I have rethought my tagging system. Here are the new tags:
- Life
- Nostalgia
- Lessons (the teaching of humans)
- Training (the teaching of horses)
- DIY
- Rant (the Roxy rants)
I originally wanted to be able to look back on each horse, but it's hard because I'm not consistently training anyone other than Roxy right now. So I feel like 99% of my posts are about her anyway. I think this will help.
When I first started learning gymkhana I rode a fantastic finished horse named Roulette. She was great, she could spin, slide stop, and she ran a great barrel pattern. This horse taught me the pattern, while Roxy was still learning it. I hope other gymkhana riders get the chance to learn like this.
Well, I recently started teaching a 19 year old girl gymkhana. She already knows how to ride, and has a pretty good foundation. She can catch, groom, tack up her own horse, and Dolly loves her, so it works out fantastic. Today I had her trotting the barrel pattern. To be honest, it was pretty sloppy. Dolly runs a really loose messy pattern if you don't really cue her and nail her to get it right. So I let the girl, Jamie, ride Roxy. I told her "Here, why don't you trot it once on Roxy so you can feel what it's like on a finished horse."
Another thing that I love about Jamie, she really understands the horses and picks up on subtleties. I had her trot Roxy a lap in both directions to get the feel, and then I had her approach the barrels. When I say Roxy is not hot, I mean she doesn't bolt, or run through the bit. She is sharp, listens to her cues well, and is very forward. She's hot when you ask for it, but settles down quickly, so I was confident that despite my galloping the pattern previously, she would trot it for Jamie. And Roxy willingly did. They turned the first barrel and Jamie instantly said "Wow!" She could actually FEEL how tight, Roxy was running the pattern. She could tell that Roxy knew it. They turned the second barrel, and it was great again! Heading to the third barrel they bannaned a little, but I think it's Jamie's cue because Dolly was doing it too. I could tell that Jamie really enjoyed Roxy, and it was so fun for me that my horse got to be the teacher.
Here's a photo of Roxy (+ long awful appy hair) and I taking a 6th place ribbon with grace.
Has anyone else had a moment where your horse got to be the teacher? Were you proud? Or were they less of a teacher and more of a tester?
So I had no idea what gymkhana was, I am self taught to a certian point, so I googled it. Sounds and looks like fun. I wish my life seemed more grown up like yours but I am still in college, Blehk!
ReplyDeleteGymkhana is amazing! It's actually a lot more involved then just running around barrels at full speed. If you ever decide to get into gaming, feel free to take some videos or ask for questions! I love to give advice! :)
DeleteIt feels awkward trying to be an adult. Like I just missed out on being college aged. And when I move out it will be straight into a one bedroom apartment, I won't even have a roommate because I can afford not to. Enjoy college, as much as I hated it, I hate that I didn't enjoy it even more. (if that makes any sense at all! haha)
I like to think every horse taught me something, but I think there were a few really important lessons I learned.
ReplyDeleteMy mare Lady taught me that eventually all horses will meet you at your level. When I came back into riding I just wasn't as confident as I used to be and it really showed but eventually I got my confidence back.
Sugar (my boyfriends mare) taught me that one training regime does NOT work for all horses haha. I'm FINALLY getting somewhere with her, after months! I really think that I can learn a lot from her though.
This is the last one, I swear lol. I can't even name all the things my gelding Jack has taught me, but here are a few: He taught me that if I'm not tough with horses, they WILL walk all over me. He's the one who really made me want to improve my riding and training techniques so that I could do him justice. He's my heart horse. <3
For everyone else though, he has been more of a tester. As in, "Sit on me and I will test how well you can stay on a bronc!" lol.
Your mare is SUPER cute by the way! I absolutely LOVE her colour.
Thank you, I think she's just a cutie patootie! Possibly the most beautiful horse in the whole world, but I might be a little biased. ;)
DeleteThe lessons we learn from horses are amazing. Roxy has taught me how to forgive, given me a love of training, and been a perfect horse to grow with. I am so honored that she has reached a place where she gets to teach someone else.