things that had hardly bothered him on the way out. But still, I feel like we've now had a string of less-than-successful rides, and I'm impatient to begin re-building some positivity in our partnership.

Anyway, the third ride (on the next day) was the one where I turned back at the stairs. Apparently that trail was chock full of similar challenges, so I'm glad I made the choice that I did. In retrospect, I wish I'd have taken a few minutes to walk him down and up the stairs from the ground, but I don't want to waste time fretting over THAT of all things. We went back to camp alone, which he did willingly and with relative calm, although he was calling fairly regularly. After working him some on the ground, I tied him to the hitching rail and let him practice that for the next several hours.

He actually settled down quite well while the other horses were gone, but he had quite a melt down when Tiva returned, went out of sight to be untacked, and then went to her pen. It took several hours for him to really find peace on the rail.

The next morning, I tied him while I was cleaning his pen and getting ready to ride and was super pleased that he was contented to stand right off the bat. However, when S took Tiva to the trailer to tack up, he lost his cookies all over again and I ultimately elected to just stay at camp and let him work that out. While it was a bummer to miss the last ride, I felt it was the right decision for Finn at the time. Going out on those rides certainly wasn't helping him! He actually did quite well, settling down to stand pretty calmly only 30 minutes after the other horses left.

Realizing he hasn't been left here to die.

He once again had a bit of a fit when Tiva returned. In an ideal world I would have let him stand at the rail until he was over it, but with the long drive back to NV ahead, I had to settle for less.

All in all, the trip didn't go quite like I hoped, but that's life. Group setting and challenging trails like this are good for pointing out all our holes, and not so good for fixing anything. That is the attitude I am trying to take for all this... I now know more about where Finn and I are struggling and all I can do now we're home is do my best to fix it. More to the point, trying to fix these things on the trail wouldn't have worked; not with this group, not in that setting. Sometimes you just have to live to fight another day.

Yes, this was all somewhat discouraging. Yes, it has made me question my horsemanship and my goals for this horse. Yes, I shed some tears and had some lapses in positive attitude. In the end, however, that's just life.

I look forward to getting back to some routine riding and seeing where we're at. I feel like I am still in need of better tools and techniques for this horse if he is ever going to be a solid trail horse. I feel like I really need a better strategy for helping him navigate tricky things. But paramount in my mind at the moment is a commitment to setting us both up for success in the immediate future. I slipped up and over-faced him, not just on this ride, but on some of our other recent rides as well. Now we're both a little less confident, and only time and positive experience can repair that.

Token photo from the inland trails.

Onward and Upward

I was fortunate enough to have R come out to the barn and take some video of Finn and I today, like I've been hoping to do for some time. As I'm delving into the Dressage, Naturally material, I wanted some "baseline" footage... this is where we started.

Although I have watched most of the video, I don't have anything to share yet. Shooting with R's fancy cameras often means the process of cutting the video together is a bit more involved, and my time was pretty limited this afternoon, for reasons I will get to in a moment. First, though, I want to at least share my observations.

As usual, I was impressed by Finn's rhythm, general relaxation and natural movement. There is no doubt in my mind that everything with this horse comes from and returns to relaxation (except when it doesn't, like when he totally looses over something that unnerves him, but we're not practicing our dressage in those moments). He may not fully understand how to combine energy and relaxation yet, but I think that's more physical than mental. And he goes right back to sleep in no time flat.

He is also not a horse that has trouble reaching under himself with his hind legs. Finn has a very naturally long and reaching stride. Now, that's not necessarily the same as him actually carrying and/or pushing with his hind end, but at least he's got a head start of sorts. Although his "neutral" trot can feel slow as molasses from the saddle, in the video it looks rhythmic and supple with a still decent length of stride.

Although I still often feel like I'm treading water on our discussion about energy, the fact is I saw a clear change in the video. His willingness to go is definitely increased; walk, trot and canter. Additionally, in the video it was plain that some of the higher energy trots I've been asking for are beyond his ability to perform in balance. To put that another way, I'm running him off his feet.

