Red Pony Farm: A journey in motion

Lucy & I found Our Teacher

"There is a world of difference between his standing still and not running away now when I toss this rope over his back, and his being OK with it." She drew our attention to the horses rigid stance, the tight jaw, the slightly raised head. She compared the moment of his resignation to the moment a prey animal finds itself in the jaws of the lion and struggle is futile.

It was a "light bulb' moment for me. I recognized that Lucy is not OK with several things I do to her. She is OK with the halter now when I approach her at pasture--she associates that with grain time. She is not OK with being caught in the round pen /arena--she associates that with being saddled perhaps. She is not OK with being saddled. She is not OK with being mounted. I am continually devouring her in this relationship.

It was during the 1:00 slot that I had this epiphany. Lucy and I were slotted for 2:00. Lucy had relaxed shortly after 11:00 and I had been able to wander closer to the arena and round pen area to watch the other lessons / training sessions.

Our ride to the clinic had been at 9:00. My heart was racing and my knees were getting progressively weaker as I grazed a nervous Lucy on the lead while waiting for the trailer to arrive. This still happens every time I load a horse in a trailer (I don't do it enough maybe) since being dragged across a yard behind a fleeing horse with a lead wrapped around my wrist.

Lucy screamed at the trailer when it arrived and she heard and perhaps smelled the horse inside. She loaded without hesitation and was happy to meet a new mare in the trailer with whom she became quite attached during the 20 minute trailer ride. However, she was not at all happy in the pen behind the shed-row at Piper Ridge Farm  where the Libby Lyman clinic was hosted this weekend.

Poor Lucy couldn't see her new buddy. Her new buddy was getting ready for the 10:00 group lesson. Lucy screamed and raced around. She soon worked up a foaming sweat. When it looked to me like she was going to climb the gate (oh great no hot tape anywhere!) and was not really responding to my efforts to drive her off it, I asked for advice back-up, rescue. Walk her around where she can see her buddy? I wasn't real confident that I could lead her about the yard safely at that point. I walked her in her pen, did some little 'send her around me' exercises and changing direction. She was not looking at me. She was trotting too fast, turning to fast, not stopping for more than a second when I asked her to.

I was getting nervous again. I am still not sure if it was fear of being physically hurt, or fear of knowing I was failing at helping her through this anxiety. Both somewhat I guess. Libby came and took over for me for a few minutes and then we let her go. Libby felt she would not climb the gate or attempt to jump out. Some other horses had been moved into pens on either side of Lucy by this time, but Lucy had not seemed to notice them at all. She had already picked out her "momma" for the day. I stood on the outside of the gate and shooed her off when she pushed on it during her quick stops to scream out over it as she made frantic loops around the pen. Now there was a group lesson going on in the arena. Lucy could see her buddy for long moments across a dirt roadway and over the arena fence. She stopped to watch and listen for longer moments.

Then an amazing thing happened! She began to settle and paid some attention to the other horses in pens to either side of her behind the shed-row. She soon discovered that she could find some comfort from them. The lathered sweat began to dry. Soon she was moving about almost quietly, grazing tufts of grass scattered about the pen. She stopped and pulled mouth fulls of hay from her hay net. I walked away to watch the clinic! This was big for Lucy. I decided then that if that was our total progress for the day I would go home happy.

At 1:50 Lucy stood quietly while I groomed the dried sweat from her coat. When she allowed me to snap the lead on her halter (after avoiding me for several turns around the pen) she reminded me again of the young colt who was "eaten" by the rope in Libby's hand moments before. I did not tack up for the "lesson". I brought Lucy out into the round pen in just her halter and told Libby that Lucy was not OK with being saddled and so I needed to start further back than that and find out why.  I told her that we both get overly nervous and cannot find confidence in each other. Libby told me she was going to have me observe Lucy's thought process as she worked through a puzzle that I would set up for her under Libby's direction. I would start to understand her and that would be the bigining of learning how to help her. She would be loose and I would not be driving her.

Driving is what I was taught to do. It had worked pretty well in the past--with horses much quieter and much less forward than Lucy perhaps. I was intrigued. Lord knows I was not progressing to where I wanted to be in our relationship using the driving method with this horse. I turned her Loose. She began trotting the parameter of the round pen. Stopping to push on and scream over the gate towards her newest friend.

