dancing horses

dancing horses

Sunday, March 8, 2020

The Next Good Step

You may recall that I had discovered Podcasts and was really enjoying them as a learning opportunity while I was unable to regularly school.  PiccoloPony put me onto Jane Pike and I've really enjoyed these. Jane recently had a free 21 Day 'Brave Bucket Challenge' which I signed up for. It consisted of 21 short videos on a special topic. I liked them- they were short, snappy and got me thinking.

One thing that really resonated me was the concept of the 'next good step' (disclaimer: I am not teaching you Jane's concepts. I am telling you how I applied what I learned to my riding with Carmen). The idea is to focus on the next good step and not worry about all the things.

the look I get when I take forever to get to the point.
Or when I'm dancing while doing barn chores. 
I realized that I'm getting overly dependent on having a riding buddy when I ride Carmen. It's easier- she's more relaxed with Irish in the ring and I feel like things go better. Which is all fine but I can't always have a buddy in the ring and I need to figure this out. Julia was unable to come today and I found myself creating all sorts of reasons to not ride. We had a vicious windstorm the day before and  it was  still  windy and cold.

I stayed inside and baked something new: coconut cream tarts
 I am okay with not riding if I don't feel like it but it felt more like chickening out then taking a break.  I recognize that this worry is probably my lizard brain remembering all the disastrous rides we've had in the past. But still. 

So I put on my riding pants (or big girl pants if you will) and decided to tackle this thing one step at a time. My goal was to go one step at a time and see how things were. Before I would be all worried about all the things we should be working on which made me put too much pressure on both of us. 

I headed out to the barn and Carmen nickered to me. She was likely hungry but still it warmed my little heart. She came in quietly and stood easily while I groomed her and tacked up.  

We headed up to the ring and we started with our leading exercise. I expected her to be tense and tight but she was not. We had moments of tension followed by her looking to relax. I We went through our groundwork and I kept checking for tension, holes in her attention and explosiveness.  But there was none. 

I took off her rope halter, adjusted the stirrups and headed to the mounting block. Carmen lined herself up and I mounted. She stood, waiting for me. We've been doing this - I wait for her to relax and then I pick up the reins and off we go. I keep my rein contact light and we walk off. My goal is ensure my seat is relaxed and following. When she tightens I stay calm and only shorten the rein if she feels like she will take off. 

We did a short ride and she was fine. We went down the long side and a leaf suddenly blew into the ring attacked causing her to deke left, then right back to the rail and we carried on.  And that was the most exciting thing to happen. The rest of it was just a ride. 

looking for zombie leaves
Right after I took this photo she turned her head and nickered at me. My heart kind of melted.  We did one more circle and I called it a day. I like this approach- it really helps me to stay present because I'm working on the current step, not all the things we're not doing. And I can't help but notice that the one thing we're not doing is melting down.



16 comments:

  1. You and I have the opposite problems. Eeyore is much harder to ride when other horses are in the arena than by ourselves.

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    1. Horses are so interesting. Carmen doesn't even care if the other horse is losing their mind. when she's feeling fine it doesn't matter but when she's a little more worried it can escalate things.

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  2. I'm with Sara! Right now, I am SO MUCH HAPPIER when there isn't anyone else in the ring. Nay Nay is so much more relaxed when he's alone vs when other horses are in there with him to the point that I NEED to learn to ride with other horses... But he's 1000% relaxed alone and tense/nervous-er with horses with him! Or maybe I'm the one who is nervous because sometimes he's nervous?

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    1. Who knows. Maybe I'm more comfortable because there is someone to call 911?

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  3. Oh boy! I totally get this. Obviously it is better for me, and my horse, when I just hurry up and ride many days in a row. Our connection is so important, and if I just think "tense thoughts" Q becomes very reactive. The more saddle time I have, the more positive experiences, the less "tense thoughts", which begets more positive experiences.

    Sometimes I use my barn buddies as crutches, especially when I haven't ridden in a while. And sometimes I just go for a walk in the woods, towing Q behind me. I find the "connection time" is the most important thing for us (far better than lunging), and when we achieve that goal it feels symbiotic. The groundwork exercises are also great. I use our aisle parking as a ground exercise in managing his hoof placement. He does it for 10-15 minutes while I groom and tack him up. He loves to test me by stealthily sliding a hoof or poking his nose at the nearby horse. I correct, and he appreciates the consistency.

    You might find it easier to do your simple step in repetition. Ride 5 minutes a day every day for a week. See how that feels?

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    1. That is a good idea- the 5 minutes. I don't know if I can stick to it. :D once the ice is gone taking Carmen for a walk sounds like a great idea.

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  4. Is the podcast about horses, or life in general? It’s good advice in everything we do. I’m not surprised Carmen did so well. That foundation is solid now.

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    1. It's about horses but also life. If that makes any sense. The principle are similar - it's just whether you apply it to horses or something else.

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  5. A lot of trust has been built between the two of you. And how lovely she is, your Carmen.

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    1. Thank you. I also think she's lovely but I am not an objective person on this topic. :)

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  6. Aww, turning and nickering under saddle! My heart melted just now.

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    1. I know! I've never had that happen with another horse before.

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  7. Just a ride is a wonderful thing, especially when your girl turns and nickers at you. Sure she was thanking you for saving her from the zombie leaves!

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  8. ooh i like that thought process!

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  9. I can so relate to that feeling of chickening out. I always have to evaluate if I don't want to ride because I'm being a weenie, or if I just don't feel like it. It's a fine line!
    Glad you got on and had a nice ride!

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  10. What a great concept, I think some thing similar for myself when I find that I'm starting to get myself all worked up.

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