That, combined with having to watch myself (after already being somewhat discouraged to feel myself do this) fall into drilling him, really made it clear to me that I need a clearer and more appropriate picture of what I'm asking for. Often in my rides I get carried away by something I'm trying to accomplish and I work at it too long without pausing to appreciate Finn's effort or consider what I could change to make it easier for him. In this case, a more moderate idea of the energy I'm requesting and more commitment to getting it crisply and letting Finn understand his success would really improve the feel and productivity of our sessions.

I was really pleased watching Finn's whoosh-y yields out of the walk, too. Both his hindquarter and forequarter yields were really quite lovely, although I did have to clarify a little at the start since our focus had shifted to other things over the past few rides. We will, of course, continue to refine and build on those.

Now, to get to the reason why my time was limited this afternoon... I'm going camping, and I'm taking Finn with me. Yes, you read that right.

This is why I love what I do... because when I'm not working, I'm not working, and I get to do whatever I want. S had this trip planned already and asked me semi-last-minute if I wanted to join and I said: yes, yes, a thousand times, YES! We're going to Montana de Oro State Park in Los Osos, CA... 8,000 acres on the central California coast. And YES, there is beach access for equestrians. In fact, the beach is very near the horse campsites.

While the beach is one of the main attractions, fact of the matter is Montana de Oro is a veritable wonderland of gorgeous scenery. I can't wait to explore it. We're meeting a couple other folks there (friends of S) and we may stay as long as 5 to 6 days. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

I doubt I'll make any blog posts from the trip, but I will definitely be taking pictures and hopefully get a video or two as well. I am really hoping the beach presents some options for taking our gallop to the next level yet again, letting Finn hold the faster speed longer to get comfortable there. Yeah, I'm dying for a good, long gallop!

And on that note, I bid you farewell. I still have packing to do. Sometimes I hate being a chronic procrastinator.

The Dark Side

I got back from braiding on Sunday afternoon and have ridden Finn three times since then. To be honest, all three were pretty terrible, and that has nothing whatsoever to do with Finn.

I don't know what got into me, but one day while I was down at Brookside I started second-guessing my horsemanship decisions AGAIN. Mostly I started wondering if Buck's approach is really better, and if I should just scrap my interest in Dressage, Naturally and the themes from Aimee Brimhall's theories I've been trying to incorporate. And then I came home and played with some of the "Buck exercises" and got really frustrated when I couldn't get it right. I was unfair, harsh and impatient with my horse. I didn't share any joy with him, or help him take pride in figuring things out. And I ended each ride feeling awful and pleading for forgiveness.

This flip-flopping is such a theme for me and I am really getting tired of it. But aside from this relapse, I guess I have been improving. My recent decision to focus primarily on Karen's approach is, in fact, aligned with my personal goals. And crucially, deciding to focus primarily on one approach does not mean I must abandon everything else. I recently listened to an old podcast on my iPhone about how to handle either-or decisions where neither option is truly what you want. The answer: elevate your thinking. Realize that there are always more options than the two you're dissatisfied with.

Deciding to focus primarily on Dressage, Naturally doesn't mean I can't also practice the basic exercises Buck teaches. I am definitely interested in being able to do those simple maneuvers with a high degree of quality, and in being able to feel the feet move under me and place them where I want. I am definitely interested in having a soft feel with my horse through the reins and being able to ask him for flexion without brace.

One of the BIG things I am interested in is having the ability to ride my horse to calmness... one thing I want to shed is the Parelli approach of getting off to handle things from the ground if the horse gets worked up. While I am not above getting off if things get really out of hand, I want to continually increase my ability to work through this stuff from the saddle. I want my leadership from the saddle to be at least as good as my leadership from the ground. And that is one of the big reasons I remain interested in what Buck has to offer, because that is an element I don't think Dressage, Naturally or Parelli or Aimee's approach incorporate so much. So I am hopeful that having operating on a feel and getting very good with the feet in these basic exercises will give me the ingredients for that particular goal.

