A NATRC's rider sad news today

A NATRC rider just posted that she had to put her horse down, due to a broken leg he received in his lot. Once again, thoughts are on Finny. Here was my words to her:

"I am so sorry to hear this. I know how you feel, as it just about ripped my heart out when I had to put my horse down last Oct due to colic. I was sad for a very long time. I couldn't ride where I rode him. Every time I thought I was over the hurt, something would happen and I would start hurting again. I feel better now, and not as sad as I used to be. I will always miss him. But I have a lump in my throat now. So I try to think of something that makes me happy about him, or a ride we had. That took a long time to be able to do.

If you ever need to just express how you are feeling on any different day, just email me. It does still help to have someone send me a special saying, or think about me, or just ask. I miss my horse dearly, as I know you do.

It does take time. I felt guilty for a long time. Don't go there. We all do the best we can with the circumstances that we have at the time. Would I do things different now? yes, we all would. But now we take that knowledge and move on.

hugs,
Brenda

When I think things are better, news like this make me feel very sad all over again. Friends have told me that years later, they still ache for that special horse that was in their life. Now that Finny is gone, I must say he had to have been very special to me, without my realizing it, until he was gone.

Isn't life like that sometimes? We need to see what is truly important and appreciate it. A friend's post to me said what I always believe, "Things happen for a reason".

After Finny was gone, I couldn't ride. I think I only rode 3 times in 6 months. Then I started to hurt less, and I started looking at Shaggy. I have always liked how he looked. Now he is the horse I have as I continue my Centered Riding journey. This feels right.

I had looked at some gaited horses over the last 8 1/2 months, but there wasn't one that seemed quite right. I looked at Savannah, and even though she was only 4, I liked the way she stood quiet. I liked the way that the rider rode her. And I liked how I knew the breeder and knew how well the breeder took care of her horses. I didn't hesitate and Savannah came home with me that day to start a trail riding/CTR career with me. This feels right also.

I have one more big decision to make and it is about my stud. I know what I want to do. I think I am just waiting on timing. We bred 2 mares, and I'll see if they are in foal. Or maybe I need to wait until they are on the ground and rebreed. Then I would like Duke to be my horse that I will take dressage/English lessons on. I have always heard, and believed, that dressage principles can be applied to any style of riding. Centered Riding wants us to work on our own education, and I can't think of any better horse I want to ride than Duke. For those who have heard me talk of him, I have been thinking of gelding him for many years. He is the horse to continue my education on and to work on dressage. I think the time has come and this feels right.

I didn't think I would type so much. But when something happens in your life that makes you think, then you better stop and think. The death of another good horse that has someone hurting as much as I hurt is sad. But it makes me realize what I do have in my life. Shaggy was here and I probably wouldn't be at where I am with him if Finny hadn't died. I may not have bought Savannah, but bought a different horse last fall. I may continue to put Duke on the back burner.

We all can say that when we hear of death, we appreciate what we have even better. Every day I work with horses, I need to remember this. I can share the love I had of riding Finny, and for Finny, with many other horses. Every day I work with horses, I want to tell myself that God has given me a gift and I need to use it to the best of my ability. He has given many of us this gift. Our love of horses.

Horses are our Lives. I'll blog more about this on my blog,
http://myblog-horsesareourlives.blogspot.com/

Become a friend.

"Embrace the Journey!"
Brenda

Teaching the Lope Lesson Part 2

I had a fantastic lesson last week, teaching 2 adults to lope the lesson horses. They did fantastic. Both were apprehensive, a little scared, and tense, but after showing what the horses can do on a lunge line, they both were loping short distances off the line!

I got on Starlet first, to show how she lopes. I think that helped them a lot to see her lope, as it showed the riders what the horse will do and how the lope on her looks.

After the adult lesson, I had a youth lesson with a youth who has been with me awhile. She has loped a little for the last 2 years, but now at age 11, she was able to put it all together and lope Starlet around the arena a couple of times before stopping. I had a fantastic time with my youth rider too.

Yes, I can't wait to share how I did the lessons and what Centered Riding exercises I used. But what I will really share is the connection between the horse and rider. And the connection between Starlet and I.

The previous post, Teaching the Lope Lesson, Part 1, went through the exercises to get the rider prepared. The exercises did more to relax the rider as much as to “awaken” their joints and muscles. As the riders went through the exercises, they became more comfortable on the lesson horse. They were paying attention to how to do the maneuvers, and they could move the horse where they wanted the horse to go.

The riders started with leg exercises, to open up the hips. I had the riders find their Neutral Pelvis by rocking their pelvis back and forth. We worked on putting our head in alignment through the Building Blocks exercise. This helped the riders to lift their chin a little higher, and able to see further ahead. Using Soft Eyes, the riders could see more of the arena and where they were going to lope their horse. I had them Ground themselves, by feeling their weight into their feet, as if they are standing on the ground. I wanted them to feel the weight through their legs, into their feet, and moving down to the ground and feel like they could sink into the ground, as if they are standing in sand.

We worked on moving the horse with Breathing and using the rider’s Center. The horse needs to be moved with our center, as well as our hands and legs. Think about your center as a small ball moving backwards. If you want to have your horse move out, mentally spin the ball faster. If you need the horse to go slower, spin your center slower. If you need the horse to have a longer stride, spin your center larger. Have your center grow from a golf ball size to a beach ball size, or any size in between. Picturing a certain size ball spinning in your center will help you with your horse’s movement.

We also use our center by spinning in the direction that you want to go. As we prepare for the lope to the left, we want to spin our center forward and to the left.

