Intent and Progress

I had an absolutely LOVELY ride on Finn last night. Yesterday morning, Parelli Professional Fawn Anderson posted a very insightful note on her Facebook group Classical Natural Vaquero that helpfully reiterated the ideas of intent and space conversations for me. You know how sometimes you hear something you’re heard dozens of times before, but something about this new presentations really helps it click? That’s what Fawn’s note did for me.

So I set out to be very conscious of intent throughout my time with Finn, both being clear with mine and listening for his, and the results were very positive. While I carried this focus throughout everything I did from beginning to end, I really want to talk about the ride…

It comes much easier to me to think about space and intention and “we” conversations on the ground. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that I am just that much more confident on the ground… It’s not that I consciously feel nervous in the saddle, but I am aware that I am more self-conscious and more easily flustered when things go less than perfectly when I’m riding. Luckily I am a skilled enough learner now-a-days to just go out and give it my best shot, knowing I don’t understand it completely and knowing I might not be doing it “right.” But equally knowing that if I make the effort mindfully and with good intentions, I will figure it out.

Our ride consisted of things which I felt I could easily visualize and hold intention for, namely straight lines and small circles. We started out from my car near the pasture gate and began with a very simple pattern of “let’s walk over there, let’s make a small circle, let’s stop and rest” at a walk. It turned out that I was working towards getting the small circles from intent and legs alone, and it was very apparent when Finn’s intent was with me or not. I remained patient and focused on my intent and corrected with my reins and legs when he was distracted by his own plans.

I was releasing when I felt like he was maintaining the circle, including proper flexion (leading with his nose) just off my intent and leg position. While this was definitely working for us and helping us improve, I was conscious that it might still be possible that I missed the bigger picture of releasing for his intent aligning with mine. Just something I will continue to be conscious of as we play with this going forward.

After a few repetitions, it was clear Finn was getting it and I started feeling it was time to try it a trot, so we rode to the big arena to up the ante. Even the ride up was a success. It was a pretty windy evening, and Finn was a little concerned about a few things we passed, but by maintaining a strong intention and being particular that his intent should match mine, we were able to just walk right by.

Up in the arena, we got some circles at the trot I wouldn’t have even guessed we were capable of! I’ve been conscious lately that I haven’t done much dedicated circling with him in the saddle, so I was pleasantly surprised that he picked it up very quickly, especially so when Finn realized that getting to stop was on the other side of getting with me on the circle. Boy does this horse LOVE to stop and rest!

After a bit of excellent cantering, still thinking about Finn aligning with my intent, even though we didn’t do something as deliberate as circles, I rode Finn back to the car. Again I was really pleased, because I chose to ride him down a different way which took us through an area of the farm which often makes him a bit nervous. Once again, strong focus and intent got us through without a problem.

All in all, this ride really showed me two things. First, focusing on the intent, space and “we” conversations is definitely the path I want to take forward. Second, we have REALLY come a long way… much further than I sometimes give us credit for. Recently I have been noticing that I can guide Finn from my legs a lot more reliably now than I could six months ago - that’s a big, positive difference! And it definitely showed up with great clarity yesterday; I was really impressed with my boy!

Plus, I think about the fact that six months ago Finn and I weren’t consistently able to ride up to the barn from the pasture without a problem! I spent whole rides just trying to get him to stay connected within the first 200’ of the ride, never making it further than that. Which wasn’t a “problem.” No, that was the point. And each little success (Woohoo! We made it 200’ out and back with relaxation and connection!) is a fundamental part of the partnership we have today.

Earlier this morning, I saw a photo on Facebook that bore the quote, “Good horses are developed over years, not trained in months.” It’s not exactly a revolutionary statement, but it’s something I need to be reminded of ALL THE TIME. I get discouraged about our progress far too easily. Finn inevitably reminds me to re-think that, but he really shouldn’t have to. After all, how is he to believe in me, if I don’t believe in either of us?