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Sometimes the biggest life lessons are not directly related to riding, but rather, more indirectly related to it. My March 10, 2008 lesson brought to mind some thoughts about one of the qualities that I then lacked, which is that I was then not very assertive. Lessons like this one seemed to bring about a much-needed change.

Lessons Learned Four

My fourth lesson on Chester was all about my being assertive. I’ve seldom been able to stand my ground when it comes to appearing to be in charge. Some question authority, I quail before it. I’m particularly intimidated by horse people who seemingly have their act together. Rather than take charge, I wait until I’m told what to do. This way, I’m less likely to do things wrong.

This might have something to do about my not coming up to snuff as a rider. There is always one in every crowd, and I’ve always been that one. For example, I was the one, who as a teenager, turned left when the instructor said turn right. I then had to spend the remaining portion of the lesson at the center of the arena, watching the others do what they did so well.

Dottie’s the authority, so I naturally start to second guess her. However, Chester is easy to read. He simply wants to be told what to do in a clear and consistent fashion. And so . . . I decided this week, that when I got to Dottie’s, that I’d be more laid back. I took a seat and waited for her 2 p.m. lesson to end. Perhaps, I thought, I ought to go and get Chester. I wasn’t quite sure. So, when she was done, we went together and got him.

I used to think that it was the smell of goat on my clothes that bothered him. Today I decided otherwise. Chester does not like the smell of indecisiveness. Indecisiveness smells like a dirty beach towel that’s been sitting for two weeks in the basement. It’s in a pile, on top of the dog bed.

Dottie put Chester in the crossties for me. He didn’t want me to brush him, and leapt out of his skin when I picked up the curry comb. So I let Dottie start in on the brushing, and then gave an assist. She saddled and tacked him up, and led him into the arena. We both saw that he was not going to let me get on him. I pulled the mounting block up next to him and he sidled away. I could see the whites of his eye and I suspect that he could see the whites of mine.

Dottie suggested that I lunge him. It’s quite interesting, to work with a horse that’s not my own. I’ve often thought that I don’t really want to deal with other people’s horses, but the truth be known, I’ve decided that it’s a really good thing to do. One never knows. If you are a horse owner, you’ll at one time or another either ride or be asked to assist with other animals. It just goes with the territory.

Chester moved out, at a very fast trot, bouncing along like there were springs in his legs. His tail was high, and his neck, after a few moments, relaxed. This, I realized, was what he probably looked like when being ridden by an experienced rider. Dottie, standing on the side lines, asked me to bring him down to walk. My tentative “w-a-a-a-l-k” didn’t do it. What did do it was a firm lung on the line. I knew right then that the connection between the two of us had established. This was borne out when I lunged him on the other side. He remained relaxed and calm.

I was not nervous about getting on Chester after lunging him. And he felt similarly, for he stood quietly as I mounted. Some might say that he was calmer because he’d blown off some stream. My counter argument is that this was not so – he still had plenty of energy to spare. That edge was still there when I got on him. I’ve come to like this feeling in a horse. I’m not one for wanting to have to use my body to motivate lazy horses. It’s often a lot of work for little gain.

We moved out at a walk. Dottie asked me to flex Chester’s poll a bit, using the reins, one side then the other. The trick here is to feel when the horse softens, and then release. After walking, we trotted some. Once again, I had to make the physical and mental transition that comes from going from riding a small horse with short strides, to a larger horse with big strides. This time, I got it in about thirty seconds. We next worked on trot/walk transitions, my slowing my rise and fall in the saddle. This better enabled Chester to stay balanced, as he slowed down. We’d done this in previous lessons; today I felt like I . . . got it.

It was 4 p.m., time for the next lesson. I walked Chester out, put him in the crossties, and untacked and then brushed him. As I lead him back to his stall, I felt like I had a bit of spring in my own stride. I was pleased with how the lesson went. There had been a decided change in attitude on Chester’s part when I took charge of the situation. This is a lesson that will serve me well in my future life-related endeavors.

Alys
Pete
Raudi
Form and Function
Gerjun's Decision
Bolting
Chafa Chafa
Clicker Training
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Maresville
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Snow Day
Siggi
Tinni
Bootleg
Rainbow
Jenna
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