Another declaration (and yes, these are more for me than anyone else): deciding to implement some of the themes from Aimee's approach (like seeking the "we" and focusing on intent) does not mean I have to abandon other things I am doing to advance my Liberty or On Line work. In my heart of hearts, I am happy to have nothing more than very basic communication at Liberty, provided our connection is strong. I don't need to be able to influence Finn with my energy from 500 feet away or further. I don't even need to be able to influence Finn with my energy from 100 feet away. It's just not relevant to my goals, at least so far as I see it now.

So the bottom line, I guess, is I can pick and choose. It's not like anyone has been telling me I can't, except for my own internal demons, I guess. Hopefully this little "rant" will help me approach Finn with a clean, peaceful mind tomorrow and get back on track after this week of frustration. Maybe I'll just write it off as the effects of Mercury being in retrograde like everyone's been talking about on Facebook!

And the even more bottom line: when I'm away braiding, I often look through the photos of my phone of Finn, R, Riley and Buddah. This last week, I was particularly moved by this old photo of Finn and I, taken when I visited him in Maryland some five months after moving to Nevada and leaving him behind:

This is what it's all about in the end, isn't it? Love is the beginning and the end, and hopefully everything in the middle, too. The rest is just icing.

Clear Creek Revisited

I was so pleased to be able to squeeze another trail ride in with S before I head off to braid again! I really wanted Finn and I to have a more positive experience than our last ride before we both take a break. So, after some deliberation, I chose Clear Creek, a trail we know well and that doesn't present too much challenge to our emotional fitness.

After all the wooded, more mountainous rides we've done lately, it was really nice to be back to winding through the sagebrush on a sandy trail:

We took advantage of the good footing and gradual, winding climb through the foothills to get in some long, steady trots and even a few nice canters. Finn did awesome, I was so pleased with his relaxation and rhythm in the trot, even though at times S and T were quite a ways ahead of us.

It was about 80 degrees and the horses are starting to put on their winter fuzz, so they got pretty sweaty during that part of the ride. There was, however, snow in sight... I love mountains:

See the snow caps on the distance mountains?

We went further than we've ever gone on this out-and-back trail, and wouldn't you know it... less than 100 yards from where we've stopped before, there was a bridge! Luckily, this bridge was at least three times as wide as the ones we struggled with at Brown's Creek, and it had safe, sandy "landings" on both sides. I thought at first it might not even be an issue, but Finn definitely informed me otherwise.

He would have been happy to rush across, but I wasn't having that. I got off to discuss going without rushing, asking him to step his front feet onto the bridge and stop, until he could semi-relax there. I did get on and ride across after that, and then we rode a little ways further before turning around.

Again, I thought the bridge wouldn't be such an issue since we had just had a prolonged discussion about it, but Finn said otherwise. Again, he would have been happy to rush across, but I wasn't having it. In the end, I didn't ride him across on our second go, just got a slight improvement on the ground and moved on. We had to be back to the barn to meet my trimmer at a certain time, so I didn't want to take up more time.

Clearly, we need to work on this at home. Finn absolutely has to learn to walk calmly and confidently across a bridge in order for it to be safe for him to do so. So, I'll have to talk to the barn owner about maybe keeping a large piece of plywood in the arena for a while. I'll need something I can easily lift and move by myself. At least it will give us a starting point.

Anyway, Finn was a little on adrenalin heading back towards home after the bridge... I'm not sure if it was the bridge or the change of direction that got him so fired up. He was by no means terrible, still maintaining a walk on a loose rein (a VERY forward walk, but still a walk)... but he wasn't really connected. He had a hard time standing still when we stopped. So, we kept stopping and standing until he could commit to stopping, then going on. For this part of the ride, I asked S to ride behind us so there wouldn't be yet another thing (T) drawing him forward.

