Merry Christmas to you, your family and your Horses!
Christmas is only days away. It’s that time of year I pause and reflect on the previous twelve months. 2016 was the first year of full operations at our Amazing Horse Country location. It’s been some time in the making, starting with purchasing a property that was a 1920’s homestead complete with…well…a lot of things that were left behind over the years that had to be rebuilt. There is a lot of work to be done. But I love the place. It’s convenient to get to and easy to find. Our camping/guest horse area is large and surrounded by trees. There is history here including an old barn that likely dates to the 30’s. It makes me think about all the Christmases that were celebrated here with families gathering together for good times. And really, we’re continuing that tradition at every clinic we host with evening campfires where folks can unwind, meet new friends and share stories. And it’s home for me and my herd.
I wanted to share a little about a video that I posted on Facebook a while ago. You can watch it here. This is a short clip that I shot on my phone while training at Josh Nichol’s a couple of weeks ago. I believe that an integral part of horsemanship is our ability to be honest and open. So here goes: I have been riding this mare for over 10 years. I trust her like no other and she’s saved my bacon a couple of times out in the mountains (read: mountain lions!) She’s my go-to horse when I want to ride and not worry about training.
But sometimes when we’re close or intimate with someone, we don’t spend the time to nurture that relationship. We take it as a given and are content with that. And because I believe we were both content, I’ve never really dug into working with Belle to the same depth that I would work with a client’s horse. Until recently. And with Belle the results are amazing me. Our feel has always been fantastic, however my error was my focus on the technical with her when we trained. We always hit a plateau because in 100% technical there is 0% feel. Without that connection to her heart – unlike many other horses – she’ll simply quit trying. Good on her, because darn it, that horse still has lessons to teach me. I thank her so much for that opportunity!
This little video clip doesn’t look like much, but for me, it speaks volumes. Belle was started before I bought her and her initial training was robotic (push-button) in nature. She tended to that type of thinking whenever we rode in the arena. I wanted her to release, move and follow my direction, not wait for a button to be pushed. What you see in the video isn’t a trick or anything I taught her. It’s basic energetic communication between a horse and a rider. Just look at her eyes and you can see it. It’s a blend of feel and technical. Without the feel, she’d just leave. Without the technical I’d be unable to direct her energetically to position herself. What’s great is that we enjoy that in the riding now, maintaining the connection, but blended with technical elements. What’s even better – she loves it.
That is a big part of horse training. It’s a big part of riding. It’s in all of us to produce a relationship like this. And when we go down that path, we find that what’s required of our hands and feet is very subtle. You’re part of the horse and the horse is part of you. Riding takes on a new dimension because the horse follows you energetically – they want to be with you and they want to try for you. The converse is not communicating with the horse at all, in which case riding is reduced to pulling a rein to turn and kicking to go…you get the picture, and that’s obviously a frustrating place to be for both horse and rider. So we don’t go there!
And there are so many parallels to the human world. In fact I don’t they’re inseparable. For example: how we respond, think and behave in a frustrating situation with a horse won’t be any different than how we deal with a frustrating person or a frustrating computer! The reason is because we’re the same person. And isn’t this a great opportunity for us? In our school, we learn how to communicate with horses and create an environment of support, we can give wings to that and work up to very complex maneuvers with a horse using his body and mind free of brace. At Amazing Horse Country we use the obstacle course extensively for building relationships with horses and people. You will never see a horse being kicked or pulled over an obstacle – because it’s completely unnecessary. Once some basic leadership and communication has been learned, obstacles are not a big deal!
Not only is it therapeutic for a horse to be ridden this way, but the pride you feel in your horse and yourself is a reward in itself. And it’s no different with people. The relationship I had with Belle was like a couple content in their jobs and kids and home life–they know each other so well, they simply accept in their contentedness. But there’s always a way to enhance, after all Belle is young and we’ve got YEARS to explore! And like human couples, things don’t always go perfect. Our response in those situations is our choice. We can get upset, or we can take a step back, evaluate and figure out the best course of action. Same with horses; it’s totally up to you – no one but you can dictate how you feel.
I had the opportunity to put this all to the test this year. Chip – who is out of Belle, and a…um…character to say the least – rode with me in the mountains this year. Although he was out there as a baby, this was his first real mountain ride. And he stunned me with how awesome it went. It was proof in the pudding of our horsemanship style. The bratty little tyke pulled it off ! Yahoo ! It’s very rewarding to see him finding purpose and pride in the work that we do.
Christmas is a time of relationships. We visit with folks and family that we don’t get to see often. We communicate via cards, email, social media and phone with more people than we do at any other time of year. Why? We’re nurturing relationships, and it feels good. We’re building and maintaining positive. We’re opening the door for continuing relationships and communication. Sometimes we heal old wounds; we forgive and forget and move forward together in a better place.
My horses and I share very unique relationships. And I’m as guilty as anyone at being content in what we have, that’s not a bad thing, right ? But we have the potential for so much more. I’m beginning to really focus on where each horse is at and what steps I can take to get us to the next level, whether that’s the first time saddled, working a cow, a beautiful piaffe or cantering over a suspension bridge (yes we have one!) The progress that my own horses are making now is very satisfying. And it’s funny because I can’t do it without comparing that to the relationships I have with people…with family. What can I do to make those better, too?
Horsemanship is a unique exploration for every person. It’s life enriching. Our work with horses is intertwined with our lives in positive ways that extend way beyond the horse world and branch through all of our experiences and relationships. There is such great potential here – let’s explore it in 2017!
To all of our friends and clients – THANK YOU for all of your support and camaraderie – we hope to see you in the coming season! Have an AMAZING Christmas!
Scott, Ty, Belle, Spud, Chip, Ponkey, Bailey, Zeus, Ditch and Cody