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| A little green |
So much of my ride on Courage right now is forward-constant
focus on driving from behind while being responsive to my leg. It takes
a high degree of concentration from him. Given his drive to always be
the best and my desire to have a pleasant horse to ride, I have to be
conscious of how often I'm pushing buttons.
Courage wants to do well and gets anxious when he's in
trouble. That makes him tense and hot. I want riding to be productive and fun for both of us, so I find ways to diffuse the tension. It's
really fun to have a buddy to ride with. We take long on-the-buckle walk
breaks to chat and trade off standing still in the arena to photograph.
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| He is the best at relaxing |
And that helps our balance. Courage gets to take mental
breaks while I enjoy myself and neither of us gets overwhelmed. Plus
redheadlins happens to be our riding buddy and she helps me work through
things, which is totally cheating.
Because Courage is learning a whole new job, the mental
balance is just as important as the physical balance. In order to help
him become the horse I know he can be, I have to address the horse he is
right now.
Driving from behind, yes, but I have to also let him be the best at rhythm and relaxation.
This is so, so, important and something I think too many people take for granted.
ReplyDeleteRight now I feel like we are struggling with our mental balance...no matter how fit you are, if they can't get there mentally, it doesn't do anything! Great point!
ReplyDeleteHe's the cutest....seriously. I'm really happy that you have a partner that wants to please you so badly, even if he has his green moments. Keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have a ride buddy!
ReplyDeleteFirst forward, then rhythm and then collection. Sounds like he's getting it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great approach to have, musy add mental balance to my checklist. Both for the ponios & me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHmm my Hubby gets home and I fail on the movie front...will try and get it uploaded tonight:)
ReplyDeletewalk breaks on the buckle really help Loki to de-stress as well especially if he's having a hard time getting something.
ReplyDeleteWell said :) Nothing beats a hack to simmer down the mind. Though we prefer to hack alone, as Cadence tries to walk-race any hacking buddy she goes with...
ReplyDeleteYou are doing such a good job with him
ReplyDeleteGood point. Both types of balance are super important.
ReplyDelete