He settled back down after a while and the rest of the ride was really lovely. S and I both played quite a bit with transitions, which resulted in us being quite far apart at times. Finn handles S & T disappearing behind us with absolutely no concern. When they disappear ahead of us, he starts to think a bit about looking for T, but again nothing too dramatic.

Anyway, all in all, it was a super ride! Exactly what I was hoping for, even if we didn't quite achieve what I'd have liked to with the bridge. When I come home, we'll get back to that!

Another view of the beautiful desert.

The best view there is. :)

Food for Thought

You know, our mishap at the bridge the other day has really driven one point home with me: it is up to me to decide how MY horsemanship should be, and equally up to me to own the implications of my decisions. Allow me to explain:

I recently watched a brief video tutorial about introducing OTTBs to jumping. The progression presented was clear, logical and fair, and produced the rider's desired results... which is great! That's success! Something the rider said stuck in my mind, though. To paraphrase, he said he just wants the horse to know that he wants to get to the other side.

That caught my attention because it speaks of a preservation of tension to me. The rider didn't say he wanted the horse to be confident in every way around the jump. He didn't say he wanted the horse to be tuned into communication about what to do with the jump. He said he wanted the horse to know he wants to get to the other side. If your primary goal is to have the horse jump anything you put in front of him, with main priority on getting it done no matter what, that is an excellent understanding for the horse to have. The other options? Useless.

BUT... if you prioritize relaxation over getting the job done.... if you prioritize versatility over 100% jumping... well, then you might want to consider teaching your horse a different understanding. Do you get my drift?

Consider: if you train a horse with the idea of "he just needs to want to get to the other side," how well do you think he'd handle the bridge situation Finn and I encountered? This is why, when English sport folks proclaim that such a bridge is dangerous, they are, in some way, right. Considering the way most English sport horses are trained, a narrow bridge would not be safe at all.

Let me be perfectly clear: I am NOT suggesting that the tutorial I am referring to was wrong in any way. I am just trying to discuss the fact that different desired results call for different training methods. Surely we can all agree on that.

Which leads me to my own personal question: what results do I want? Well, I do prioritize relaxation over getting the job done. I do want to be able to take my horse trail riding in Nevada and California and not have to worry about turning back anytime we come to a slightly narrow bridge. (Rope bridge over a canyon? We'll turn around, thanks.) So, I need to act accordingly.

Now, to bring this closer to home, the bridge episode (and the creek episode that followed) have a lot of links to the tarp crossing we've been working on for SO long. I started with the idea "the other side is the answer" ... which is basically the same as the above "I just want the horse to know he wants to get to the other side." Once that was pretty solid, I started expecting Finn to cross it with more deliberation and relaxation - basically, walk instead of leap. But, I have never gone so far as to MAKE him walk... if he wanted to leap, I let him, I just didn't reward him for it. Can you see how that failed to serve us when the "real world" (ie - the unexpected bridge) DEMANDED deliberation?

So, I am rethinking my approach to dealing with things Finn is unconfident about. I am so used to letting him have a certain share of the leadership when it comes to facing things he's scared of... because I allow him to tell me how far he can go. And while I'm not convinced that's a flawed approach, our last trail ride showed me that when I needed to lay down the law and have him obey in spite of his concern, he wasn't prepared to.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know how to "fix" this. It's not really a problem, so much as a very profound puzzle. How to you teach a horse to obey in spite of it's concern without making him feel forced or trapped by you? I suppose by keeping him there until he realizes there is nothing to be scared of. But when I think about the tarp, I know beyond a certain point I just can't hold Finn there when he decides he needs to leave... that's what I need to figure out.

I don't have an answer yet, but I am working on it.

Brown's Creek

I can't say I'm super enthused about writing this post... it is so much fun to talk about the good stuff, but today's ride was more sobering than exciting. Finn and I crossed the line of what we were capable of accomplishing together, and I am just grateful beyond words that neither of us paid for it too dearly.

