A Cast of Characters

Last week was a pretty special week. The beautiful weather we had here in South Carolina was positively exhilarating. Ideas were flying between Kim and myself as the gears of the brain started slowly grinding away. The end of winter is just visible and it was a good time to just have some fun!

For me, that means being at the barn and riding! I know my last blog post indicated that my focus might be shifting away from riding into a more studious mind set but sometimes the days open up and I just can't be still. I rode every day. Most days found me working with multiple horses. In between rides I was raking, dusting, sweeping and chatting with Kim. (There was some teaching going on too but let's not worry about that).

I'd like to introduce you to the cast of characters that overwhelmed my week:

I was able to start working with the gorgeous Canadian named Odin this week, joining into some training work that has already been going on with him. (Mentioned in my last blog post) I'm starting out, of course, with groundwork. I have spent my time with Odin leading, lunging and grooming... really just trying to get to know him. Other than being super smart, he is not a lot like Matilda. There is very little stillness in him and he spent a lot of time trying to bite me. I am not using the clicker with this one, though it is not out of the question. Right now I am just trying to get a handle on the personality and not mess him up too much. :/ 

It's exciting to start work with a different horse. I've already reminded myself that this is a new journey and, as with Matilda, I will make mistakes in how I read and handle him. All I can do is my best and take it one step at a time.  So much is possible but I have to work small and smart, looking to achieve small goals. 

I believe Odin will be a challenge to my creativity. He seems to get easily bored and I have to find ways to make myself and our work interesting in order to keep his attention. Not so easy for a natural born wall flower...

Odin is also one of Matilda's paddock mates. They seem quite close. Hopefully she won't tell him all of my secrets.

 Enter Penny, the retired Amish cart horse, a new love in my life.

Penny came to us a short time ago and has already made a huge impact. She is a real big mover and unstoppable. I got to ride her 4 times this week. She has an incredible amount of action in her body and will force you to loosen up your hips and your back. It is just too hard not to follow her motion. In a short time, she has made me learn to soften my posting, lighten my seat, fully release my half halts and not ride with all my weight in my left foot and hip. 

I would think, being a cart horse, she has spent a lot of time with blinders on and in her new life she loves to look! She is a true sweetheart with a gentle face. We are still opening up her personality. I have a feeling she is going to be changing a lot as she tests her boundaries and experiences the new found freedoms in her world.

In the meantime, Kim is working to get her comfortable with cantering and jumping in order to expand her new role as a lesson horse. There is a lot to come for this girl. I thoroughly enjoy her. She makes me feel giggly and school girlish. I can't help but wear a big grin when I am on her back.

This is Julian. A poor picture of Julian, sorry. Julian has been a part of Bramblewood for years now but it was last year that he blossomed as a school horse. He proved to be a phenomenal teacher until he had an injury that took him out of the game. He was put on stall rest during which he temporarily and understandably lost his mind. About a month ago, he seemed ready to get back into things. He is now being worked back into the lesson program with riders who are able to do rehab work with him: walk/trot, lots of transitions and some poles.

Kim let me get on him Friday. It was only my second time to ever get on him.  He's a little lazy and very wiggly but once he settles into the idea of forward motion, he is a super cool horse to work on. I hope to be able to ride him now and again to help with his rehab work.

And lest you think I forgot:

My sweet Matilda. She and I had an amazing week. We have achieved a level of cooperation and beauty of work between the two of us that has been unmatched thus far. Everything about our work together is going so well. She is really soft and responsive these days. We are working on building leg yields, turn on the haunch, over poles and of course the canter.

This week's focus tended toward finding some reliable, balanced canter departures. In our work over the last year, we have found one here and there, usually having two to three months in between a single success.On Thursday, we got many attempts at canter transitions with a couple of clean transitions in the mix. The very next day we had two successful canter transitions back to back. I was so excited and proud. We may get nothing like it next week but are definitely moving forward.

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There are moments during the week when a horse walks past and I watch the muscular legs step into a stall. I feel like I am watching a movie. It is hard to believe that this is my life, working with and around these magnificent creatures. This is a gift for which I am incredibly grateful.

On Friday, I rode 3 horses, worked with a total of 5 by the end of the day. I still get surprised when horses do what I ask. The job of learning and building skill will never end and these characters are the best of teachers.

While I love and appreciate them all, there is only one that remains my partner. (Did anyone notice my change in  pronouns? I only realized it when I read back over the horse's descriptions.)

The New Normal

Sitting here, watching the snow fall, it seemed like a good time to revamp the blog. I have several partially finished posts that I stopped writing because I reminded myself that this is supposed to be about Matilda's journey. It's just not anymore. This is about my journey now, though Matilda is and always will be a part of that.

It's snowing here in Southtown. They are calling for up to 6" of snow and ice. What?!? Between holidays, college classes taught at the barn, temperatures in the teens, ice and now snow, there has been little time for riding. I sometimes feel like I spend more time rescheduling my students than I do teaching them and I wonder "when are things going to get back to normal?"

To me, normal is having a set schedule: Ride 2 horses 3 days a week (possible bonus ride on Wednesday). Teach from 3-7, do a few closing chores (possible bonus catching up with Kim and Rachel), get home around 8:30-9:00. Teach 9-5 Saturday, Sunday and Monday off....

Then I wonder if I will recognize normal when it comes this time. It may not look the same as it did last spring. On the radar for 2014 are an increased student base, online class that I have one year to finish (already 2 months behind), building a huge course curriculum with Kim (requiring some serious research and writing time) and the opportunity to work with Kim and one of the barn's top riders on another horse that is ready to be.... ummm.... 'polished'. My house is for sale and I still have a husband and 2 dogs. Both sides of my family would like to have a reunion this spring/summer and all of my childhood friends and I are turning 40.


I may not be able to have a set schedule in the coming months.The 'new normal' may involve daily change. I may not be able to schedule an hour to study on a morning (or 3 hours to ride, for that matter) but will need to be ready to read when the moment comes to me. I may have to be ready to change my plans all the time. The new normal might include simply being flexible each moment of each day. There are things that need to be accomplished now and while riding is always on the list, I have to learn to balance it with other things in a way that wasn't required last year.

This year has huge potential and I am excited to see what it brings. With all the work to do, I don't have to wait for the snow to stop or the sun to shine. I can keep moving forward no matter whether in front of the computer or in the saddle.

People talk about horses living in the present, that they don't anticipate the future the way we do... that's hard to believe a half hour before feeding time. They certainly seem to anticipate food. In any event, I guess that is what I have to do. Live in the moment. Be ready to study or read or write in a 5 minute window if it offers itself. I'm learning to be ok with that.

Yes, a good day to overhaul the blog. This is the girl that Matilda built... is continuing to build. Cool.