We lope off with Clear Intent, We need to know, and express to our horse with exact cues, where we want to ride our horse to, at what speed, and knowing what to do if the horse breaks to a trot.

For my lesson horses, they will lope off better for people with these cues: I have the riders hold with light contact on the reins. I have the riders take a deep breath. I have them look in the direction they want to go, and as they breathe out, I have the rider squeeze with their outside heel. Depending on the horse, the leg cue can be soft with Chick or it needs to be firm with Starlet.

If the horse only trots, we stop the horse, take a step back to make sure we have enough control to stop the horse if we need to. Then we ask the horse to lope off with a more exact cue. As the rider looks ahead as he lopes, we continue to add enough leg cue to keep the horse loping.

When we use our Center and give the horse exact cues with Clear Intent, then we can do anything that we want to do. Practice and you can accomplish whatever you want to do.

“Embrace the Journey!”

Teaching the Lope

July 15, 2010
Part 1

I was exhausted the day after the lope lesson. I think the 4 days of having a vendor booth at State 4-H in the rain and humidity did me in. Then my lesson day started at 6 am, with lessons at 7. I’m still tired, but not as tired as last night. But the way I feel tonight, I still may not get this done. But I will start and post Part 2 tomorrow.

We worked on preparing for the lope. We worked on walking using the following seat. We learn to stay relaxed enough and trotting the arena. Working on control through stopping and backing.

Both adults are comfortable walking and trotting the lesson horses. They understand the Centered Riding exercises. We have been applying the exercises during the lessons. We also do leg exercises to loosen up the ankle, knee and hip joints, especially the hip joints. To get the leg back underneath our bodies, the leg has to move from the hip. Our pelvis needs to be open to do this, and we find our Neutral Pelvis to do this. As we engage our joints and open our hips, our body stay relaxed. We work on the Building Blocks and putting our bodies in alignment. Then we won’t bounce at the trot and the lope. We start with our head, moving to our hips and legs, rocking our body into balance.

We Ground our feet and feel the weight into our stirrup. We want to feel that we are standing in sand, yet feel like we our standing solid on the ground. Breathe and use Soft Eyes. We Center and we move the horse with our center. We allow the ball in our center to grow and go faster to get the horse to move out. We let the ball grow smaller and move slower to slow down the horse. We worked on half halting to the stop by breathing out and sitting deep in our seat.

We ride and moved our horses around the arena with Clear Intent, meaning we ride with a purpose. We need to look where we are going and put the horse there. Last week, we worked on maneuvers, and 2 tracked (half passed) into the corners. When we learn to use our legs as well as our hands to guide the horse, we gain more control. The riders are learning to feel how the horse’s move and to gain control when they lose the movement.

Next we transitioned into the lope. More tomorrow.

Learning to Lope

For tomorrow's lesson, I have an adult who wants to learn to lope. My lesson mare, Starlet, is great for this. She is a little western pleasure loper, very true and very smooth, if she goes slow. Starlet listens to my cues, so I have the rider on the lunge line, and we both cue Starlet for the lope. The rider gives the body cues, and I give my subtle cues with my voice and body. This gives the rider confidence in knowing how to execute the lope.

How will I use Centered Riding, and CR exercises? I will ground and center myself first. Then I will have the rider do some exercises while on the lunge line. Before asking for the lope departure, I'll have the rider breathe, center and have clear intent on asking for the lope. I'll let you know tomorrow how the morning goes.

Training Tip: Loading and CR: Breathing

This past weekend, I went trail riding on Savannah. She didn't load easily. We worked on loading when I got home, and I blogged about it in the previous post.

When the horse doesn't do something that I know that it can do, then we go back to work mode and do some additional training. She didn't want to load, so we did some work until she was willing to load. I made it her choice. She refused to load, we went to work. I put her into a lunge circle. After a few circles, I asked her to load. She refused, so we went back to work on the lunge line. I changed directions so as to break up the routine of a circle, so as to not to strain legs as I wasn't sure how long we would be lunging. After a few more circles, I asked her to load. At the 3rd attempt, she loaded. She was rewarded by some hay in the manger, by me standing still and petting her, then by being asked to back out of the trailer. But she had to load again willingly. She didn't, so she went back to work until she loaded easily. She was to jump in by me just sending her in. After she loaded the 2nd time, we rested, had a pat or 2, and unloaded. Immediately she was asked to load again, and she jumped right in.

This may be a different way than working with a young horse who has never loaded, or even an older horse who is scared. I knew this horse has been loaded, so she went right to work. With a younger or scared horse, I will give them a buddy. I'll load a quiet horse, and teach the young, scared or timid horse that it is ok to be inside a trailer. I won't take them on a ride that first day, but I try to take them on a short 5 minute ride a few days later. Then I'll take them on a 15 minute ride.

I make the trailer a nice place. A place to eat if you don't mind your horses eating in the trailer, which I don't. I've hauled many miles with horses eating hay and have never had a problem. And on long hauls, anything from 2-12 hours, this keeps their guts moving.

I make the trailer safe, and a resting place from work.

I make the trailer a place to relax, and they are petted and left alone to think.

Most horses don't refuse the trailer after they know that they have to load and they will get in. Sometimes this may take an hour of work, but it is worth it to have a horse jump in willingly.

I didn't do my homework before the ride, but I did when I got home. I'll see if my horse needs more homework later this week.

oh, and about Centered Riding, try breathing during trailer loading! If I would have been breathing more, I think I would have stayed more relaxed. But it's easier to stay relaxed when you aren't on a time frame.

Later this week, I won't be on a time frame, and I'll breathe deeply before each time I ask her to load.