Work

“We struggled. For a very long time. People said she was dangerous, a lost cause.That was four years ago.  Yesterday it hit me again how far we have come.

I was trotting her long and low in the arena. I was riding figures with only my seat and realized how easy it all felt. People were working around the arena and I didn’t mind. Four years ago I would have been like, “Now?! You have to trim the hedges now?”

My mare has come a long way, but so have I.

I now understand when people meant when they told me I had to ride her “through” it. To ignore the spooky thing. I can do this now. I had to learn what “ riding through” means. It doesn’t mean assertiveness. It means finding a way for her to focus back on the work and on me. For us that was riding shoulder in until she relaxed again. 

But we had to get out of the ring too.  She learned pretty quickly to stay with me. Outside there is nowhere for her to go without me. Outside there are so many spooky things at once. Her best option was to stay with me and trust me to keep her safe. Once she realized I was keeping her safe she really enjoyed it and I saw her confidence grow. 

I found it helpful to ride other horses. I took a friend’s horse to the beach and I suddenly realized how my own horse felt like home. He was a good horse and very well behaved but I felt really out of my comfort zone. When I got on my own horse again I realized just how safe I felt on her already and what I really loved about her. 

So maybe it wasn’t just about fixing her. Maybe I was the one who needed some fixing as well.”