Livin' the Dream? Part 1

The event that has had the biggest impact on my riding life was the summer I spent in another province as a working student.  I was in my early 20's and had been told repeatedly (and somewhat loudly) that if I really wanted to grow as a trainer, and become a serious high level rider I needed to become a working student at a successful training barn.  As a rider with very limited means, but a wealth of experience 'behind the scenes' at local stables this would probably be my best and only bet. I agreed, and eagerly sent off several applications along with videos of my riding to a few dressage trainer I knew of.  I received back a number of positive responses, but the reality of the cost of travel (goodbye dreams of riding in Germany) and the cost of living in the states (one women wanted me in Colorado that weekend-I received her email Thursday...) put a damper on my excitement.

Feeling a little discouraged I decided to attend a local clinic with a Canadian rider who came very highly recommended.  I'll call him Coach T.  Watching other peoples lessons with him I was impressed by his solid explanations, his tough stance on contact ("Half halt RELEASE! No, REALLY RELEASE!") and his stressing of how the horses biomechanics effects the way we ride them. He was also one of the few coaches I had seen who understood that 'forward' was not about speed, and he told almost everyone to slow down.  YAY!  During my lessons I found him tough but fair, catching many on my weaknesses ("Shoulders back!!") but also being pretty darn positive.  I was happy, and the three days flew by.

At home on Monday I sent him an email thanking him for the help and asking for his advice.  He responded with a job offer, saying he liked my riding, and if after a 2 month trial I decided I liked the situation I could stay on for a year, moving up to assistant trainer. Again, I was beside myself.  The next few weeks were a blur, as I prepared to leave.  My farm, horses and dogs would be cared for by my ever supportive parents (this was before my arena was built, a much simpler time) and I would eventually send for my mare Anja, now just 2, to be started with me once I was settled over there.  Within 2 weeks I was packed up and on my way.

I arrived at Coach T's brand new facility just as a new batch of horses were coming out of quarantine. I spent my first day there being told every horses name, age, breeding and current level of training.  I was thrown right into work, with very little explanation.  There were 2 other girls around my age who were also working students, plus a younger one who came for the summer only.  A third girl I saw hanging around was a sponsored Young Rider hopeful who's new horse had arrived only a month before. Her horse was a Grand Prix schoolmaster straight from Holland and (as she proudly informed me) 'probably worth more then your whole farm back in Manitoba'.  I rolled my eyes at that one, but he really was a lovely boy, with the sweetest temperament. Someone back in Holland had taken very great pains to train him properly.

Diving into the work, I found out we were in charge of grooming and saddling every horse that was to be ridden (close to 20 a day), of warming them up, and riding the ones we were assigned.  Coach T was extremely fussy about turnout-horses had to be brushed to perfection, tack was cleaned and polished after every ride, and we had to be dressed in a crisp polo shirt, dark breeches and shiny black boots with spurs.  My first day was a whirl wind, but as I feel asleep that night I figured all the blurry details would come into focus the next day when the real work began.

The next day did indeed allow for better focus and observation. I was surprised to find that the horses rarely went outside.  There were 5 small but adequate paddocks beside the arena that sat mostly unused.  If the weather was nice, the horses were allowed out to spend 30 minutes outside in those paddocks by themselves, grazing. Any contact with a neighbouring horse was prohibited, a rule enforced by an electric wire that ran around the top of the fence. Horses had to be lead out with a chain over their nose, and halters always stayed on.  Each horse wore boots on all 4 legs, plus bell boots on each hoof.  If a horse appeared to want to play, buck or run, we were to run out there and prevent it, bringing them inside before any such things occurred.  If the weather was bad, all horses were hand walked twice a day for 15 minutes in the arena.  I ventured out beside the arena one day leading one of the star youngsters who almost never left his stall.  I felt sorry for him, and wanted him to see more then the view the small window in his stall afforded him.  He was good at first, but eventually all the stimulation a quiet field on a hot summer day contains led to a rearing fit.  The barn manager and head assistant (I'll call her K) laughed as I put him away.  "Silly boy, doesn't he know going outside is a privilege not a right?"

That seemed to be the basic consensus with everyone at the barn.  The horses spent all their time either locked in their stalls behind iron bars, being hand walked, or being lunged/ridden.  Freedom outside, with no human telling them what to do was basically unheard of and considered unneeded. These were not back yard horses, I was told countless times. Theses were superstars, worth far to much to be allowed to do anything that might lead to an injury.  The unfortunate side affect to this was that they all cribbed or weaved, which led to electric wires being run on the inside of the stalls. Some were incredibly grumpy, with several biting the bars on the stalls when you would walk by. Others stood at the back of their stalls starring at the wall. The younger ones often took to jumping around and bucking, kicking the walls, or running small circles.

Outside time at my farm

I felt an overwhelming pity for them but then, hey, who was I? Just a nobody from Manitoba.  This was how it was done, I was told.  This was how it was in Germany.  This was just the facts of having high end horses.  I sighed, put my head down, and tacked up my horse for my first riding lesson.

