Liberty

Liberty

Natural runnermanship is a lot like natural horsemanship

Posted on February 5, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

Runners — as in, elite athletes who run races and keep stats and set annual goals like “age-graded national class” and “win the local gran prix and place in the top n of the regional gran prix” — face all the same challenges as horses, I’m finding. It’s all about condition, nutrition, and injury prevention. And confidence. And communication. Heart and desire. Focus.

Rocky and River and I spent some time at liberty on the ranch last weekend, but since I hadn’t let Rocky work off some high spirits in the arena first, he didn’t spend the time in peaceful contemplation like River did. Instead he sprinted around like a nutball and we ended up getting busted by Erin, who suggested that for everyone’s safety and health and the integrity of the grounds, we keep “outside” time mellow. Otherwise, it’s possible someone (and Rocky would indeed be the one) will peel out and impale himself on a branch, or fall into the pond and not be able to get out, or get tangled in a wheelbarrow, or trip over air at top speed and break his neck.

Here’s an example of why I say Rocky would be the one to get hurt. He could have sprained his ankle on that thing.

Rocky has spent some arena time bucking and galloping and wheeling this past week, but our arenas are not big enough for him to get up to speed before he has to turn. I have to stop procrastinating and find a buddy with a trailer who can take us to the huge arena down the road. I can see the joy in Rocky when he gets to run all-out, and I agree with Erin that the ranch isn’t a safe enough place for him to do so.

River on the other hoof used her freedom to walk around calmly, looking at things, and grazing next to other horses who watched her over their fences.

Rocky did eventually decide that grazing looked like fun, and went to join the donkeys on the main lawn.

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A month of milestones

Posted on January 13, 2012 by horsegirlonajourney

12 January 2012

Rocky and I joined up at liberty and walked around the outside of the covered arena for several laps. He started out with a good trot and gallop around the ranch with the minidonks but after that was definitely asking for direction, so I tried this. Each lap, he was more relaxed than the previous, and we even got half a lap in the other direction. After that he walked over toward his pen and didn’t want to join up again, although he kept giving me two eyes and friendly ears. I opened his gate and he went in on his own. He did his water meditation — he curls his tongue, fills it with water, sticks out the tip, and lowers his eyelids to three-quarter closed — and stood hip-shot, obviously pleased with his afternoon.

11 January 2012

River and I ate lunch together on the lawn. She walked with me at liberty from her pen to the lawn. (I used a halter to take her home, though. Didn’t want to push my luck!)

10 January 2012

River accepted me as a passenger and I practiced climbing on, relaxing bareback, and doing an emergency/flying dismount at the walk from both the left and the right. The first time I hopped on I overbalanced and ended up vaulting over her, sort of, landing on my feet and flinging my arms up like an Olympic gymnast after a good performance.

28 December 2011 – 3 January 2012

Rocky gave pony rides to three different sets of children on three different days and adjusted his spirit level to suit each one. That means he took extra special care of the little ones (ages 5 and 7), and, er, “offered” a big trot and teensy hop-into-canter for one of the bigger ones (age 11), who stayed on through the offering and the sudden stop at the electric fence.

December 2011

I rode Rocky around the ranch in the same pad and surcingle in the picture with Caitlin. He seems comfortable in it and we did well together. In this photo, he’s finishing up his water before we head back to the barn.

I’m getting out with the horses four times a week or so, but blogging has taken a lower priority than getting my day job work done and, it must be admitted, frolicking with the new boyfriend. Ahem.

Still, it is nice to be able to look back over the years and see the progress. The new boyfriend has offered to take pictures of horseplay so perhaps I’ll have more proof of what I blog. I’m looking forward to a year of mental, emotional, and physical fitness — for and through my horsemanship. 🙂