This is the puzzle that Libby had me create:

I stood still facing the gate. Lucy whizzed around me clockwise. when she got just passed the narrowest opening between me and the fence of the round pen, I would whack the ground in front of me with the lead rope forcefully and in an extreme movement, then just stand there again still and facing the gate. I was going to do crazy things (what would seem crazy to Lucy--though done in a very methodical way) I would see if maybe Lucy would "notice" me. Maybe Lucy will think I need more comfort than she does. Maybe she would come to my rescue. The first time I whacked the ground she took off like a shot and kicked out like crazy. She soon decided that coming though that narrow opening on my side was not so comfortable due to my "outbursts" so she resigned her pacing to the larger open space,in one direction and then other or sometimes coming close to me across the open space. This was good we were told: she is not worried specifically to be in my presence. Lucy stopped at the gate to push and holler. I flailed my arms about a bit. She moved off the gate and went back counter clockwise to a spot behind me and turned before entering the narrow gap. This kept up for a while.

I whacked the ground with great gusto when she found another spot to stop push and yell to some other horses. (If she stopped with her head inside the pen I would tap my leg with the palm of my hand two times to see if she would look at me. She would briefly and then resume looking for the other horses.)

This was good sign (Lucy checking out another spot rather than the gate) because, Libby explained, Lucy was thinking about other alternatives for comfort. With no one driving her she had to think things out for herself.

Lucy got down and rolled in the sand. Another good sign that she was not too intimidated by my presence. Her reactions to my crazy whacking the ground episodes showed that she was becoming more courious than troubled. Appearantly just whatt we wanted.

After a while when we started to fall into a pattern, I did have to do a bit of leg work. Still not driving, but cutting her off on opposite sides of the round pen to narrow her pacing distance. This got her attention and she turned to face me briefly. Still whenever she would stop with head inside the fence I would tap my leg to invite her to "look me up" as Libby put it. She said one doesn't want to draw the horse in. That "draw" can be too compelling. The horse will often wonder how they got there, it is that compelling. Libby said we want the horse to "Look us Up" because she made a choice to do so. She is not being devoured in that situation.

I knew that was exactly what I wanted! Nothing less.

The first time Lucy "looked me up" I was over come with emotion. Her expression and demeanor were so completely transformed from what I had come to know as normal in our 'drive and be drawn and devoured sessions'. Tears flowed down my face and neck in a torrent as the folks gather around the pen sighed aahhh in unison. It was huge! Just amazingly huge. For Lucy and I, it was huge! Our big breakthrough. It was momentary. But soon she was choosing to come to me, and stay while I petted on her, and just be with me. She was not devoured. She was relax and happy and present.

Libby believes she can show us how to support each other in all things. I believe her. We are signed up for 3 days with Libby when she returns to Piper Ridge in July.

Reluctant Trot Lesson: Bryan Nuebert Oct 2006

This pony did not like to break into a trot. Especially from a stopped position. At one of several little breaks during a clinic with Bryan Nuebert where he stops to ask each person how they are "set". The rider of this paint said she was not have any fun getting her mount to break into a trot.

Bryan asked her to demonstrate starting out at the trot. She asks in her usual quiet way repeatedly. You can see the pony is none to pleased and I can tell you the results were ugly.

Bryan has her try a different approach. He has her lift her legs out from her ponies sides in a very exaggerated fashion allowing the pony a moment to see what she is doing, and then to bump him smartly on the elbow with the stirrup. You can see she now has his curiosity up.  His expression has changed from a sort of "get off my case--I'm not listening to that" attitude to more of a "what are you doing up there?" I wish I had taken better notes and I hope that LJB and PY will pipe up with what I may have missed in this lesson. But this is what I remember. Bryan also had her add in simultaneously an exaggerated lifting of the reata end followed by a sound slap against her chaps. She had a bit of trouble with the finesse of that maneuver.

Bryan gave her some time to practice this and she was off trotting her surprised but seeming happy to be interested rather than annoyed pony up and down a section of the long side of the arena.

