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Approximately 39 things I’ve learned since I last blogged

Posted on August 3, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

I’ve learned so much in the past two months and have had no time to blog. I remember approximately 39 of the things off the top of my head and record them here for my future self.

Top 10 Things I Learned or Deepened My Understanding Thereof

Horses find joy in patterns. I have always stopped too soon because I didn’t want Rocky to get bored, but actually, I should accept his feedback when he loses interest and do something to reengage him. I also worried I was overtaxing him physically so would switch directions too soon, instead of getting solid on one side and then evening out by doing the other side in the next session.
In encouraging me to move my body in certain ways, it’s like Erin gave me “permission” to do what my body wants to do, rather than what I’ve taught it to do because of the way I interpreted the riding lessons of my youth. I’d always been taught to ride with contact and poise — but I lacked foundation, so I had no understanding of the substance beneath the form. I also lacked the sheer physical strength and stamina to do it. So I compensated by becoming very locked down — basically riding with a brace all the time. Erin’s demonstration of how big my motions could be resulted in a comprehensive relaxation of body, mind, and spirit.
Relax Rocky (and myself) into the trot, instead of tense us up. Manage our emotions when our blood gets up in the higher gaits as we progress to the next level.
No one wants to play PacMan Level 1 maze their entire life. It’s supposed to get more particular, faster, more challenging — that’s why it’s fun.
Inner thighs can and should be on the horse when in two-point. Somehow I had the idea that my lower legs should be on but my thighs should be loose so that my knees didn’t pinch. No wonder it was so hard! Now I know to hug him with my upper legs, and that I should even be able to swing my legs from the knees down without interrupting my two-point, because I’m using my core, not standing in my stirrups.
I saw how much effort Rocky puts in to learning something new.
Tense and subtle just makes us twitchy. Better to be loose and large (“exaggerate to teach”) and refine as we get better. Relax into refinement.
One of the most powerful influences in my growing horsemanship is the opportunity to watch horses interact with each other throughout the day. Learning how they move entirely by their own choices; how they respond or react, how they play, how they communicate, how they inhabit their bodies.
Rocky can brace by being a wet noodle. Brace doesn’t have to mean stiff.
There is no reason Rocky can’t be as excited about being ridden by me as I am about riding him. Continue reading →

Categories: Feel, Freestyle, Love, Rockstar | 1 Comment

Whatcha been doin’? Nuthin’. But doing it with excellence.

Posted on April 7, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

I haven’t played with Rocky very much lately. Or have I?

I have hung out in the pasture with him. He is in the front turnout now, which is a bigger space with a bigger herd and a creek down the middle, so I walked around with him at liberty to show him all the stumps and trees and rocks and crevices. (He is almost blind at night, and needs to learn where things are as soon as possible in a new space.)

The new herd:

I have protected him when a more dominant horse came to drive him off, and instead I drove the other horse off while Rocky kept eating. When the other horse came back submissively and asked to join us, I allowed it.

Rocky and Milo, the herd leader:

I have scrubbed his chest with CloroHex Solution most days, treating a small patch of skin fungus, and to do that I have either had to protect our space in the pasture or bring him out on-line. Once we’re out, we have walked around the ranch a bit, or drifted into the front arena for a roll at liberty.

I have scratched his sides where he indicated he itched the most, cleaned his feet, and occasionally fed him a treat — all while keeping the rest of the herd away.

While I could see Rocky from my office window when he was in the side pen, which I liked, the front turnout is significantly larger and I love that he gets to be out there. He has mostly been jumping the creek instead of getting his feet wet, but he’s less worried about the existence of creekness every day. He has also become much less concerned about the goats across the street, or the motorcycles that zip down the road. Even tall trucks, like the garbage truck every Tuesday morning, don’t bother him as much. And I can see the pasture from my front porch:

Did you notice Salsa in the shelter? Here’s an enhanced close-up, in the style of Cute Overload’s COXCU cute-hances:

So no, I haven’t been taking him out to walk over poles or to advance through the liberty patterns or to practice walking along the road so we can walk up to the new-to-us trail we’ve recently discovered. But what I have been doing is being a companion. A partner. And quite possibly, thinking like a horse.

Awesome.