let ‘er rip, part ii

There were a lot of really thoughtful observations and comments on my last post about shifting tactics in the training while also trying to proactively cover all the ‘wellness’ bases with Doozy. 

Sometimes I wonder if this sort of unique aspect of horses — this constant tension of trying to understand all the various puzzle pieces — is part of what draws us to them in the first place?

hangin out at the trailer until lesson time

Or maybe it’s simpler than that. Maybe it’s just kinda relatable to be in a place where it feels like… It’s hard to know if we’re going in the right direction? 

It’s been my steadfast belief with horses that there are very few “wrong” ways to enjoy them. If everyone is safe healthy happy and having fun… What more can you possibly need? Tho, obviously, there ARE ‘norms’ and ‘best practices’ and conventionally accepted methods when one is pursuing specific sports or disciplines. And given that one of my chief goals with Doozy is to continue developing my own knowledge and skill set as a rider, this is important to me too.

this is a horse blog, but it’s also *my* blog, so sometimes there are cats too <3 <3
we had to say goodbye to my sweet longtime kitty Martini this summer after a long battle with cancer

And naturally, that means I’m eager to immerse myself in training programs in a way we couldn’t with Charlie, especially by the end of his riding career. We had too many compromises, he was too fragile, we had a good thing going, and that was good enough.

There are very specific things many trainers want to change in my way of riding, and generally for good reasons, particularly around my rein contact. And not gonna lie — I feel a lot of insecurity in general about my ability to maintain a ‘steadier’ contact that isn’t stifling or restrictive to the horse. 

he has been very much missed — especially by his lifelong best friend OG, who stuck by his side even thru illness

In my lesson earlier this week, new eventing coach Woodge and I spent some time talking through the various brainwaves that sparked that last post. Basically that, it’s hard to feel like we’re ‘safe healthy happy and having fun’ when Doozy is in a full blown chaotic doom loop in the warm up ring. 

Yes, it’s true that she’s becoming better and better schooled in these lessons. But Yes it’s also true that legit none of that schooling is accessible when she’s overwhelmed with tension. And at this precise moment, it feels like a good time to step back and work on that piece — even if it means compromising a bit on style.

so there’s a new face in town, Jojo

To be honest, I wasn’t sure Woodge would agree — and in fact, she only did in part. She remained adamant that just because I wanted to carry a loopier contact or a longer rein didn’t mean I had carte blanche to do weird things with my hands like burying them in Doozy’s mane at the pommel, or letting them drift hither and yon, etc. Nor should I be allowed to collapse in my position or fade away to “passenger” instead of “pilot.”

But beyond that, she was actually super open minded to the adjustments in style for Doozy, including integrating canter earlier and/or more often if it felt appropriate. 

And in fact, she took it a whole step farther. She wanted me to make it *super* obvious to Doozy what I was doing. Specifically, consistently looking for moments when maybe the balance felt a little tenuous, the mare felt a little bit on the edge, and choose those moments — the exact moments when I’d typically be most likely to snatch at the reins — and give a big obvious release and softening of the hand.

introducing adult kitties is tricky sometimes, but so far Jojo is settling in to our quiet intimate apartment life well <3

Note, tho, she meant “release / softening of the hand” in a clinically precise way — as in, do NOT throw away my position or just like, let go of the rein. Just push my hands forward, give them to the horse. Right when she’d expect me to take, instead I give — but nothing else changes. 

We worked on a number of exercises that have historically produced somewhat explosive results in the horse — including (omg) trot poles (omg). But somehow this weird alchemy between being relentless with my own self about posture etc (including maintaining my post and tone even when I thought Doozy might break into canter at the poles), while also calling Doozy’s bluff with the exaggerated releases… Doozy totally got it. 

And she kept it even when we integrated cantering away from the poles to approach some little jumps. Woodge set us up with a ground pole one stride out on landing, with the explicit instruction that I should still *ride* the landing — I didn’t have to wait for the pole to do anything — but the release and give with the hands needed to be there.

aaaand back to the horses… now that doozy’s grass finally died off (a full MONTH later into the season than last year) maybe she wants to come chill in the apt too LOL… isn’t it crazy tho how you can almost SEE the grass fat melt off of them from top to bottom the second the grass is gone??

And sure, Doozy did kinda bolt away from the jump once or twice, and sure I still had some positional difficulty myself in keeping my weight and balance down through the inside leg (vs my tendency to swing all my weight to the outside, esp when tracking left). 

But here’s the thing. The mare IS more schooled now. She DOES understand the individual elements of what we’re trying to do. And she LIKES feeling balanced and steady on her feet. So when I released the contact in those moments where my tendency would be to grab and hold… She was just like, “OH!” And pulled herself together, and in fact was better and easier with repetition vs increasingly fizzy. 

Wonder of wonders, guys. Even after all these years, it’s still me. Hi. Yes. I’m the problem. 

BUT!! That’s cool, tho, that’s a wayyyy preferred conclusion to the alternatives, right?