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Diary of Trail Ride on March 20th, 2005 at Cottonwood Creek Stables
Diary of Wakefield Workshop April 30th, 2005
Diary of American Legacy Workshop Aug. 27-28, 2005
Diary of American Legacy Workshop June 10-12, 2005
Diary of Lincoln Workshop June 13-14, 2005
Diary of Cottonwood Creek Stable Class Sept. 24, 2005
Diary of Madison Clinic November, 2005
Diary of High View Farms Workshop, September 10-11, 2005
Lessons Learned at Madison Jan. 2006
Diary of American Legacy Workshop Jan. 21-22, 2006
Diary of Holstein May 2006
Diary of Weeping Water and BKT Arena Spring 2006
Diary of Sioux City 2006
Diary of Chance Ridge 2006
Diary of Private Lesson Days Summer 2006
Diary of Calamus Women's Camp 2006
Diary of Calamus Youth Camp 2006
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Diary of Wakefield Workshop April 30th, 2005
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Breakfast of biscuits and gravy with delicious homemade cinnamon rolls made by Dee were served at 7:00 am. Lingering while enjoying our coffee and conversation we finally decided it was time to bundle up in heavy coats, (which we never shed all day) and head outside to the horse corrals.
You would think that since it was the last day of May we would be fairly warm having an outdoor workshop, but Nebraska weather wasn’t willing to cooperate with us. Even though it was pretty cold and very windy, with a few snow flurries we braved the day and still had fun and learned a lot from each other.
I guess it was better than melting in humidity and heat. The weather probably added to the freshness of the horses and the fact that it had been raining in the area for the last couple of weeks and the owners had not had a chance to play with their horses much. That is what keeps interacting with horses interesting; it never seems to be the same from day to day. Do you know what side of the corral your horse got up on today?
Our first lesson began with rope handling. We tied the end of our leads to the round corral and began practicing different techniques that we would use with the end of our leads once they were attached to a horse. I have found that it is easier to practice these skills without a live emotional creature on the end of the line. It was hard to hear each other talk the wind was so strong and I am glad that we didn’t have cotton leads or our ropes would have been impossible to handle. It was a little difficult but not impossible with our nice heavy leads. Thankfully everyone had the suggested equipment.
Upon satisfactory completion of our rope lesson, it was time to play with our horses. We started with getting our horses used to our equipment by using approach and retreat. A couple of the horses thought the stick was a strange object that didn’t appear very friendly, but it didn’t take long and they had changed their mind. If you take the time it takes, it will take less time.
We also explored touching areas of our horses’ body that most people ignore most of the time. It was interesting to watch the reactions of both the people and the horses. It is a good idea to have your horse trusting to your touch absolutely everywhere. One fellow who had such a great sense of humor said afterward, he had a new chore for his wife to do.
I questioned the students before we started each task to see how much savvy they already had, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how much study they had already done. Their answers were complete and correct. While we were applying steady pressure to move certain body parts of our horses, we found some opposition reflexes and realized that we were poking with rhythm and not steady pressure. It is so difficult to train our muscles to react with consistency when we want results so desperately.
I have to say that this was an amazing group of students, because I rarely get through all ground activities before noon, but because of their prior study we were able to accomplish this goal quite nicely. But we were all sure ready for a break and I’m sure that our horses were also. This proves that “Prior and proper preparation prevents p… poor performance.”
When we began to drive our horses with rhythmic pressure we found that some horses were a little lopsided. It is very common for horses to be comfortable with us on their left side, and quite resistant, even scared and confused when we are on their right side. It is not their fault, it’s just that we are too one sided with our activities around them. We do everything from the left side. Therefore it is only natural that they are uncomfortable when we apply pressure on the opposite side.
One horse almost took me for a sand skiing experience but luckily I remembered not to lock up and avoided injured knees and smart burns on my hands by going with the flow. Well I guess “flow” is the wrong word, it was more like “bolt”. I’ll bet everyone was amazed that my short little legs could run that fast. Everything worked out and it wasn’t long before we were ready to move on to the next exercise.
During the backing exercise we had one horse that decided to live up to her name “Stinky” well it is actually her nickname and she is an awesome horse. Her determination to stick with her nickname was displayed with a couple of impressive moves, but she soon settled down and became light and responsive because her handler remained in a good attitude and stayed polite and passively persistent in the proper position.
I think that the most important thing we learned during the circling game is that it is not necessary to micro-manage our horse, but to allow him to perform his responsibility and only correct when they make a mistake. It was beautiful to see all the horses circling at one time even if it wasn’t perfect. We can’t expect it to be perfect until our other foundation exercises are solid, and it is impossible to be solid in one day.
