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Monthly Archives: July 1997

Sage and Susan Go for Level 1 Test cont

I did mention it was hot and humid.

Monday was day 4 of being hot and humid all day.  Plus for test day, we were in the arena..where it is even more hot and humid than it is outside.

We had a break for lunch. We were all sitting in the air conditioned lounge.

Suddenly, I started crying.  I tried to figure out what was happening to me as I was not sad about anything.

I decided I must be having heat exhaustion.  I mentioned that to the crowd and all of a sudden I had ice cold water to drink and cold rags on my arms.

When our lunch was over and I stopped crying, we went back out to finish the tasks.

Sage and I ended up not passing 4 tasks.  Instead of passing four tasks, we passed all of them except 4!  WOWSA!

Of course the mounting task was one of them.  My regime of muscling up my leg muscles continues….

Late in the year, Jenny passed our remaining four tasks.  I was able to mount Sage from the ground…from both sides. Amazing!

Sage and Susan Go for Level 1 Test

Sage and I have been in a clinic for 3 days with David Lichman. It’s been horrid hot.  We’ve been at it every day from 9:00am to around 4:00 pm.  It’s horrid hot and humid. We are surviving.

Dave is going to stay over on Monday and is available to assess the level 1.  Here’s what I thought.  Hey!  I’ll just take the level 1 test.  Maybe I can pass 4 tasks. That would make me happy!

Monday comes

First is the ground things. Then we get to the saddle your horse.  Next is the get on your horse. At this time of the level 1 test, you had to get on from the ground…no mounting block was permitted.  I had spent the last year beefing up the muscles in my legs.  I’ve been trying to mount my horse.  I’ve never succeeded.

I had a pep talk from Karen and Jenny.  I can do it!

With a surge of adrenaline power, I got up in the stirrup.  I was standing with the one stirrup.  Of course, Sage was not used to this powerful explosion of energy from me. Even though I had set her legs for balance, the unexpected pull of my entire body weight, got her off balance.

I was standing on my stirrup and Sage was….trying to keep her balance. She failed.

David Lichman yelled at me…Kick Off Kick Off!  Was I going to get off my horse the first time I had ever made it up in the stirrup.  HECK NO!  I stood there.

Sage fell.  I fell.  David came running over to me.  I looked up and said, “Did I Pass?”

With a look of horror, Dave turned away.

Guess I didn’t pass the mounting task!!!

Sage and I Level 1Clinic with Dave Lichman

I’m riding Sage pretty good now.  We are taking a weekly riding lesson with Karen Moulis.

It’s a very big deal coming up as David Lichman, Parelli Natural Horsemanship advanced instructor is coming to Pine Dell to give a three day level 1 clinic. 

It’s terribly hot.

Day three near the end of the clinic, Dave decides to do the turn and face your fear exercise.  He sets a fire in the big outdoor arena.  We horses and riders group around the fire.  Burning things fly up and we duck. That’s how close we were to the small bonfire.

Then Dave throws firecrackers into the fire. Firecrackers!

One horse stayed her ground. The rest of them back hurridly away from the popping noise.

Who was that horse? That was Sage the Brave. This was when she earned her nickname of Sage the Brave!

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