It was the creek crossings that did us in, because they were not particularly horse friendly. Not a problem for a truly seasoned and confident trail horse, but Finn is just not there yet. Instead of a nice jaunt through a shallow creek, which Finn and I have gotten pretty good at handling, there were very narrow bridges, steep banks, and very limited options:

The second bridge.

Finn actually crossed the first bridge twice successfully with me on the ground. With the help of Tiva's lead, I then rode him across, but that ended somewhat awkwardly when he tried to take a half-leap off the far end to avoid stepping on the rocks and slipped a bit on the bridge. So, I got off, thinking I would lead him across a few more times. Two attempts later, he made a mis-step and fell off the bridge.

Thank God he popped right up with nothing but a few scratches to show for it. I cannot help but think how easily that could have been way, WAY worse. Which is in my nature... I had that thought from the moment I saw that bridge. I didn't feel it was safe. But I allowed naive optimism to over-rule my true intuition.

I want to point out that this is NOT a question of the bridge itself being safe or not. It is plenty safe for a sure-footed, confident horse that is used to handling such questions. It was not safe for Finn and I, based on his nature, experience and our level of communication. I wish I had understood that sooner. To put it in eventing terms, I challenged a Novice level horse with an Intermediate level question... recipe for failure.

What's done is done. I pray I don't find Finn any worse for wear tomorrow, and based on several hours of monitoring him (ie - finishing our ride) after the "incident" I don't have any reason to believe he will be. So, there's nothing much for it but to reflect on what I learned.

First, I learned to be more conscientious about the questions I present to my horse. From now on, I hope I will do better at honestly evaluating our chance of succeeding.

Second, I gained much food for thought on the general question of how we operate our horses. When it comes to things that scare Finn, I have a habit or philosophy of allowing him to think it through/make his own judgement. My thought process being that I don't want him to feel forced, I want him to see for himself that it is safe. While I wouldn't say we haven't gotten results with that approach, it proved inadequate today. Facing a scenario we couldn't control where there was no room for error, this approach of letting him make his own decisions was inadequate.

I think of all the times I have let him leap across the tarp, telling him that it's fine if he rushes across, I just won't reward him for it. While I wouldn't say that is wrong, it again was a pattern that served us poorly when facing the "real" world. When the chips were down and I needed control of his feet, I didn't have it.

I don't really have any conclusions to make at this point, because I don't know what is right. What I know is that I want this to get better. Not only do I want Finn to get more sure-footed and confident within himself, I want him to learn to rely on and obey me when he isn't sure. And, of course, I want to set him up to learn it when there is no great price for a mistake, until I have a realistic reason to believe we won't make one.

So in the end I guess today was a lesson learned and that's all there is to it. Ever more reason to explore my convictions and beliefs about horsemanship.

Finn and I at the end of our ride.

The Excitement is Killing Me

Timing is a funny thing... not that this really has any impact on me, but it just so happens that today is the first day of the next six-month course in Karen Rohlf's Virtual Arena. I will not be signing up, of course, since it is WAY out of my budget, but I feel somehow more motivated on my own personal immersion plan to dive headlong into her book. For the next six months, she'll be guiding students through her six-step program I outlined in my last post, and I'll be working through the same six steps on my own. For one thing, I think knowing this will keep me on a more progressive timeline.

I'd really like to have some quality before and after video footage, but I don't think the GoPro is really going to cut it. I'm working on getting R to come out to the barn, but no luck so far.

Anyway, yesterday I began establishing our conversation about balance by focusing on "whoosh-y" yields, from the ground and in the saddle. One of the most fascinating observations I made was that there was some unexpected brace in Finn's HQ yield. I believe this is primarily due to confusion/lack of clarity rather than any real defensiveness or concern on his part. When I would ask for his HQs, he seemed torn between disengaging and engaging for a forward transition. We sorted it out pretty easily, though, and I will just have to be careful to be more clear in the future.

This group of exercises about balance is about where I got stuck and gave up on this with Journey several years back, and that has been on my mind. Mostly because I have been asking myself: how will this time be different? I think the key is going to be keeping a curious, open mind, and not allowing myself to get bogged down in everything I don't know. Rather, allowing myself to experiment, to feel foolish, to experiment, and to trust my intuition. That should get us through.

