On Trust

Before diving into the main point of this post, I need to take a minute to give a huge major gigantic THANK YOU to Hawk at No Longer Fiction for the most excellent 2016 Blogger Gift Exchange gift -- she and Fiction sent Leo a super adorable tub for treats (everyone who has seen it so far wants to know where they can get one of their own), plus a supply of Red Bird mints.  I'd actually never given Leo mints before, but he is completely obsessed with them now.  He has learned the 'crinkly wrapper' cue.  (the success of the mints with Leo prompted me to purchase a container of them to give out with all of my horsey Christmas gifts).  Thank you, Hawk and Fiction!!!

So adorable.
One of the things that I struggle with the most as a rider is relaxing through my forearms.  I have a tendency to grab and hold when things start to feel out of control, which is not particularly productive - especially when you are riding a highly sensitive, reactive horse that doesn't really understand contact yet and takes increased pressure as a cue to giraffe and run.

The giraffiest of angles. 
On Wednesday, I tried something that I've never been brave enough to do before (with Leo).  We were trotting around, working on going deep into the corners and relaxing into something that resembled a quiet trot, and I decided (for some reason) to see what would happen if I let go.  Very slowly, the reins were loosened until I was at the buckle...and nothing happened.  The world did not end.  The giraffe did not appear.  What actually happened was a softening, a slowing, a gradual stretching and reaching...basically magic.  

Dat mane.
It wasn't a true stretchy trot, obviously, but it was pretty fantastic.  We were able to change direction several times, and made one successful circle.  His neck was as low as I've ever seen it, and there were some really nice moments of stretching down.  And for about three minutes, I knotted my reins and trotted around completely hands-free.

Shavings mountain. 
This was by far one of the best rides that I have had on Leo.  It was a huge exercise in trust, and I was grinning like an idiot the entire time.  We've had some rough rides lately, so this relaxing yet productive session was a huge confidence booster.  

crappy lighting FTW
I freaking love this horse.

Comments

  1. EventingSaddlebredStyleJanuary 5, 2017 at 6:45 PM

    Yay Leo!!!! I also struggle with the holding and clinging to the face for dear life (slight exaggeration). That is so awesome that he was so chill!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kaityJanuary 6, 2017 at 6:17 PM

      I was extremely surprised! It's so hard to let go of face control!

      Delete
  2. TrainwreckInTealJanuary 6, 2017 at 5:07 AM

    How awesome!! WTG you and Leo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJanuary 6, 2017 at 5:52 AM

    OMG, "Bribes" haha -- I love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. emmaJanuary 6, 2017 at 7:51 AM

    That's awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. HawkJanuary 6, 2017 at 11:22 AM

    Ugh, I wish I could trot around on the buckle haha :) You're so lucky!
    Also, I'm glad you and Leo liked the gifts! I kind of got the idea when I saw you listed yourself as 'Leo's Treat Dispenser' haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. kaityJanuary 6, 2017 at 6:20 PM

      I am still mildly in shock that it turned out so well. Must repeat soon to see whether or not it was a fluke. And thank you again! (:

      Delete
  6. KateRoseJanuary 6, 2017 at 7:12 PM

    Hahah bribes! Very cute treat tub!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Healing

Image
November - July With time comes hope. In December (ish), we'll ultrasound and see what the prognosis is. In the meantime, Spring is happy and healthy and in the best place I could have ever found for her.
Read more

What is "hot"?

Image
When I started riding at CEC, I had roughly zero experience with riding horses that anyone in their right mind would consider "hot." I was a pretty timid rider as a child, and anything that moved too quickly was too much for me. As a teenager/young adult, my confidence grew, but I still rarely rode anything overly forward - no longer by choice but simply due to a lack of availability, as more forward and more difficult horses often don't make it into lesson programs at barns where most clients are owners and the focus is hunters. Hello, mud. It's been a while. My third lesson at CEC was my first ride on Izzy, the mare I would eventually go on to half lease, and it was not pleasant. That mare was many people's definition of hot, and she was coming off an extended period of rest following an injury. I had literally no idea what I was doing, and spent most of the lesson fighting tears and trying to get her to calm down, please, and just walk (In a circle. Witho...
Read more

The Steps We Take

Image
I mentioned last week that the injections didn't seem to have made much of a difference for Leo; after 4-6 days, he should have been looking better, and he wasn't.  I attempted to contact my vet, and then proceeded to spend the next week playing phone tag. I spent a good deal of time researching Leo's options, staring at my budget, e-mailing (and hearing back from!!) Dr. Ramey , and trying not to dwell on the fact that my horse may never jump again. farrier barn selfies You know how when your horse has a problem, you should typically never Google said problem because you will probably end up driving yourself crazy with worry/convincing yourself that your horse is probably going to be broken forever?  Well.  With a bone cyst, the things you see on Google are, unfortunately, pretty realistic.  From the articles in veterinary journals that I have read to the threads on CotH to the conversations I've had with my original vet, the reality of my situation remains th...
Read more