A little Clarity is a Good Thing

I re-read my last post and just wanted to clarify something.  I'm not completely against showing.  I'm really not!  I have done a fair bit of showing in the past and still do show occasionally.  For me, though, its been a battle to justify the expense vs the rewards, and also a real dislike of being in the spotlight. As well, I don't really care what the numbers on a test sheet say, although I do enjoy reading the comments.  I realized many years ago that my true joy lies in the everyday training I do quietly at my farm. I find the dressage tests unimaginative, and I hate having to be so accurate in the movements! I know, I know, its good for me.  But as I tend to be one of those free spirited, creative types, it sucks the joy out of me faster then a surprise math quiz.

I've spent the last 4 days riding and enjoying my ponies, despite the rather frigid weather.  Yesterday, after braving the brutal wind that pushed the temperatures towards -25 all morning my working student A and I decided to head inside and watch horse videos and clean tack for the remainder of the afternoon.  We ended up watching Anja Beran on YouTube as she presented her training ideas in a symposium to a large audience in Germany.  The highlight of the video to me was when a women entered the ring riding a lovely Lipizzaner stallion.  It was explained that he was 30 years old and still did his dressage work on a daily basis.  They then rode around the ring doing walk-canter transitions, tempi changes and at the end a beautiful piaffe.  He was lovely, proud, and soft, and so sound in his movement I would have put his age at 15 rather then 30.  I was so excited!  Its how I hope my horses will be when they reach that age- I'm not Anja Beran, not even close, but I pray I can have such a positive impact on my horses!

I think thats why I often squirm away from showing.  How can we expect our horses to stay sound and have the amazing longevity of that stallion, when the majority of horses we see in the ring are over ridden and tense?  Strong contact and driving seats are the norm, and we wonder why there are so many horses getting hock injections? or needing chiropractic care? Or having major training issues?  I see so many horses being ridden who's hind legs are uneven, with one snatching off the ground and the other bearing more of the weight.  The enormous flicking front leg movement is drooled over, but how is the stress of the horses weight slapping the ground affecting its long term health? If your horse is so heavy on the reins it causes your arms or back to tire or be sore, how does the horse feel?  A bigger bit and draw reins may solve the problem in the short term, but what happens when that stops working? 

We must do better, we owe the horses more then this!  I am FAR from perfect, I am no high earning trainer and I don't want to sound too full of myself. But I feel that we as horse owners are responsible for these animals well being.  Not just now, but in the future as well. If showing is what you enjoy, thats fine, but winning a ribbon shouldn't be our marker of success!  

I spent a summer working at a very successful dressage barn in another province.  I went there expecting to be in awe, to learn by being immersed in a dressage rich enviroment. I chose an instructor with whom I had taken clinics with and considered classical.  What I got was a crash course in modern dressage and the new horse industry economics. I came home disillusioned and lost.  But that is a story for my next post.  As well, I will also introduce my horses, and discuss their training.  I also feel a need to delve into my past horses, and how they shaped my training philosophy.  I hope you tune in!

Josh and I showing (and winning) at second level Spring 2015

So What is Your Training Philosophy? Glad you asked......

When I decided to go into the 'horse biz' 16 years ago, my only caveat was that I would only allow myself to do this IF I could follow one principle: Do no harm.  I stood in front of a mirror and stared into my eyes and thought long and hard about this step I was about to take.  I was young, but I had seen enough to know that the horse world was a scary sometimes dangerous place.  Thanks to a youth spent working off lessons and board in a number of barns I had seen behind the curtain, and knew the truth of the horse world.  Could I do this, could I make a living in this industry without becoming everything I didn't want to become?  That was the heavy question I needed to answer.

My belief has always been that I don't own my horses.  I have a strong belief in God, and I believed He created this world.  I believe everything He created is His.  I have these horses on loan, for a short time, but they aren't mine to do with as I please.  The Creator who designed them is their owner, and because of that I must treat them (and every other animal I 'own') with great care and respect.  I have been entrusted with someone else's property.  Because of this strong belief I have studied hard to find a path that allows me to respectfully train my horses.  I wanted the training to be a partnership, one that both want to be a part of.  Not a boss/employee situation, and definitely not a master/slave relationship either.   

It meant I had to study their anatomy, to know how different methods affect the horses body and well being.  Because make no mistake, every moment you are in the saddle has an affect on the horse.  A horse heavy on the forehand, or off balance and crooked is slowly wearing out its body, overburdening parts of it.  This inevitably leads to lameness or at the very least damage to joints and also stresses the horse mentally.  Think of a person lifting weights with poor form.  It takes a huge toll.  Instead, allowing the horse to reach into the contact using gentle bending and lateral work, keeping the horses shoulders up and body very straight promotes good posture and healthy joints.