Today we took our discussions of relaxation, energy and balance on the road, and added in a little hill work for good measure. Being outside of the arena, I only worked on our whoosh-y yields from a halt instead of playing with the transition from walk to yield. But the real excitement of the day was all about energy...

My plan was to play with the exercises for maintaining energy, and Finn's initial responses to requests for energy were right on from the beginning, so we got right to it. Going into our two main hills, I asked Finn to bump it up from a 3 walk to a 4, and the response he offered was really lovely. His walk was big and swingy and active, and I only had to remind him a few times to keep to it.

When it came time for our first trot hill, I established a 4 walk and then thought about transitioning smoothly and directly into a 4 trot, which we had been playing with the day before in the arena. Well, low and behold, Finn responded immediately and matched my energy perfectly, which I can partly attribute to the patterns of anticipation I have built into this program of ours.

He powered up the hill, high-headed at times, but going into the second half, he started stretching his top line more consistently and really getting to work. In fact, he even did a few strides of a baby trot lengthening, which felt amazing! I've felt a HUGE trot from him before, but it was done with a completely upside-down posture... those few strides today were easily the biggest trot I've ever felt him STRETCH into. The last several strides he leveled back into a more moderate trot, but still felt super committed to carrying the energy and maintained a lovely stretched feeling. Talk about a Yes! moment!

Although I had planned to ride longer, I also needed to get home early-ish today and I was so impressed with Finn's big effort, I decided to just quit on that note. While I enjoy the longer, leisurely sessions we mostly have these days, sometimes there is nothing like short and sweet, an excellent way to reward a horse for being on point from the start.

Feeling that kind of energy and stretch in Finn is so exciting. He is such a talented mover with so much natural athleticism, I can't wait to watch him own that. I can't wait to help him grow stronger, more powerful and more confident. And you better believe I can't wait to ride the movement that's been in there untapped all along!

While I've asked myself, "How will this be different than last time?" (as in, "What's going to keep me from getting stuck again?"), somehow I just know it will be. I can feel it. I can feel it as though it has already happened. I know Finn and I are going to rock this.

Six Steps of Dressage, Naturally

A little while back, I listed to a webinar with Karen Rohlf in which she listed the six steps she guides students through in her online course, The Virtual Arena. I wrote them down, feeling that just having that guideline to structure my planning was a huge benefit. Unfortunately, I then misplaced my notes and have been wondering what those six steps were.

Well, Karen just release a new series of free videos, focusing on the most frequent questions she hears that keep people "stuck." The videos are EXCELLENT, and if you haven't seen them yet, I suggest you check them out HERE. In the fourth video, Karen reviewed the six steps again, and this time I am NOT misplacing my notes. I am going to list them right here:

1. Foundation Check-Up & Understand the Big Picture
2. Establish Conversations About Relaxation, Energy & Balance
3. Explore & Enjoy the Sweet Spot
4. Sweet Spot for Rider Position
5. Riding in Connection with the Reins
6. Understanding Gymnastic Exercises

I didn't really need to be re-inspired to follow Karen's program, but the videos were a nice shot-in-the-arm nonetheless. And if you read my post "Super Horse!" the other day, you'll know I gleaned some helpful ideas from them! Finn and I are in step 2 of the process outlined above, which is super exciting! I just can't help but grin when I think of all the progress we'll make working through this stuff in the next six months!

In particular, I am so excited just to get to Step 3. Finn is such an interesting mover... because he can absolutely move really well, with a LOT of fluidity and reach and spring, but his nature often keeps him from moving as well as he might, because he carries a good bit of tension. I can't wait to help him unlock his potential, empower him to find freedom and relaxation in movement, and see just how lovely and powerful this little horse can be!