At this point the rider is more ecstatic than her mount. But the transitions got clearly less augmentative and it seemed that he was less annoyed each time he responded as desired and had the little exercise successfully accomplished. The rider repeated smartly bumping the pony on the shoulder and slapping her chaps to to get the desired reponse several times until it's intension was clearly understood and the take off at the trot was instantaneous. Then she was instructed to simply lift her legs and arm as the cue. The pony trotted out. Now that she had his attention and had clearly and decisively communicated what was expected the pony felt no need to wait for the bump before stepping off at the trot. Presumably after a spell the lesson would become trained into the pony and the rider could transfer that back to the more subtle cue with legs in the correct riding position.

One of the things I noticed watching Bryan teach is that he always took time to share the joy of an accomplishment with a student. He has a warm and genuine smile.

Mark Rashid Coming Oct 24

Mark Rashid  is coming to New HAmpshire again this month. There was a waiting list to get to ride with him over 200 names were on it. I'm not sure where I was in the list as of the end of May 07. But, I didn't get called. I'm so glad because it would have broken my heart to pass but I don't even know if I can come up with 25.00 to audit one day of the clinic. (Anybody want to pay me 25.00 to take a guided trail ride through the Hollis woodland on  Fjord pony? ) If I get to go audit the clinic, I'll be reporting in a Question / Answer format.

Tim Harvey who hosted the last clinic just sent out an update / notification:

Hi Folks!

I wanted to remind folks of the dates for Mark Rashid in October. The clinics start Oct 24 and end Oct 29. Start time is 8AM and things usually wind down about 5PM. The audit fee is $25 a day payable at the door.

Deer Creek Farm, owned by Heidi and Parker Uhlman is the host facility. It is a BEAUTIFUL farm! Go to http://www.dcfarm.com to check it out and also to get directions and barn rules.

I will keep you all posted as to future clinics with Mark and also with Kathleen Lindley. Mark will be in New Hampshire again in May for 2 clinics as well as in the fall of 2008.

Kathleen will be in New Hampshire from June 26-July 1. Her clinics will be jumping clinics!

My new website for clinic information will be up soon. The address is http://www.horseclinics.info

We hope to be operational by the end of next week. Clinic info will be posted for all the clinics I organize and host in New Hanpshire, New England and Florida.

Somethig to consider to beat the winter doldrums is a trip to Florida to ride with Mark! I have clinic openings in Anthony, Florida for the following dates; Feb 29-29, Mar 1-3 and Mar 5-8. I have not posted these dates yet and offer them to people on my email list first. Particulars will be posted on my website soon. Let me know if you are interested. Email me at Timo33@inbox.com or simple reply to this message.

Thanks!

Timo

Mark Rashid

I first saw Him in Vermont at Silver (something) Arabians four years ago. I remember being amazed  that there were folk who just came riding in off the mountains and across the meadows to the round pen where they would the spend the hour they had paid for with Mark working on whoa, getting a consistent trot, beginning a feel toward suppleness and perhaps  discovering a rounder frame in their horses. They rode in sweaty,  dismounted and sponged their horses, drank deeply and hand grazed them while they waited their turns.  At the time I thought their saddles rather odd. They were not traditional western designs though some had horns. These were closer to the Australian saddles I’d see in magazines. They had lots of padding and silver rings everywhere for hanging stuff off of. These riders wore tights and sneakers and had the strangest looking stirrups I had ever laid eyes on. Great gomming things with foot resting surfaces of about 4 inches. They weren’t those fancy big western ones made of tooled leather that are pretty enough to get away with their size.  No, these were made of plastic or a combination of plastic and metal without the least hint of an attempt to make them presentable.  The bridles were shiny and not like any leather I’d seen before. More like the Easter Sunday shoes I’d had as a child. I liked the way the bit snapped off for grazing though.  It would still be a couple of years before I’d see all this gear in context at an endurance ride and have it all made clear to me. I remember being almost bored with most of the lessons that day. No hoopla. No quick fixes, very little excitement. The lessons were done in a one on one format and were quiet and smooth. There was one horse going around with his nose so stuck in the air I was sure the rider could look him in the eye between his ears at times. The rider was frustrated at not being able to correct this behavior.  Her whole hour was spent working on being able to feel the tiniest try in that horse when he moved in the right direction and then to time the release of pressure correctly every single time so that he would continue to seek out the desired head carriage. This problem had been trained into the horse Mark explained as he held the horse end of the reins and let the rider see and feel how she was releasing the horse only when he was upside down.  The man was patient beyond belief and that impressed me. The feel he was trying to build in this rider was taking hold very slowly. She had undoubtedly spent many hours and many miles in endurance with this horse. Their way of going together was very ingrained. The horse was relieved to find another way to get relief from the bit but reverting to the habitual tug and flip of the nose was hard to let go of. That poor woman had to be real strong and consistent on those reins for a while. It wasn’t a problem that was likely to get fixed over night.  This is where I first noticed the important contrast between Mark Rashid and a lot of the other trainers I’d seen, though it wouldn't seem so important to me till 4 years later.  He advocated waiting for the horse in all situations. He didn’t recommend or practice taking a horse to a place where it feels it is in trouble and then working to get it through.  He'd wait all day long. He'd wait a week for the horse to be ready. I’m not saying one way is right and another wrong. I am saying Mark is different. And I’m finding at this point in my journey with horses that I am attracted to that difference.  Mark is a Martial artist. He studies Aikido “The Way of Harmony”. Mark holds a black belt in Yoshinkan Aikido. He tells us he attempts to live his life in an attitude of softness.   

