The pond just north of the house at McKendrick Ranch provided lots of connection time and laughs. Veiw the link to witness the fun times that were to be had!
Dancing with Equine Partners
I like to imagine the idea of when connecting with my horses is similar to the art and grace of a musical dance with my equine partners. With my horses having all the elegance of the spectacular move and myself having the consciousness to find the state of peace within it. In other words when we think of this connection to be equal partnership, our partners are in control of time and we are in awareness of what it should feel like in relaxation (suppleness) and activeness (movement). Together these two elements of time (horse) and feel (human) can create this beautiful art of connection with infinite potential of depth.
Place yourself in your partners horse shoes. Are you the partner in which you rush through dance steps, perhaps even skipping some steps, with a firmer grip then necessary? Or maybe you might think of yourself as the partner who creates the airy feel of uncertainty from the lack of feel to the specific connection you are achieving towards? Between these two we can discover a path which runs perpendicular to these ideas for a journey of deeper understanding with connection. On this trail we acquire the ever expanding light feel to grow wisdom, athleticism, and pride to share through our special horses.
Connection to Task
Horses have grace, beauty, performance, power. All of it coming naturally to them. We must think about how perfect our horses present themselves in the pasture. Running, playing, and those fancy manoeuvres including the dances they perform with the lead changes.
Their athletic abilities come so easy and natural to these amazing creatures, so us as proud horse lovers that are striving towards that deeper connection with our wonderful partner’s, need to keep it clear in our mind the truth behind this statement with the simplicity and complexity of these beings. Remember the key here is developing the connection with our horses for the unity we dream of. This starts all from the base of us to advance our horse’s potential as only through preparing ourselves can we prepare our horses. Try this: Sit and visualize your horse loping/cantering around a meadow with the feel of relaxing through his body and the active momentum from the desire to enjoy him/herself in perfect balance. Now out of intention to look the other way he gently straightens his body then into a now new lateral bend the opposite direction through his/her entire spine to then switch/pick up the new lead. As we can see something like a lead change cannot just happen from a cue. Now imagine the beauty of your horse performing these strides again but this time while you are riding. Cantering/loping with rhythm with that light feel connection in a even bend through the body then developing towards the straightness followed by straightness before the new bend into that new lead on the same rhythm. Recall the concept of deepening the connection with our horse; the harmony. By no means does it, or should it, take harsh driving and intimidation into a lead change. Nor will the true harmonious lead changes come from mistaking riding as sitting in your lazy boy. We must find the balance of the horse in his/her body to flow through the dancing strides of the lead changes. It’s the participation of feeling the active movement and relaxed flowing body just in ourselves before we can ever except our horses to connect to unit with us. Remember that expanding our connection with our horses is our foundation to everything we do with them and this all beginning with knowing what we are feeling for. This flow of lightness with a feel is what we have to ride like. Ourselves being in this presents of feeling of relaxation and active is our main focus, the connection. Then if our horses do not find this feel to connect on to we can influence to engaging the mind and balancing the body to follow.
The idea we are striving towards here is getting our foundation to get our horse to always deepen our relaxation and active connection. But what happens if our horses don’t find this connection is us? It is neither about doing repetitious patterns nor drilling our horses to shut down to break their spirit. We must be asking ourselves the questions of is my horse in direct relation to myself with a relaxed feeling connection longitudinal movement (forward/backwards), lateral bends (bends from the top of the poll down the spine to the top of the tail head right and left), or vertical flexion (rounding up from the back muscles to the proportional degree of elevation)? Does my horse have the light active connection longitudinally, laterally, and vertically? Only through advancing these things will we deepen the connection with our horses. As we think about this our intention with our horse has to be to get them to think about what to feel so they enjoy our partnership as much as we do and not to tell them what to think as this only puts their body into a false position and have no desire to stay with you. So we must influence only to get the mind to participate to get a feel toward the three connection channels of longitudinal, lateral, and vertical and leave time to their hoof beats as to when they will connect whether it is to maintain a certain bend or changing it to a new one. Just be patient but imagine the connection will happen right then. Instead of thinking towards the task think about, “where is my connection with my horse at?” Where do we need to help out our horses in the three connection channels to be work towards tasks of doing bend practises, speed variation, elevations or maybe towards a task it’s self.
Have fun and deepen that connection with your horse as then any discipline, activity, task should just flow into place!
Racing the Wind
I went out to check the fence lines riding Smoke tonight so I could let my herd of horses out into a different pasture. I had a lesson to teach in a very short period of time so after opening on Smoke bareback with my halter I decided that I was best that I would canter and gallop over the hills I could. As I was galloping through a treed in draw the wind started to rush from behind us. Smokes mane was flying and my hair was too. It felt magical as we raced the wind. Within seconds we had our first rain fall of the year. Although I might say that it was more of slush coming down as if kind of hurt as it hit us when we were canter. So I closed my eyes and gave all my trust over to Smoke. I felt smoke sway and slightly turn in the other direction that I didn’t want to travel. Not thinking and just reacting I encouraged him to stay on the path that I desired. Silly me I should of know he would of had a good reason to alter his direction. Going at what felt lightning speed as we galloped racing the wind we ran into a deep snow drift. Smoke stumbled and slightly fell while I continued over his head at the same speed into the snow bank! It felt like I landed on a slushy cloud as I landed the snow. I burst out laughing as I looked at Smoke’s face with “sorry I tried my best” written all over him.
