It has turned cold again today, and that's a blessing. This country doesn't do +temperatures well in winter....everything melts just that little bit, then freezes and teaching horses to ice skate is not really in my lesson plan! So seeing the sun out, and -12 made us all do the happy dance, and get one last day of riding in before I have, er, get to go down to the Island for Christmas with family and friends.......
So away we go, gleefully wreaking the pristine, unplowed road, the dogs and Carson make a game out of how many times they can criss-cross, all the while playing horse try to catch dog as their paths cross. This game continues until we ease thru the slip wire and into the big field and on up the hill. We choose a less steep incline, in respect to the questionable footing, and I start to play my game. 'Feel Carson' is a game I have been playing for a few weeks now, and its rules are simple. Slow down and ask as subtly as possible, usually just where I look now, and just be with him. For his part, Carson is good at the game, and is very clear when I have asked to strongly/rudely/coarsely, the head comes up, stride gets short, breathing accelerates, champing or worse, grinding his teeth. Before you get to thinking I am a complete knuckle-head, this happens very quickly if you are a chestnut gelding with diagonal white socks and your name is Carson. This actually makes the makes the game very fun and I get to increase my awareness of my riding, his slightest tries, where he is looking, where I am looking( sometimes I drift off, thinking about inane human things, and he will drive us straight into a Pine tree, which I swear is intentional, as if to say...."Oi, Lady! look where we're going!) We play around with energy, and ease up to a trot and I discover some tension. We keep trotting on a loose rein, with a bit of a feel for him in there as well, until there is a slight lowering of his head, and a drop my energy and weight, and he walks. Rub, Rub, Rub, and into a trot again.....and rub. This time, I am rewarded with almost an instant relaxation, a nice blow and we continue on at a trot for awhile. I really want him to find relaxation in movement, kind of just encourage him in that direction, and then let him find it for himself. I try to do as little as possible, so that I am just helping the good solution to present itself for him to find. It is so very cool to feel his skin relax, ears soften and muscles loosen and we, Carson and Stef, are just going for a ride, he enjoying it every bit as much as myself. And for me, that is the very best part- that we both win; I get to keep refining horsemanship, Carson keeps refining peoplemanship and we ride thruogh some of the worlds most spectacular scenery.....
And the dogs? They are gloriously oblivious to all of this, just happy to be alive and enjoying every minute of it. Hmmmmmmmmmm