In one of his lessons at Tim Harvey’s farm in Campton New Hampshire this past weekend He talked about the importance of footfall in a way I have never heard it used before. He had the rider concentrating on the rhythm and audibly indicating when a particular hoof left the ground. This part was not so new and he did this for a while until each hoof had been contemplated. He also had the rider indicate her body movements in the same way.  Right hip moves forward, left hip moves forward,  left shoulder goes back; now, now, now, now. Right shoulder goes back: now, now, now, now.  Left leg moves over, right leg moves over: now, now, now, now. All in time with the footfalls of the walking horse; one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four. He says that the right hip comes forward when the horses right hind leaves the ground. The riders left leg moves over as the horses left front leaves the ground. He has the rider focus on these connections. Asks her to feel it , now, now, now, now. Around and around they go, feeling, chanting;  now, now, now, now, all of us entraced by this point. The horse has softly fallen into a very big strided and rhythmic walk in perfect time to some unseen metronome. The rider has her eyes closed in concentration, feeling the connections. She is soft and moving freely with the horse. They are becoming one. Mark explains that our bodies are built basically the same as the horse and sitting on the horse, if we are soft, we move in the same way. We move together in softness and are connected. He asks the rider to feel the two circles of energy that she moves within. The two circles that are the front half and the rear half of the horse moving in harmony. He asked her to feel them as they come together encircling her hips. He asks her then to tighten her lower back (to stop riding). Immediately the horse stops. She has become a wedge driven between the two circles of energy and her horse with whom she had been moving in such perfect harmony felt the shift profoundly.  She begins again and reaches that place of harmony easily this time. This is what Mark calls the difference between riding the outside of the horse and riding the inside. Riding the inside is where we always want to be. They carry this excercise through the walk and trot stopping here and there and picking it up once again. It's lovely to watch. We can no longer see her cues. The two are of the same mind it seems.

Tim Harvey has a lovely Sulpher Mustang that he has been working with for a year now. The horse was a stallion when he first found him and was very afraid of humans, more than slightly troubled. We saw him worked in long lines still a bit leery of the crowd leaning along the top edge of the round pens solid four foot walls. He’s not been ridden yet. He’s not ready. Tim was pleased as a proud father at his progress as Mark spoke of how far he’d come since last he visited in the fall. Tim waits and doesn’t take the horse further with each session then he is ready to accept quietly. This takes time. This is what I am learning. I want more of this. I am on the waiting list for Marks return to Campton in October. I heard a rumor that they are talking about adding a second 3 day session.