I get off before I fall off most of the time as I find no need to ride a horse through something when I can easily find a solution of connection on the ground if I need to. However, when I make silly mistakes I have fallen off horses many of times, this time fortunately I landed very nicely on a soft bedding of snow and left me laugh as my horse waited for me!
Breakfast Time
Oreo, a sensitive and very caring mare that I have in for training, prefers to not share her breakfast with Ki, my wonderful dog. They both find the oats very good, but Oreo just has a desire to say it’s all hers! After barking and barking Ki always enjoys feeling the success when she pins her ears at him and she accidently dumps oats onto the other side of the fence where he then gets to eat them too.
Friends
Our furry friends often like to see what all happening at the McKendrick Ranch. In the summer they often like to come
visit my horses and myself at the arena.
But now they are really enjoying coming to just see after all the horse have left the paddocks to clean up the remainder of the good tasting oats!
Seeing the Change
All horses that come in to me I believe are very special. All have phenomenal potential do amazing things, whatever that maybe. It doesn’t take me long to fall in love with any horse!
However sometimes I believe that not all horses are what people is looking for in a partner. And sometime for whatever reasons we have we may choose to develop ourselves with our equine friends that on average to do not have a tendency to have extreme personalities.
I currently have a very handsome palomino gelding in for training. At the beginning I mentioned to his owner and questioned to make sure this was really the horse for her. She believed that yes, there was a reason she had him. He has all the looks going for him, however when he first came he was quiet the handful. He was rather aggressive and pushed his way into everything he wanted to do. He acted like a stallion (wanting all the mares!) and to be honest I haven’t worked with stallions as aggressive as he was! But with developing the connection and getting him interested in what I have to offer him, he has had huge improvement and a true connection with me now!
I often teach a horse to lay down in 60 days of training and it really builds trust for a horse to really want to do this with me. So when I went to lay him down my first thought was this will take some time as he often want to know if this is good for him before he is willing. Building that connection first and then getting closer and closer to the task. However we had a minor warm up and within 1 minute of developing the idea to connect and lay down, he relaxed and willingly laid down! I was amazed!
Isn’t it amazing how wonderful just developing the connection can get us wonderful results!
Fourth Ride on Vanny
Vanny is one of my 3 year olds that I am developing to find a wonderful home for. By nature he is very gentle and easy going. I have had lots of playing on the ground with him and having fun but have not had a lot of time on his back yet. Our winter here has had some pretty cold days this year, but the other day was the sun was shining and it was beautiful out. I walked out to my herd of horses to go get Vanny to advance getting our connection deeper. My initial plan was to go out to get him to return back to the arena for a play and ride. Once I got out there, that a journey in its self, I decided I just had to enjoy the weather while I could! So after hanging out with the horses for awhile I hopped aboard Vanny. We peacefully rode across the hills and into a new field that he had never even been into. With a cheer in his step and a smile on my face we both thoroughly enjoyed our ride! Never a spook or a worry, just bliss! Even loping up hills and it was the first time we have ever even loped, with a relaxed easy gait. What a wonderful ride for the fourth ride I’ve had on him!!Cantering Through the Snow
The sun was shinning making the snow sparkle yet it was rather chilly yesterday when I went to go let the herd of horses out onto the hay field. After locating the herd of horses and admiring all of them, especially the growing and developing foals, I started the journey to take the herd to open the gate to the hay field. I walked with several of the horses all bugging me to love, scratch and give them cookies while the rest followed close behind. They all followed at liberty easily all the way through the gate.
After the horses, very happily into their new pasture, where all through the gate, I grabbed my halter and hopped on Meeko for a wonderful ride. The chill day seemed really nice as I sat on her with her body warmth warming my legs. Meeko and I then took off over the hills to checking the fence lines. To my surprise Hugs and Kisses, the mini’s followed the entire way!
As Meeko and I would have flying snow coming around us as we cantered, Hugs and Kisses would leave a path where their belly’s’ drug through the snow as they raced beside us! It was super cute!
My Beautiful Mare, Tetley
Last evening my friend Lena and I wanted to go for a ride with our horses in the arena. When she showed up early I did not yet have her horse in yet. She we went up to the barn and I called and called, but no sign of any of my horses! Why were they not coming, where were they? After 5 minutes and my voice starting to feel it from yelling names of my horses so loud, I decided to put my legs to work and go see what was happening.
After over the hills, through the trees and up the valley, yay, finally they were there in the back corner of the pasture. Being that it was dark the only horse I could spot out who it was was Toby, the mini and easily assumed his girlfriend right beside him, Care Bear.
The horses all started coming towards me and they go closer I could tell that Tetley, my wonderful mare, was leading them. Although I still could not see color of horses, size, or body shape, I just knew it was her.
She came up to me first with the others still making their way up to see me. She touched me with her love and I gave her a hug and a kiss. The rest of the horses started to surround, Tetley and me now. I admired them all… Then I remember, oh yes, Lena was waiting for me still at the barn. With a graceful swing, I jumped aboard Tetley. Bareback and bridleless with 13 horses following close behind we led the herd on a peaceful walk over the country side back to the barn.
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