FLUIDITY CLINIC- The last time I rode Sue in an indoor clinic, I was overcome by emotional non-fitness by noon and had to quit.

This indoor arena clinic was full of horses and Sue and I rode two days.  What a difference.

The first day when we first started riding, Tony told me I didn’t look fully relaxed.  I thought I hid it well, but there it was…tension.  We can’t have tension in a Fluidity Clinic!

So, I started to whistle without sound.  Amazing how whistling, even when you don’t produce noise will make you relax.  You purse your lips, blow air out and your body relaxes…like automatic.

I whistled (soundlessly) until I didn’t need to anymore. No one noticed I looked weird -pursing my lips, looking like a fish mouth. 

Sue didn’t spook while I was riding her.  What she did do, was refuse to go thru spots where she had to be too close to other horses.  She is claustrophobic in tight spots.

She would pass horses just fine unless two or more horses were close together. Then we just came to a halt and our feet stuck into the arena sand. 

The bigger horse had a bigger bubble.  We had a draft cross in the class and it took more room for Sue to be able to get around that horse!

Sue and I played the squeeze game (with the other horses) for two days.

Seven year old Caitlyn got permission from her father to ride Sue at the end of the first day.  Caitlyn rode in half the arena…all the participant horses were gathered up in the other half.  Caitlyn got Sue to canter.  I cheered!

At the end of the 2nd day, Caitlyn got to ride Sue again.  This time as she rode past where her little brother was playing out of the arena in the sand…well.  Little brother threw something up as they went past and Sue leaped sideways to get away.  Caitlyn told me she came within a hair of falling off.  whew!  I’m glad it wasn’t me riding and I’m glad I didn’t see it.

Remember the water bottle crinkle-crunch noise that scared Sue?  It occured to me today, that I’ve not really taken care of that.

This coming weekend, Sue and I will be participating in a trail ride clinic.  It will be very hot.  I will need water.  In the afternoon, I’ll be out in the middle of 500 acres on a trail ride.  I will need water.

I have Thursday nite and Saturday morning to fix things so I can take a water bottle out of the saddle bag and drink it.  If I don’t drink the water, I’ll die.  If I don’t get Sue’s fear of the crinkle-crunch abated,  well….

Let’s not think of me lying in a hospital bed somewhere in southern Misourri with fluids running into my dehydrated body.

I’m a woman on a mission to eliminate crinkle-crunch fear!

We rode tonight with a saddlebred show horse.  Yep  We had a great time with Katie and Feather.

We rode.  One of us rested while the other rode.  We thought it might be good if Sue and I rested while Feather cantered.

It was hot and rest periods were essential

Katie hasn’t seen Sue and I together for a while and she could tell the difference in my tension..none.  We marveled over how different Sue and I both look..and it a fairly short time period.

I told Katie that Sue was was getting too close.  Katie was shocked.  She decided to run off from us.  She told Feather to speed up into his fast trot.  She looked back and we were right on her rear…like a tail gaiting car.  Only it was Sue trying to gait right into Feather’s tail.

Sue and I fox trotted.  We broke into a nice banging hard trot.  At the same spot in the arena..an open spot where something caught her eye..we dropped into the pace.  I had to slow her down when we paced and fix it.  We fixed the pace, slightly cut a couple of corners and we were back tail-gaiting Feather again.

We kept that up for quite a while.  I don’t think I’ve ever rode Sue at speeds like that for more than a half length down the larger arena.  Wowsa!

Eventually, our fox trot smoothed out and we were still going at break neck speed.

Good Golly Ms Molly!  We are going to do more of that!

Bring on the Saddlebreds!

It’s hot in Missouri..hot and humid in the summer.  One needs water on trail rides.  I slung the saddle horn bags over the horn with a few bottles of water on each side.  Off we went.

We were zipping along pretty darn good when my arm brushed the saddle bag and made the plastic water bottle make that crunch-crinkle noise.

Zowie!  That’s a “startle” noise to Sue.  Sue used to startle into a spook when I took my glasses off. They just made a tiny bit of noise.  A plastic water bottle “crunch-crinkle” noise is about 150 times worse.

Well, way cool.  I was able to stay relaxed.  Then I was able to emotionally prepare myself to remain calm, and I touched the saddlebag with my arm and purposefully made the crunch-crinkle noise happen.  We did some zipping and I  didn’t clutch.  It felt great.

When I dismounted,  I made the water bottles crunch-crinkle a bunch bunch of times.  Then I got out the bottle and used it for a grooming tool… Crunch-crinkle and wipe the sweat off.