High Sierra Riders 4H Trail Trial

I am SO grateful Mother Nature held off and allowed the High Sierra Riders 4H Trail Trial to go off without a hitch. After watching the forecast get progressively more grim throughout the week, I woke up this morning to a forecast of 70% or more chance of thunderstorms all day long! Well, suffice it to say the forecast in Northern Nevada is often even less predictive of the actual weather than in most places. While it drizzled on us a bit and was rather chilly, all in all I'd say it was a lovely day.

Finn, by the way, was an absolute super horse. Aside from the Buck Brannaman clinic this May, this was his first big "event." It was also his first competition, although I don't think he noticed. He was somewhat confounded at first by all the horses going every which way, but he soon grew accustomed to it. That alone was a huge part of what I was hoping to accomplish! I've had Finn half-way LOSE IT over horses in the distance before... today there were almost constantly horses in the distance and it was no big deal.

When it came to the actual obstacles, I was pleased to find that the Novice level challenges were pretty appropriate for us. There were several obstacles which Finn handled with ease, such as picking up a rain slicker, mounting and dismounting, walking through a "car wash", or navigating ground poles. There were others that concerned him more, requiring that I allow him more time to think his way through, such as circling a tarp-enclosed water hazard and crossing through a white PVC gate. And there were a few we accepted a score of '0' for, but still found a way to achieve success by our own definition.

For example, at one obstacle, we were asked to walk across a board laying on the ground. After several minutes of working at it from the saddle, I asked if I could dismount and work on it from the ground. Luckily, there was no one behind us waiting, and the judge welcomed me to spend some time schooling. After a little more discussion, Finn gave it a try, making the first crossing in a half-leap, and the second in a lovely walk. I would have happily left it there, but the judge invited me to remount and try again. After a brief hesitation, Finn willingly took a little half-leap to the other side, and on the second try walked across perfectly. So far as I'm concerned, the score of '0' does absolutely nothing to detract from the value of that experience! I was thrilled.

Trying it from the saddle first...

Helping Finn find success from the ground.

On another note, the PVC trail gate had the added challenge of a semi-hidden small board on the far side which the horses had to step onto. I know Finn well enough to suspect that he might launch a bit when that board moved under his feet. If I hadn't been doing a trail trial, I probably wouldn't have set something up like that, because it did test my nerve. I worried that Finn might put a foot across and then suck back, potentially catching a foot on the bottom bar of the gate.

In the end, he did launch somewhat... forward though, which is almost always preferable to sucking back, especially for a future jumping horse. I was on it enough to have taken a hold of my breast collar when I felt him commit to going, so I stayed right with him and didn't catch him in the mouth. I praised him big time for his bravery and moved on, as there were people behind us and thus no opportunity to school.

The reason I am dwelling on this (and a few other things that happened) as a success is this: nothing Finn did today felt concerning or difficult to ride to me. His handful of startles and his one big leap all felt reasonable to me, and never once did I feel like he was anywhere close to really losing it. In other words, one might say I have ridden through some of his antics and survived! That is definitely a confidence booster.

The thing is, Finn has shown me some very dramatic reactions in the past, reactions which I would absolutely NOT want to ride. He showed me them at a time in my life when my confidence in my horsemanship was already faltering, and to be honest I have felt more nervous, heck even fearful, around and on this horse than I had EVER felt before, especially with one of my own horses!

But that's changing... I trust Finn more now. I trust my own abilities more now. And altogether I no longer feel like getting on him is a gamble... now we've got enough going on to really put the odds on our side. That is HUGE!

So, all in all, a fantastic day full of growth and fun and laughter and Yes! moments. Exactly the outcome I had been hoping for all along. Again, I am SO grateful Mother Nature chose to play along with our plans!

Super Horse!

I had super and very different sessions with Finn yesterday and this morning. Yesterday, I was still feeling pretty unmotivated and bummed about my saddle, so I decided not to ride and instead pulled out our old "friend" the tarp.