Terry McClare @ Footloose Farm

That's She way back there in the Red on Shultz the Amazing, behind me and the whirling dervish. Laney Lu was very nervous. She nearly came unglued when she was on the opposite side of the arena than Dove--screaming and spinning and running me down. Terry put a barrel between us but it wasn't long before she was fine with running the barrel down to cut the 'away from Dove' side of the circle shorter. I have been at that circling and breaking over the hind end stuff for 3 years now (you know 4-5 sessions each year rather than daily) I don't get it. I don't find success with it, therefore I don't practice it. I see it work for Terry so well. I don't have her eye, her timing, or her focus. I cannot make myself "bigger" than Laney's fear of separation from Dove. She responded well to terry's strength and clear consistent messages--even though the rope halter was making her face bleed in several places. I'm pretty sure Terry does not enjoy those kinds of training sessions. She sounded a little exasperated when she asked me when I was going to get a "Nice" horse(she had just shaken her head over K the bucking pony last year). I told her this was my nice horse. She said she was very troubled and had no idea that she could turn to a human for help when troubled. I told her that when the horse was at her clinic last spring with her previous owner Terry had not thought the horse was troubled. Terry asked me "What happened to her!" "She moved to my house I guess." I felt defeated. For the rest of the morning I failed miserably at the circles for a spell and then  chose to work on the leading exercises because we did fairly well with those: walking at differing speeds and stopping and starting on cue, walking over poles and tarps and between barrels. Once we got the the afternoon mounted portion of the clinic Laney settled a bit. Someone asked "You ride her?!" I said it seemed safer up top. Terry instructed me to never pull back to slow at this point unless I was willing to do what it takes to get it done. We really don't want to train in a brace. So we zig zaged a lot with Terry reminding me often to stop bracing in my stirrups. We performed many one rein stops that were so energetic and lengthy it got Terry calling her the Salad spinner. It took 15 seconds for me to be able to see straight after coming out of a spin. She can spin with her nose on my toe! Terry instructed us thus: She needs Lots of loving when she gets it right--any and every chance you get, and lots of consistent work (I heard "spinning") and absolutely zero mad dashings through the woods. Rats on that last part! But she's right. it is the last thing she needs right now. If I'm patient and consistent with the initial training we will be doing years of mad dashing later-- with the added pleasure of breaks just in case and most importantly in a relaxed frame of mind. She can't do endurance, terry reminded me, if she stays that wound up--she'll wear herself out in the first five miles. Truth again.

Ray Hunt @ Footloose Farm

We un-bagged our canvas chairs or in AD’s case and much to her chagrin, her canvas   table--slightly smaller and no back support but it worked. We got front row seats right next to Ray’s throne. He had a very comfy looking large folding canvas chair that had a thick padded  seat and back added on. It was set up on a platform a couple feet off the sand and had along the sides and back a skirting of blanket to hold heat from the portable heater hidden underneath it’s seat. When he arrived promptly at nine AM, Ray climbed into it and found another heavy blanket tossed across his lap. His hands were heavily gloved and his coat was buttoned high under his chin. It was cold for April in Maine. Thirty degrees Fahrenheit and nearly a foot of snow on the ground from a spring snow storm a few days earlier. Ray had come up from Florida where it had been near 80. He said it was cold and that he had emphysema, “but,” he added, we’ll make the best of it”. And indeed he did. He taught , lectured,  laughed, recited poetry, --and lavished praise for how far the riders of today had come when compared to the “sorry deal’ that so many horses found in the hands of humans during the 40s and 50s--till about 4PM with only an hour lunch break. I had recently heard that Ray Hunt wasn’t much for explaining things as he went about working with a horse. I had said that after years of auditing these clinics I sort of appreciated the chance to see if I could follow along and get it without a lot of commentary.  To simply watch the horses reaction to the handler and thereby understand why each tactic was chosen. I still don’t know how Ray operates during a training session where he himself works with a horse but now that he no longer rides and does his teaching from the sidelines he has plenty to say and is good at getting his direction across to the riders. His lectures are clear and full of analogies that make sense. They are however concise and to the point.

There were seventeen riders, some of whom had planned on bringing their own mounts. When the decision was made to disallow outside horses on the farm --Due to the EHV-1 threat (that has now as of this writing passed) they agreed to ride the clinic on Footloose horses. One woman arriving slightly behind schedule marches into the arena towing a mare she has just met five minutes earlier. She voices some frustration at not being able to get a bridle on her assigned steed and asks Ray for some guidance. She is directed to just get it done--then at times she is told to “now wait”, don’t be in a hurry”. She is nervous in front of the standing room only crowd behind the first three rows of chairs gathered at Ray’s end of the arena that she now faces. She is rushing and her movements are stiff, almost harsh. She fails to give herself enough slack and is stretching the bridle taunt on the mares face as her wrist bends over its forehead pressing too firmly between its ears. The mare is annoyed with the attempts to force the bit over the end of her nose and is turning away with increasing resistance. The woman responded  by waiting this time rather than continuing to increase the pressure and speed of the failing maneuver. She relaxes and waits letting her wrist drop lower down the mares forehead, draws a deep breath and exhales. The bit is now in position the woman has relax her pressure and the mare now has no problem excepting the bit. It was the most bizarre bridling maneuver I have ever witnessed. More recently however I have seen pictures of it in a western type horse magazine so I guess it’s a “sanctioned” maneuver. It exemplifies the fact that horses can be trained to an array of signals and techniques limited only by human imagination.   

