Volume IX Date:
2/23/2002
Gee Susan, He's REALLY Testing You!"
"My, JR is being ORNERY Tonight!"
There's nothing like a young horse to make one humble. I was foolishly thinking I had gotten pretty skilled in natural horsemanship principles. I remember riding Velvet in many workshops thinking, "Gee, I wish I had a young horse so I could experience all those early training experiences again with a young horse. I'll be so much better this time." Ha!
Jenny uttered the two statements that make up the title during the latest Thursday nite group lesson. This might give you a hint of what JR and I went through.
This was our second group lesson. Our first group lesson, JR and I got to spend quite a bit of time walking a circle around Jenny. We only participated out on the wall at the tail end of the lesson. Although JR did canter with me during that lesson…without permission…I lived through it and was a better woman for it!
Before the lesson, I tried very hard to "image" me riding JR I asked myself, "Why are you nervous?" I had no answer. Still, as I mounted JR, I was nervous and strove to relax tense muscles. I tried to breathe normally!
The lesson started and we took to the wall at a walk. Noooo…internal screaming!
BANG, here goes JR and I at a canter! I was carrying a carrot stick and managed to stop him with that. We cantered down one long side of the arena.
We were pulled into the center of the arena where we practiced stepping over with the hindquarters while walking forward. This time I remembered to use my body position, then legs, and last, reins. I tried to be very very soft with the reins, so as not to build a brace in JR.
When it appeared that JR was listening to my body and legs, we got to return to the rail again. Our theme of the month is the point to point exercise. We go at a fast clip…trot or canter. The person looks straight ahead at a specific spot at the next corner. You don't get to use your leg aides or touch the reins unless the horse turns. We ride into the corner and let the wall stop us. We relax for a while, back and go at a fast clip to the next corner. It doesn't take long for the horse to learn to stay "on the wall." This game makes the horse happy, as they know they get the comfort to stand still and do nothing for a while.
Jenny told JR and I to try to stay at a flat foot walk. JR likes to fox trot. We managed a few steps here and there at the flat foot walk. Jenny complimented us every time we hit the flat foot walk.
I thought since JR was a young horse that he would just get to stop somewhere close to the spot that I focused on. Nope, Jenny asked me if JR was straight to my spot. By that time he had moved his rear end 180 degrees. We had to get to my spot and straighten up. No slack for the young! How PICKY!
We were doing pretty good at this. I almost forgot about being nervous. JR and I were getting to know one another. Jenny mumbled something about a word beginning with "C". I asked a woman onlooker if Jenny had said the "C" word.
The woman said, "She said canter!" "CANTER!" I exclaimed. JR and I are just new! Surely she doesn't want us to canter right now at almost the very start of the lesson. (About a half hour had gone by!) Jenny explained to me that I was to tell JR to canter when it "felt right".
All right! We left our corner going straight down the wall at a fast clip. I shifted my body and squeezed my legs. Zip, we went into a smooth canter with the correct lead! By this time JR knew we were going to stop in the corner, so he was almost ready. We managed to stop.
Coming back towards the front of the arena was a lot more fun. JR knows the front of the arena is the place to be, so he speeds up quite a bit! I was heartened by the stop. We didn't slam into the fence, although we came close.
I was very surprised that I didn't have to shift my body very much for JR to start off in a canter. That was very pleasant. By this time, I had only some residual nervousness left! I had to concentrate too much to remember to be nervous! I think we made it alive going twice around the arena. I remember looking at the woman onlooker to see if she thought we were going to slam into the railing at her corner. She didn't appear to be too concerned. Foolish woman!
Then the dreaded sidepass exercise started. Sidepassing is most difficult game on the ground and mounted. Here's where my memory starts to fade because of the extreme embarrassment. This is where Jenny said those two title statements, "He's really testing you. He's really being ornery"
I'm to lightly tell him to sidepass with my body position and legs. I'm not to grab the rein and pull his head back where it was when we started to side pass. Fine, I let that rein go and he took off down the wall. I grab the rein and pull his head back. Jenny discusses with me how bad it is to do this. We manage a step at the sidepass, and we are free to go until the next corner. I ask him to sidepass; JR squirts off down the wall, I pull his head back and Jenny discusses how I'm going to start building brace. Brace is a dirty word at Pine Dell! In desparation, Jenny tells me to ask JR to sidepass like I ask Velvet. Well, sure. I put my body in position and give some light leg pressure if she doesn't respond. I do the same for JR, and he starts to try and run down the wall. I believe this is where Jenny said, "Wow! He's really testing you tonight!"
I feel worse than a beginner. I've seen people do better than this the first time they ever ride a horse! Jenny discusses how I am to use the rein to keep his head from squirting down the rail. She again tells me to ask JR like I do Velvet. I asked, JR squirts and
Predator Susan grabs the rein and pull his head back. The slogan is,
"Slow hands ask and quick hands release." My predator hands are doing the opposite!
Now, Jenny is walking with JR and I. We are ignoring the other two people in the class. They don't exist. Jenny, JR and I are in a private sidepass hell. Finally, I manage to do something right, although I was too far-gone to know what. We quit sidepassing. The lesson ends. Jenny brightly tells me, "You did really well tonight." I was sunk in despair. However, as I am a great actress, I smile and brightly say, "Thanks!"
That evening while tossing and turning in bed, I suddenly decide that JR will be softer than Velvet,
as long as I don't ride him! I half seriously told this to Jenny several days later. Again, she brightened up and said that she was pleased at how well I had done. What a nice trainer she is! I almost believe her.
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