I realize our long and checkered past with the tarp precedes this blog, so to briefly sum it up: we have had issues. We spent a great deal of time working with it early this year, but we were stuck at tolerance, not acceptance. While I could toss it on and around him, have him walk over and across it, and even get him to put his front feet on it for short periods of time, he was not truly calm about any of it.

Finn's injury in March interrupted our program with the tarp, and when he was 100% again, I decided to let it rest a while longer. We were making so much progress in other areas, strengthening my leadership and our mutual trust, that I wanted to see how his feelings about the tarp might change just because so much stuff between us had changed. Well, based on his response yesterday, I'd say this was an excellent decision!



To be honest, I cannot believe this is my horse. I have studied this video and the others I took over and over again wondering if he might be "catatonic," but as best as I can tell, he is simply relaxed, which is how I read it in the moment, too. What a novel concept! Seriously, I am in disbelief.

Next up, crossing:



This might not look like much, but it is SO improved. Earlier this year, I could get him to cross, but he felt like he might leap 20 feet in the air at any moment if the tarp so much as wiggled a smidge. At first he would rush, and I would reward him with a break only for walking. Then he figured out he was supposed to walk, and it was the TIGHTEST walk I had ever seen!

He started out super yesterday, then back-tracked a little into uncertainty, then ended on what you see in the above video, which I consider absolutely awesome. This is a horse I could imagine riding across a tarp without fearing for my life. That is major progress.

There are still a couple things I'd really like to get solid with the tarp. First, actually tying it to my saddle and having Finn carry it through some ground work. Second, having him be able to stop and stand on it 100% relaxed. Third, crossing it confidently from the saddle. And fourth, dragging it from the saddle and even being able to pull it up and over him. The thing is, I feel 100% closer to all of those things after yesterday's session. Now I feel like they are all within reach.

Moving on to this morning's session... I have been getting some inspiration and ideas from a new series of free videos released by Karen Rohlf, and I finally felt motivated enough to actually play with the D,N exercises again. I went out today with the intention to focus on 100% clarity in the simple things.

The nice thing is Finn and I actually have quite a lot of clarity already. I think even an objective observer would agree that our communication is high quality. Not perfect, but certainly above average. What was really helpful, though, was the reminder to strive for 100% clarity, and the high level of focus that requires, at all times. Also, the reminder of how important 100% clarity is to helping the horse be a confident, motivated and willing partner. Of course the horse will be more interested in working for someone who remembers to tell them how absolutely right they are!

After working at this for a while, I shifted to thinking about creating "inspired" movement. After listening to Karen's videos, I was thinking a lot about how to help Finn feel truly inspired and eager to let his power come through. In other words, really getting to the core of the conversation about energy we've been kinda stuck on for the last several weeks.

I asked Finn to show me what freedom looks like. I told him I knew he was so full of power, and I'll love if he could show me some of it. I showed him some freedom in my own body, exaggerating my body motions and really shaking it loose. I went out to really and truly PLAY with it, instead of having a certain way of doing it in mind. And the last thing I changed was I tied my stirrups up, to remove one reason he had to hold back while working on line while saddled. (While he is not afraid of the stirrups bouncing around, he finds it unpleasant, and I can't blame him.)

Well, among those changes we found the key, because we really got it today, first on line and then under saddle. I felt transitions so free and flowing I almost missed being stoked about it because it felt so easy! We quit our on line session on a walk-trot-canter transition in which Finn showed me three strides of the biggest, most elevated, most powerful trot I've ever seen him offer. While the riding was, by design, a little less exuberant, the last transitions felt no less free. And I made sure Finn knew he had gotten it, 100%! Yes, yes, yes! I told him he was my hero.

I am realizing how important and powerful it is for the horse to feel safe to make such a big offer, and how critical it is to make it SO clear to them that's exactly what you wanted when they do. Especially for a quiet, timid type like Finn! This is how we inspire a horse through 100% clarity.

So, both days offered big victories, and opened the road to so much more I want to play with! That's always a good thing. While it's lovely to dwell on moments like these, one makes progress by continuing to move forward... onward and upward.