It also demonstrated a fact that Ray repeated often during his teaching: “the horse is very forgiving and often baby-sits the human.”

One of the exercises is the zig zag, where the horses split into two groups and while riding in opposite directions weave in an out around oncoming horses and riders alternately. Here is Terry's Schultz expert management of the task--nearly always supple and obedient. Schultz is transitioning from Basal to Bridle this year.

Some of the horses showed resistance to the the zig-zagging.

But slowly settled and gave their riders longer moments of softness. During one of Ray's questioning breaks we hear one of the auditors describe her problem with a horse who is habitually running away with her. She says it has become a serious safety issue because of the way he spins so quickly and takes off and is then uncontrollable. She has been run out into traffic and is at her wits end. She asks Ray what should be done. She is told that she should stop the horse from spinning and running off before he does it because once he does it all that can be done is to “grab your hat and hope you survive“. Ray doesn't offer many training techniques. He doesn’t have his students follow specific methods. He explains to this discourage rider that there is a point where the horse is thinking about doing a thing and its body begins to subtly shift towards that idea. In that flash of a moment a rider needs to respond fast and get that horses mind changed before it’s completely made up, because Ray tells us, “once the horse has made the decision it is too late,  grab your hat and hope you survive.”  What lies beneath this simple truth is the root of most my trouble. It is the bottom line piece of information I’ve been trying for 3 years to extract from all these training sessions. This is the magic.  The recipe for the alchemy we all hope to practice with our beloved mounts. Technique is often secondary to knowing WHEN something needs to get done. Technique can be discovered while working to get the thing done. I think this is part of the reason there are so many different “strains” of Natural Horsemanship now. I personally gravitate toward the less commercialized programs. To the trainers who tell you right up front that they are there for the sake of the horse. Thereby implying that I am just a means to an end. Good I like that rather than thinking that they are hoping they can sell me abunch of trick ropes and snake oil. This need for feeling timing is the fundamental piece that Giwani Pony Boy explains so poetically in his first book “Horse Follow Closely” I think. He emphasizes that we need to Know our horse. We need to know everything about how it responds to us, its herd mates, things expected and things unexpected; its environment in general. He advised us to go sit near and watch our horses through an entire day, eat with them, sleep when they sleep, and simply be with our horses, and to do it often. He writes about traveling with his horse and living in the trailer with it, living in the same compartment, not on the other side of a steel wall in a cushy apartment. It will benefit our relationship in huge ways to know them that well he says. . I don’t see myself living with my horse that closely. I hope I can learn to be observant enough in the hours I do spend with her. 

I sort of knew a pony once that could spin extremely fast and with what I thought was no warning. He left me on the ground more than once and walking back to the barn alone I got increasingly determined to get that fixed. It took a while but I was finally able to feel him getting ready to spin. Bonnie was the same way. But Bonnie is very large and it was much easier to see and feel her getting ready to do anything. It takes longer for those impulses to travel through her big (thick) head and body—thankfully. My problem is that I do not spend the time it takes. I work off the farm for 40 -50 hours every week. I care for a bunch of horses. I care for 2 dogs. I have a hardworking husband who likes to have me cook a few times a week, I try to see my grandkids on occasion, and I want to trail ride to unwind. I also want to compete in Endurance for the thrill, the sense of accomplishment, and to be part of that particular group of horse people. I want to present a well trained horse and, I also want to be able to say I did it myself. I trained, I conditioned, I competed. I am discovering that I have to slow down. I am training bad habits into my horse every time I get on and dash out there head long wishing I had better breaks, wishing I had better transitions, wishing I had real control when it counts. I am making a pact to step back and do the work to set the foundations before heading out. It may mean less time on the trail this summer. It may mean I won't compete this season.

