When you start riding, or taking riding lessons, you think - oh yeah, I'm going to learn how to ride and do things in the ring with horses. Little do you know that if you carry on enough, you will invariably get to experience things you've never even dreamed of.
I think back to my first riding adventures, and I can easily think of SO MANY experiences that are permanently etched in the horsey recesses of my mind - like galloping up a very inclined hill because that's the only way you'd make it to the top, walking through chest-deep (to the horse) snow, swimming with my horse in a lake (no tack - just hang on to the mane and get your legs out of the horse's way!), and passing my Intermediate Rider exams on my self-trained horse... I bet I can think of almost a hundred amazing adventures.
But let's start with just five.
1. Horses Can Lie Down When Picketed
Once upon a time, I went on a four-day camping ride with my horse. We went deep into crown land, which meant that there were no amenities for horse nor humans! The guide, who was very experienced in overnight trips, brought along a wagon pulled by two big beautiful Belgian draft horses, and he loaded everything on the wagon: the food for four days, the tents, the gas stoves, clothes, horse equipment... it was packed.
As we left, I wondered where the horses were going to be turned out overnight. He looked at me, and simply said, "they'll be picketed."
And so I was introduced to the ageless practice of picketing. He had brought thick ropes that he attached between two sturdy trees, and slid in a large metal ring. Each horse got one rope. When it was time to set up camp, we tied the horses to the ring, which was far above their heads. I watched as my mare discovered that she could walk the whole length of the rope. She could eat from the ground, turn around, look at her friends and watch us as we cooked and ate dinner.
And, to my amazement, she could lie down when it was time to sleep! I don't know why I thought they'd have to stand up overnight, but the lead rope that was tied to the ring was long enough that it allowed them plenty of room to bring their heads right to the ground, without them getting caught up in it!
And so, I learned that we don't need a paddock or electrified turn-out, and the horses could be safe and comfortable on a picket line.
2. You Can Get A Pacing Horse To Trot (And The Pace Is Just Fine To Sit To!)
The same mare, Kayla, was a free-legged Standardbred pacer. Although I'd ridden many horses before I bought her, the pacing had me a little befuddled at first. When you ride the pace, you don't have that forward and up thrust of the trot - instead, it's a side-to-side dip and lift! Over time, I learned to sit the pace just as well as the trot. In fact, it was smooth and FAST!
But the time came when I wanted to ride Kayla in lessons, and she sort of needed to trot (at least once in a while). So I went on a learning journey to see if I could transition from the pace to the trot if I wanted to. I reached out to my Standardbred association and found some books (no Internet back then!). Sure you can, they said. Here's how.
Bend!
Pacing requires the horse's body to be straight. If you bend onto a circle or turn, the rib cage will supple and will require the horse to break the pace. You wouldn't want that if you were racing, but a ridden Standardbred can surely benefit from the trot. And so over time, I was able to ask for the pace as well as the trot, much like you'd do for any gait. It was so much fun switching back and forth!
3. Not All Horses Are Trail-Wise
I did competitive trail with Kayla. Incidentally, her pace was amazing for long distances - fast!
She was truly talented for the trail. She had the most beautiful high-stepping gait. She rarely stumbled and always found good footing somehow. She KNEW that she should follow the path ahead of her, and I rarely had to actually "steer" her because she could see the turns coming and adjust accordingly. She snorted and flung her mane and pretended to spook, but in short time, she knew if she went straight ahead, she could outrun whatever scared her. She was actually safer the faster she went.
And so, as you might expect, when I bought my new horse after her, I was caught off guard when this horse would walk OFF the trail and get her legs caught in dense undergrowth. I learned to hang on tight when she deked away from scary squirrels and trees. I had to rate her speed because she'd run fast downhill and stumble. And I learned to carefully steer her through rocky sections so she wouldn't injure herself.
So now I know that not all horses are born for the trail, and some horses need careful training and riding until they become trail-wise.
4. Sometimes You Should Just Call It A Day - Even If You Just Started
This was an important lesson that another mare (and my instructor) taught me.
It was lesson time, and I had my mare groomed and tacked and ready to go. She seemed uncharacteristically tired in the cross-ties, but it was hot and humid. I thought it was completely legitimate to be a little pokey in those conditions.
We started our warm-up a few minutes before my instructor arrived. The mare was definitely not her go-go self at all. We tried a little trot and it was all I could do to get the transition.
My instructor asked me questions to try to figure out why she wasn't herself. We considered food, sleep, bugs... everything was consistent and no different than other days. Then she realized: was she in heat?
Well, yes, I'd noticed her goopy legs. Yes, she was in heat.
"OK, put her away then." I was a little surprised, because I had booked my instructor for two lessons in a row. This meant that she'd only do one lesson (with my next horse).
No problem - she wasn't going to charge me, and we weren't going to try to ride the mare.
"She is probably in pain or discomfort today. Mares sometimes get just as uncomfortable as we do, you know," she said. "I'm not going to charge you, no worries."
I felt SO RELIEVED that I wasn't going to have to make my horse move when she really couldn't. I was also very appreciative of my instructor's decision. For her, it was all about the horses.
To this day, I will "pay it forward" to the horses (and riders) that I teach. I give the horse the benefit of the doubt, and I take it easy in terms of charging my students. And I always remember to listen to the horse!
5. Practice DOES Make Better - With Instruction
Well, you must know this is why I created Horse Listening and the Practice Sessions.
I'm living proof! Most rider problems can be solved with good, intentional practice. Many horse problems can also be solved that way. You just need an instructor or mentor who is willing to invest their time into you and help identify and redirect mistakes. I've been very lucky to have several great instructors.
Mistakes - we can't get away from them. In fact, if we don't make mistakes, I don't think there would be a whole lot of learning going on. Mistakes help guide us toward a better direction. They help us figure out a plan, and help us amass all the things NOT to do, so we discover the things we need to do.
When a rider finds something difficult, I tell her that she just needs to get started - any reasonable exercise will do. Then we whittle away the "loudest" problem and little by little, things get easier. And then invariably, one day, it becomes easy! At that point, I know that the rider has mastered the skill and it's time to move on to the next difficult thing! 🙂
What amazing horsin' around adventures have you had? I bet we can write an entire book on the subject! Comment below if you'd like.
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This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
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I was born with cerebral palsy that affects my legs. When the doctor said I’d never walk, my dad wouldln’t accept it. He had some colorful words for the doctor and decided to teach me to ride. We had lots of adventures, triumphs and disappointments. But Daddy always told me I’d learn from mistakes and I did. I realized my dream of becoming an equestrian champion many times, thanks to my dad’s decision and my fantastic horse, Peach.