My husband and I raced Standardbreds for many years, Pacers, primarily, and that love turned into one of my favorite times with horses as well. In 1996, the Standardbred organization decided that a new sport, Racing Under Saddle, would attract crowds to the racetrack, so several of us owners agreed to race standardbreds in full racing hobbles around some of the well-known tracks in the midwest. The first race under saddle took place at Hoosier Downs, near Indianapolis, with thousands of people watching. I knew I had gotten in over my head, when I was being interviewed by ESPN about what I thought my chances were of winning the race! Talk about terrified. We finished fourth, and since this was a series, had three more big events to attend that summer. Memorable.
After we relocated to our own farm, one of my neighbors asked if I had ever tried endurance and distance riding. “Well, no, not yet...” and the next thing I knew I was competing at competitive trail rides all over Michigan and Indiana. One of the first ones I did was on my standardbred pacer, down in Brown County, Indiana, over some pretty big hills on a 35 mile ride. That poor horse had no idea how to negotiate the hills, since all he’d ever done was race on a very flat track. He literally sat down and slid down one of the hills, with a group of people down at the bottom scratching their heads wondering why he did that! After that, I purchased a couple of Arabians, and competed with them for many years, earning titles, prizes and riding thousands of miles.
Another great love of mine is raising and training quarter horses. I absolutely love the temperament of a quarter horse, and have owned a few that I felt would walk on water for me if I asked. One of the horses I raised was nicknamed, “Patty”, since he was born on St. Patrick’s day. I bought him specifically so I could raise and train him the “natural” way, using the Parelli methods I was studying at the time. I found it interesting that my horse and Pat Parelli not only shared the same name, but same birthdate! I earned my Level 1 Parelli certificate with my Arabian, but it was Patrick (also known as Zippy as I Wanna Be, a Zippo Pine Bar grandson) who showed me how important and easy it is to use the natural horsemanship techniques right from the get-go. The rewards are amazing, I was riding Patrick bridle-less and bareback in my arena, a task I had only imagined doing a few years before.
The natural horsemanship techniques that I use are a culmination of having worked with and observed many trainers, and it is with that background that I have discovered the importance of groundwork. Like many riders, I was formerly a “flick a brush over ‘em, throw a saddle on ‘em and let’s ride” kind of gal, but I know now how helpful good groundwork can be, and how much better prepared your horse is because of it! Never again will I need to ask someone to help me load my horse in the trailer. Never again, and that is such a comforting feeling. That can happen with groundwork. After all, it’s not about the trailer, it’s about the basics. The confidence level that can be gained when you establish a partnership with your horse through groundwork is immeasurable.
I was once asked to help a friend break her burros that she had gotten from the BLM. She had a problem leading them, and they were constantly getting out of their pasture and onto her front lawn. One of the first things they did, to avoid having to be “held accountable” is avert their eyes. They’d stick their little heads right down between their knees and look at the ground. If you have a teenager in your household, you’ve probably seen this one at home. Well, maybe not between their knees, but they sure can avert their eyes. Progress usually begins when we have eye contact, a lesson in life and in horse training.
When I’m not riding, I’m working—I’m a counselor at a middle school. I find working with kids is a lot like working with horses. It’s about the trust, the leadership, the confidence and the love. My students teach me where my horses leave off—and both fulfill my life.
|