Saturday I am taking the new mare Rilana to Terry's for one of her own clinics. There will be a report. The 25th I will be auditing one day of Mark Rashid in New Hampshire--PY's favorite NH Guru. A report will be made on that one too--my other pact: to write more reports on clinics and training and stories of competitions.

FootLoose Farm Spring Clinic Schedule . . .

. . . Arrived in my e-mail this morning! I thought it would mean that the web site would also be updated but that hasn't happened yet. So Anyway Here it is word for word just I received it:

"Well it may still be winter  here at Footloose Farm, but  we are thinking more Spring thoughts!  So we are starting up a once a month day clinic, it's a refresher course, so we can check in with our ponies and ride on.
The Clinic will be 9-4 the morning session is ground work which can be taken to many levels, we will break for Lunch at noon and then ride 1-4. We will work on individual issues that you and your horse might be having, and we will also work on group exercises and start to get ready for the coming of some of our  favorite clinicians. Feb 18th, March 25th, April 15th, & May 13th Is the start of our Spring tune up. If you'd like to participate in the clinics, please sign up soon as they fill up fast.If you would like to participate , but need a horse to learn on we can help with that. If you want a more one on one learning experience Terry is available for lessons here at the Farm.. Please e-mail or call for more info footloosefrm@yahoo.com or 207-935-2373  also our web page which are always working on is now www.TerryMcClare.com  Happy Trails... Cortney"

I always enjoy Terry's clinics. She has such a way with the horses. I especially admire her strong patience. She is strong and assertive in a kind patient way. When she needs to show something to my horse that I am struggling to get across (because this ground working is something I just discovered was an important part of what I want to do with horses and have not developed much finesse) she never lets anything get personal. She always waits for my horse to "get" the lesson--repeating and re-repeating calmly and with such quiet certainty that she will get it. Sometimes it will be me who doesn't seem to "get it' and then she will have her assistant hold my horse, pass me an end of a lead or 'rein' and perform the exercise as if I am the horse. Those moments can be hilarious but they always end in one of those "light Bulb" moments. I hope one day to have developed an eye like hers. She "sees" the instant the horse has "gotten it" and that is so much a key to it. Though thankfully most of my horses are forgiving of my bumbling and do manage to learn important pieces of the whole.  I also like Terry's clinic structure. She will demonstrate an exercise and explain it in detail and tell you what lesson the horse gets from it and how that learning translates into a building block of her education and why it will aid her in her daily job. Then she will watch each of us try it out, jumping in where needed to fine tune us. She moves around and around the arena and does such a good job at giving everyone her attention, even if it just to say "good job with that . . ." or make some comment to each of us and ask how we are set and give us a chance to ask a question. She always sees when there is trouble brewing and is quick to get it fixed. Terry can spot a bad situation before it explodes through six horses and all the way to the far corner of the arena, and get there in a flash! While she is attending to the other participants I have time to work one on one with my horse and see how things play out between she and I when I have to think on my own. In other lesson formats I have felt that I am almost a puppet and the instructor a puppeteer. I am not saying it is a fault of the lesson program or the instructor. Many programs in this format work very well for lots of folk. It seems not to be the way I learn best is all. It is as if the teacher directs my every move and I forget to react to anything until I am told. Once I am stuck in that mode it is hard for me to begin to think for myself. I have had the feeling many times that the horses I have ridden in those lessons have a strong understanding of who is really directing them--even when the horse is my horse. And maybe this speaks to my own deficiency in that sort of structure. But, It is very helpful for me to have some time to find out whether I can see my errors and the consequences of them and have some time to try fixing things on my own before the Terry comes around again.

Joe Wolter in Limerick Maine

Joe Wolter, answering a question from an auditor during "the first ride" on this youngster.

Remember to click on the image to see a larger version.

Joe and some of the gang watching a long solo trot line w- a- y  out to the birch tree and back. This went better for some than others--but that's why you come, to challenge yourself and your horse, overcome an obstacle, and get some practical guidance on making it all work out in the end.

Her Joe is taking a bit of a wild ride (in a saddle not quite made for him) on a spirited horse not used to open spaces. He worked with her for a while and in the end a very triumphant woman took her first open trot out across the field. The whole crowd so wanted to cheer but didn't want to spook the mare. once she was safely back with the group we clapped and hooted.

I am happily busy with life and horses and whatnot and may not have much time for writing but will try to post a blurb like this every now and then.