I’ve not revisted that subject.  Hmmm

Sue – How Much Do You (and maybe me) Improve with Every Trail Ride?

Trail Ride again today!  Just my good friend and I out in the one Kansas City area park that isn’t too muddy to ride!

Sue was calm going away from the trailer.  She was fairly calm when we made the turn and started back toward the trailer…calmer than she ever had been before!

We had a couple of “startles” and I’m happy to report that the intensity of my reactionary “startle” has calmed down quite a bit.  Today, I was able to think about pulling on only one rein during most of our startles.  We even had a few startles where Sue “unstarlted” before my reactionary startle could occur.  I feel really good about that.

On all previous trail rides, we have gotten up into a nice flat foot walk, but hadn’t suceeded in going faster without going into the pace.  When Sue is nervous, she paces.

Today my trail riding buddy was able to gait forward. Sue and I brought up the rear at a dog walk or a flat foot walk.  I’ve learned to just keep her going slow at those two gaits and she keeps her left brain.  It is sort of sad that my lower back is in pain right now and I did have suffer quite a bit of dog walking…it wasn’t that bad.

Here’s the miracle one story…we fox trotted for a short distance on the way back to the trailer.  That is a miracle as she had to relax to do it. 

Miracle two is that my knees didn’t hurt.  Usually coming back to the trailer is a nervous sort of ride and my legs tense up.  That’s when my knees start to hurt.  That’s when my conscious brain realizes that I’ve been bracing my legs at the knees…a big no no in my world.

When I got off Sue at the end of the ride, I could walk!  This is the first time for that!!

I rode Sue, the “How Do You Do Horse”, today with friends. We picked our way through wretched mud, forded huge muddy puddles, walked on a damn by a huge stick-up grate with excess flowing roaring water. We were the lead horse for all the scary things in the park. We did really really well.

Then we had the three big military helicopters find us. Of course some of you know how beautiful I am. I believe my beauty and the beautiful bay horses is what made the helicopters circle us at somewhat low altitude THREE TIMES. My blond friend and her horse were standing right besides Sue and I when the helicopters discovered us. I believe she must have thought her blond beauty was the reason the helicopters circled us. She let out a few great big arm waves. Of course that is what Sue is still slighty scared of…human raised arms. Sue and I became nervous that the flapping arm would come over and hurt us…and we thought stongly about moving in a speedy manner somewhere else.

Finally the helicopters had enough of our beauty and left. The blond arm came down. Sue and I breathed sighs of relief and went on with our soggy ride. Our hearing came back soon after that.

Susan
Great beauty is such a handicap

I appreciated that.

After I managed to struggle to my feet, I rubbed her face and petted her.
I gave her a treat at the trailer.

I believe that the other person riding a horse in the same area must have caused her some concern. I bet the person came just a little too close to us…which for Sue could be anywhere from 50-100 feet.

I limped for a day or two.  I call that a learning limp.

This is the 2nd consecutive day of trail ride.  Oh woe if we could only have 5 days or 2 weeks or so consecutive days.

Today, Sue was more relaxed on the trail. 
Today, Sue was more nervous on the trail.

Huh?

Even though the saddlebred did wonderful on his first trail ride, he is still a fairly high energy horse.  I believe that energy sparked more of Sue’s inner terror that still exists.

Part of today (the first half away from the trailer), we were able to follow our two trail riding buddies. She was relaxed enough to just follow instead of scooting ahead.  What a great ride that was!

When we hit the turn around spot where we are going back to the trailer, Sue’s energy comes up.  This is where I found out how great of a gait she had over deep mushy muck.  Well the same spot today with the saddlebred behind us caused a few more bolt forward reactions on our way back home.

When she startles forward, my body tenses in alarm and I grab for the rein. This causes the forward part to go on longer than if I were relaxed.  I wish I wouldn’t do it.

So, part of the way home to the trailer (when we weren’t in the deep squishy mud or muck), I had my fellow trail riders wave their arms around. It made Sue raise her head, but she didn’t spook.  We’re going to have to do this more so I can quit my over-reaction.

The nice thing about today in terms of Sue and I is that my confidence is still sky rocket high.  I can’t wait to get back on the trail again.

Sue is sure-footed.

Sue can be very gaited – very smooth – in saturated 3″-4″ deep mud or grass.  That’s how far her feet sink.  That’s today at the park.

She judges where she wants to go and we just float over the muck.

I don’t ever remember going this fast before over muck.  I was amazed.

This, our first trail ride since last November. Sue is a great trail horse.  In fact, Sue is a darn great horse. I’m lucky to have her.  I’m still grateful to Nichole for bringing her further than I was able to .