I choose Classical Dressage because I liked the ideas behind it.  The idea of respect for the horse, the knowledge to ride in a way that works with their anatomy, the idea that the training goes beyond just riding but into your whole life.  The people who inspire me have never won a ribbon in a show ring, and don't care to either!  The idea that the training can improve the horse physically and mentally really appeals to me.  And I have seen it work over the years.  One of the biggest mistakes riders make is focusing on the head and neck and not the balance of the horse.  Presently you see horses made very round in the neck (either by strong planted hands while riding or draw reins) and driven strongly into the contact.  These horses tend to be very expressive in front but if you watch the hind legs they often drag or take awkward uneven steps.  The amount of tension in the horses body is amazing, and the riders have to ride with that same tension to hold the horse up.  Trust me, I have ridden it! But thats a story for another day. By contrast training a horse classically has allowed me to ride many horses with very light contact, enjoying a soft connection and a relaxed swinging gate.  The lightness of the movement, the amazing feeling of ease of movement thanks to the balance is something I work for everyday.  I have been criticized by many for not making my horses rounder, for not driving them harder.  My only response to that is based on my research and my experience this is the way I want my horses to go.  I enjoy how willing they are, how excited they are to work everyday.  My horses go forward lightly and freely, which makes me feel like they must be happy.  And I can sit in the saddle softly with a deep but never pushing seat and enjoy the ride without feeling exhausted at the end.  

Lunging/play time!

There is also a playfulness that comes with that.  Looking at my horse as a partner means I spend time with them on the ground, both lunging and playing with them, which allows them to express themselves.  They get to show me how they feel that day, or maybe show off to me.  I have found that they are extremely generous, often offering very difficult movements on their own without me asking.  Those are the moments I truly enjoy.  Quiet, gentle, patient work that progresses over time keeps their minds calm and happy.  I have had my share of difficult horses, and this method is the one I have found works the best to improve the horses outlook.

Well, there you have it.  Maybe after reading this you are wondering more about specifics, wondering exactly how my horses really go.  Maybe you think I'm full of crap!  Thats cool,  its a free country and you can ignore me if that makes you happy.  However if you are curious stick around.  I'm going to go back and show you my journey to this point, and give you some specifics based on the horses I have ridden and horses I currently ride.  

My Introduction Letter

 You're probably wondering why another blog?  Better still, why another horse blog?  There are tons of them out there, just try googling 'Horse or Equestrian blogs' and holy moly, you'd think every horse person had a case of writers itch, desperately wanting to share every detail of their otherwise average life.  Yeah, its true. It is probably the number one reason I hesitated and stalled on even starting all this.  Well, that and the fact I find putting the tumble of words in my head onto paper (or screen) a huge challenge.  My mind tends to start leaping down a million bunny trails by the end of the first paragraph and, well, reining it in has never been my strong suit.

So, why then?  Hmm, honestly its hard to explain.  For me, the biggest reason is over the last 16 years I have worked as a 'professional' (yes, there is the " but it will become clearer why as we go on...) horse person, and I've seen shit.  Pardon the language, but I can't seem to find a better word to describe it.  I've been through shit, good and bad, and I feel the need to put it down, to try and make sense of it.  I also wanted a place to air my ideas and methods, that explains my philosophy and gives me a place to talk it all out.  Not exactly ground breaking, but hey, maybe it will be entertaining.

I'm not an amazing writer- I love to read, and I do honestly love to write.  But I am one of those individuals who tend to see my own strengths and weaknesses pretty clearly, and I know my writing is weak.  But still, I'm hoping you will grant me a little grace, and stick around as I try and put my thoughts out there as honestly as I can.  This isn't an ego trip either, by the way.  I am pretty hard on myself, so I know theres not much for me to brag about.  But still, I feel like someone out there (is there anyone out there??) might learn from my experience, or maybe feel a certain connection to my ideas.  Heres hoping anyway.

Anja and I doing our thing at the Walter Zettl clinic

Heres a little info about me before I begin.  I'm 30 something, female, married with a teenage step-daughter, owner of (currently) 2 farms.  Ones kinda for sale.  I have 4 horses, 1 Great Dane, and several cats.  I started riding at 10 and knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do.  I was born into your average middle class family, limited funds and all, and slowly worked my way through many different situations until I became a horse owner and riding coach.  I am not wealthy, I do not have sponsors.  I have made my way working hard and riding what I could manage to afford. Showing was a luxury I have often lived without.  I live in a very cold, harsh area of Canada not known for its horse industry, and yet despite our relatively small numbers, we still manage to have as much drama as bigger communities.  Ah, the joy.  About 12 years ago I fell in love with Classical Dressage, and its been my passion ever since.  My hero's include Phillipe Karl and Anja Beran.  I actually attended a Phillipe Karl Clinic in Toronto several years ago, and actually met him!  My dream would be to someday ride with them, and have them say "nice job" at the end of the lesson. Hope springs eternal.  I also had the opportunity to ride under Walter Zettl, and had an amazing time! He really helped validate my training philosophy, with lots of positive feed back.  I do also try and take regular clinics, with teachers who share similar ideas.

Well, thats it! I hope you found my first post, my introduction letter, interesting enough that you'll stick around and read more!