The last day or two we were hammered with driving rain, sleet, a bit of hail and strong gusty winds. Not conducive to doing anything with the horses. I did a lot of online stuff with the Warwick Schiller program I signed up for, now just waiting for the winds to die down so I can put it into practice.
A lot of this program is about discovering where the horse's mind is and ways to get their attention on you, and to let them know that you are aware of what is going on with them.
It's actually simple, and less is more.
Today, the weather calmed down a bit, still a bit stormy but only in patches. This afternoon I saddled up miss Sophie to see if we could get any farther away from home. I used the advance and retreat program that I first learned many years ago from following the teachings of John Lyons, and now many others .
Ride out a ways, turn and circle part way back; ride a little farther, turn and circle, etc. etc. It did get some nice forward from Sophie.
We headed down to the other side of the pond this time, the area where I have walked her in hand plenty of times.
And then we hit the wall of her comfort zone. This reminds me of the song lyric, Don't go down to the woods today...
I think part of what is going on with her is that there is a lot of activity down on the dyke, which is slightly visible through the trees . Lots of dog walkers and people riding. And this mare is very alert to her surroundings. She's confidant when I am leading her, but not so much when I'm riding her. At this point we just sat and dwelled a bit, then headed back.
As we headed back we were hit with a squall of wind and sleet. Some horses would get all prancy and snorty, but not miss Sophie. She just bent her neck into it and steadily marched into the wind and sleet. Good girl Sophie!
As I turned her into her pen (after a bit of hand grazing) she went on full alert staring down towards the dyke. Beamer did too, so I knew there was some kind of activity going on.
I hung out for a bit and watched. It was worth a few photos ops! My brother in law gave me a little pocket camera, a Canon Power Shot S50 that I had with me so I managed a couple of action shots.
Eventually even I could see what was going on down there- there were some girls loping their horses along the dyke.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow- we are loading up and heading to the indoor arena!
8 comments:
Sounds like an enjoyable ride! How do you like Warwick Schiller? I'm fascinated with his unique approach.
Sounds like you had a great little ride.
Jenna- Warwick is one of my favourites along with Mark Rashid and Chris Cox. I'm always interested in the mental aspect of training, whether it be the horse's or mine.
Hi, Can you please explain WS's analogy with a concrete scenario? I can see it both ways - the horse as the woman and the person as the woman. Which did he mean?
Love this post, for several reasons:
Your thought process working with Sophie makes me think about my horse interactions.
Ending your ride before things became too much for her. You are a wise horsewoman!
Trudging through a squall reveals what a great horse Sophie is.
Those little Canon pockets cam's are awesome. You got some great action photos!
You are very motivated to continue learning and ride. I am looking forward to reading about your first arena experience with Sophie. Have fun!!
Lytha- he is talking about how people are not in tune with the horse. They keep increasing their demands and then wonder why the horse doesn't get it and they end up in a wreck. The analogy isn't meant to represent anything but the interplay of non communication that goes on.
Yes! You accomplish so much more by tuning into the horse you have, and not that you think, or wish, or expect you have. WS is spot on. And there's no hurry either. We should always feel safe, and our horses should always feel safe. Eventually, it pays off big dividends. I, too, am impressed that she didn't react to the squall. That says a lot about her. Have fun today!
I quite like Warwick and his approach.
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