Today, I took Sarita and her friends Ceanna and Almudena to see Gwin. Although Sari does not have any interest in horses, her friends have been excited since we bought her, and were interested in seeing and riding her. Ceanna's Mom, Robin, joined us as well. It was a great time.
The girls loved Gwin. They pet her and told her how beautiful and big she was. It was sweet. Almudena was unable to ride because we couldn't clear permission from her program (she is also an FES) for her to ride. However, Ceanna did ride. She was really nervous. She had never been on a horse before. I remembered how nervous I was the first couple of times I rode Gwin, and I knew just the thing to help calm her nerves...
When ever I saw (and even still sometimes when I see) someone do something amazing on a horse, I feel like I could conquer the world with Gwin. It's been right after I've seen someone do something far scarier than the scariest thing I want to work on with her, that I am able to climb right into the ring and confidently succeed at doing things I was just before afraid to even think about.
I just watched a youtube video yesterday that really inspired me. One thing that woman did was stand on her horses back. So, after Ceanna's Mom told me that Ceanna was getting more and more afraid to ride, I explained what I was going to do and why. And then I did it. I stood on Gwin's back with her saddle on her, raised my hands out to the sides and smiled.
I was so proud of Gwin, and so grateful that our growing connection allowed for us to experience this feat together. When I think of where we began, with her bolting forward when I even put my knee gently against her side to begin desensitizing her because she wouldn't let me ride her bare. And now this, with no prep work. Just my energy of confidence and trust in her, and her capacity to always take such good care of me. It was good.
Ceanna rode. I walked Gwin for her. For a moment Ceanna and I were talking, and Gwin bent her head down to grab some grass as she walked. When she did this, her reigns slid down her neck and under her left hoof. As she quickly drew her head back up to return to the ride, the caught reign pulled hard on her jaw unexpectedly. She lifted her head and braced her hind-quarters in hopes to release the pressure. This of course only made it worse for her. All within seconds the incident had run it's corse, the reign came free from under the hoof, Gwin was back to calm, and Ceanna was shook but still proudly atop the saddle. It was quite unusual, but a good reminder that anything can happen at anytime, and it's a good thing we have a solid waver signed by anyone who rides with us.
After over an hour together, a friend came to pick up Sarita and Almu to go to the mall, and Robin took Ceanna home with her. Zeek and I played with Gwin a little and then turned her out to pasture for an hour while we went home for lunch.
When we got there Greg asked to take Zeek into town for lunch and errands. I, of course, ate and returned to Gwin on my own.
We did SO much work together, then. I did a bunch of familiar ground work with her. Then I decided to try to lunge her without the lead, using my short stick with no string. I felt I might be able to try to ask her to move with less drama and "alpha"-drive, yet still ask her in a way that she would respond to with a smaller helping tool.
It worked wonderfully. She spit around and even kicked up a couple times for me. But she was never hateful, and I could tell the energy between us stayed clean and solid. She never got stoic or shut me out. We worked a lot on transitions and her turning in to face me on command. I had to use the lead rope in the end to make that training more effective.
After all of that good stuff I rode her bare for a long time in the ring. I carried my short stick, which I knew she could see, but I never used it. She was far more respectful and responsive. Enough so that we were able to make leaps and bounds with our leg reigning work. It felt great.
Finally, I cooled her off and reunited her with her friends. I put them to pasture together, cleaned up the piles, added hay to their slow feed bags and headed home. It was fantastic!
I realized today that it really doesn't matter when or where or how we get together. As long as we get together. I feel SO good with her and after having been with her.
Anytime, anywhere.
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