We still had two tasks to play through before lunch. I’m sure that everyone was getting tired and hungry. I also noticed how hunched up some were in their coats, so I think the cold and wind was beginning to make us uncomfortable. But dedicated and eager horsemen that we were, we went to the round pen for our final ground maneuvers. Until this point we were playing in an open area in front of the horse corrals and barns. Thankfully there were trees around us, or I cannot imagine how horrible the wind and cold would have been.
We finished up the side-ways and squeeze maneuvers in the round pen, and I believe the most important lessons learned were: we can sometimes expect too much from our horses when we are first teaching, and that we can ask for precision without being critical so that our horse doesn’t become resentful. As the teacher I learn as much as the students. I am wondering if there is such a thing as teaching, maybe there are only learning, thinking, and application.
The ham sandwiches, chips, drinks, and puppy chow were greeted with enthusiasm and appreciation, accompanied with friendly conversation around a beautiful wood table in a warm family atmosphere with lots of children laughing and playing. After a relaxing lunch we discussed the expectations of level 1 saddling procedures and mounting.
Before we rode, I did the sitting on your balance point and directional focus riding simulation using one of the students as my horse. It always brings laughter, but on the serious side it is an amazing eye opener to most people. I believe that it really helps people visualize the concept, remember it, and begin to realize how to ride with an independent seat and direct your horse with focus.
After the riding I heard comments that they were more aware of their body position now, and felt that they still needed to work on it. I have to admit that I didn’t really get it until I started riding bareback, then I could really feel it. One of my instructors was always yelling at me to sit on my pockets and I always thought I was. Sometimes I still find myself slipping back into my bad habits. It is a conscious act to correct my body position to what I know is better for my horse’s comfort and balance.
It was a “BIT” humorous when one of the students realized that he was going to be asked to ride without a “BIT”. He didn’t really think that we were serious. I am so happy that he trusted me, because his horse responded very well. Whew! You just never know about horses. However, I have yet to have a horse respond negatively to riding in the rope halter. In fact, most are a “BIT” relieved and really start to relax.
The determination and ability of everyone to follow my verbal directions during the reining portion of the riding was exceptional. But you always have at least one person that has to use their other left. You know what I mean! All teasing aside, each horse and rider demonstrated the ability to do direct, indirect, one-rein stops, and nine-step back ups with flow and pretty good lightness. HOORAAY! I think the horses felt successful too!
Now never get to bragging too much, because when you do, you know something will go wrong to embarrass you. I thought everything was going so great and then bang, as one of the students rode through the gate his horse went to bucking. Oh no! I’m thinking, “I sure hope he doesn’t get hurt.” Then my brain kicked in and I yelled, “Use your one-rein stop”. I didn’t know if it was going to work, but thankfully it worked like a charm, and everyone was ok!
We finished up the riding portion with some individual passenger lessons, and found out just how hard it is not to be a back seat driver. If this is truly a partnership, we need to learn to let the horse lead sometimes. It is a tough mental game for those of us who have been riding for a long time. Giving this activity a try builds our confidence and leadership as well as our independent seat. I find it invaluable with all of my horses and my own mental development and attitude.
After everyone was unsaddled we took one particular horse to the round pen that was difficult to catch. We found out that if you take the pressure off she will respond and be caught with a good attitude. This is a valuable lesson.
I used to chase my horses, but the darn things could always out run me. I would get angry, throw things at them, beg them with grain, hide the halter, try to pin them in a corner. You name it, I tried it, and nothing worked. Thankfully, I have learned the lesson of drawing, body language and having the attitude that says, “if this takes two days, I can live with that.”
After we put the horses away, we sat and visited for quite awhile about the things we had learned. I want to include some of the student’s thoughts on their evaluation forms.
This one really says it all:
“The best and the worst part was realizing the simplicity of getting results if you take the time to do it right the first time.”
The fact that this person thought that this was the “BEST AND THE WORST “ part was a revelation to me. I can totally see his point of view and had never thought of that before, but it makes perfect sense. We know that we should take the time it takes, but we live in an instant society and so often sacrifice speed for quality.
Here are some other quotes:
“I learned to set my horse up to succeed and to reward/release when I/my horse accomplish a task no matter how small.”
“I am really needing to remember to sit on my pockets. Good things with pushing passenger lesson.”
“I learned to be more kind in the ways to ask my horse to do something, to be patient and persistent.”
“I learned that I could do it.”
On my three-hour drive home, my voice was shot, and I turned up the radio real loud and mouth the words silently. This may sound crazy, but I also visualized riding my horse performing certain moves to the rhythm of the songs. Practiced changing leads with my body position, but had to quit because it caused my speed to be too erratic.
I will close this diary by thanking Lee and Dee for hosting me at their farm, and all of the students and horses that participated. I learned a lot from all of you, and look forward to playing and learning with all of you again.
Happy Trails,
Sherry
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