Over The Edge, Over Again

Last nights adventures proved... enlightening. I actually found the edge of my confidence, and got to go over the edge, out of my comfort zone and GROW! How cool is that!? What miraculous feat did I attempt that pushed me so much, you ask? Nothing terribly miraculous, but I'll tell you the story if you wish...

It was sunny and humid, but with the barest bit of breeze, it was tolerable. After the previous days incredible ride I thought Mo would be in a fabulous mood to play again. I wasnt exactly wrong, but neither was she galloping cross country to meet me. She was out in the farthest corner bordering the road so I wandered out to meet her. I was studiously ignored until I was ten feet away. How interesting! Usually, when we have a really good session, Mo gets ultra excited to see me again. Maybe she didnt have as much fun as I did? Felt like she did at the time... maybe she just woke up on the wrong side of the pasture? Or maybe she was just being lazy. So many variables.

At the astounding distance of ten feet, Mo finally walked to me. She looked happy enough. Ears up, eyes bright. After tackling some bugs for her and giving uber scratches, I haltered her and played with extreme friendly game. I had brought out my 22' and carrot stick to play in the pasture today. With the muggy weather I didnt want to tack up anyways, so why not play out in the big space. Mo was great for all the ground flogging and everything. She didnt even get worried this time.

After checking out our friendly game I looked into out porcupining the forehand around since that usually comes apart real quick if I dont touch it for a few days.... yep.. right on cue. Forwards, backwards, spin like a top. Everything but standing on the hind feet moving the front feet around. We spent a few minutes re-remembering that until it was solid again. I am one of the many guilty of being lax in my porcupine game. My imagination needs some growth in that department - but I figure, at least I am aware of it!

After playing with the front end, I tried to drive the hind quarters around and got a nice surprise.... Mo took of at a canter on the circle! How interesting! She really put energy and effort into it to! I was really surpised, and she was all uphill and pretty that it took me a second to clue in and shut it down. Because I had dropped the ball and gotten distracted by her being gorgeous, it took a pretty intense phase four to go "HEY YOU! Slow down!". When she did stop, she looked at me all innocent, like she didnt do anything wrong. I guess technically she didnt, but *I* knew I had done something wrong to get her to go off like that - orrr shes just messing with me, as she is prone to doing. Practical Joker that one...

After re-itterating that "move hind quarters" does not in any way, shape or form indicate "please bomb off hell bent any way you please" everything went pretty ok. We played with some sideways circles, some real circles with change of direction and transitions and some sideways. The sideways was really good practice because the feilds were just bush hogged, so there are lines of fallen weeds to help me see straightness. We played with keeping zone three over the line, and zone one on the line to. Mo got the hang of it eventually and tried really hard.

We played with falling leaf and moving circling across the pasture. Some driving from zone three on the right proved very interesting, in that her confidence isnt as high when I am over there! I played around there until it was ok and we drove around some more. Finally, she seemed to be tuning into me really well at stick to me and everything so I drove her over to a stump for a mounting block.

I took the savvy string off of my carrot stick and put it on the halter for one rein, disconnected the 22' and mounted up with my carrot stick. So far so good! We walked over to a fallen tree and dropped the rope on the high point. Then, in a move Mo totally didnt expect, I asked her to walk back to the far end where we had been playing. This flumoxed her slightly, as *usually* when I mount her in the pasture it is to ride up to the barn, because I dont feel like walking all the way back. So right off the bat there was a little opposition to me going "Hey, you are wrong, we need to go to the barn" to which I replied "Not today, today we play out here". This was pretty much the theme for the session, Mo trying for the barn and me reassuring her we CAN play out here. How interesting!

Over where we had been playing on the ground there was a tree. Ok, well a wanna be tree that was mostly an over grown weed. It wasnt even as tall as Mo, but it was a THING and it gave me focus. Focus I did, on that little not-a-tree, until we could circle it without touching the stick. Or the rein. I touched the rein a few times when she decided BARN!! was a good plan ASAP and had to stop her. Mostly it went pretty well though, we just walked the circle until she was good and reliable and then we changed directions and walked it again until the reliablilty factored in for both directions.

About 50 feet away was another not-a-tree so after being solid with the first imposter of a conifer, we moved on to the other one. Consistency came faster with this one and soon we were starting trotting figure eights around our not-trees. Mo's trot was really nice and thought out and slow! I was really impressed! After a while I got a bit dizzy so I started out making a "rail" for a pretend ring, using the lines from the bush hog again.

Here is where I hit the edge of my confidence! It was really cool, because at the time I realized it, and pushed and stayed outside my comfort zone long enough to grow. I am really proud of that. When I took Mo off of her little pattern with her not-tree pals, she got impulsive. Not run-madly-around-like-a-lunatic impulsive. Just faster than she had been going, and with a HUGE stride!

Mo's physique has done a complete 180 in the last month or so. All the bridless prep has left her head freedom and everytime I ride she stretches like no tomorrow, and as a result her topline is coming in amazingly. She has a more upright carriage now, and actually HAS a neck! Its GORGEOUS! BUT! This also means that her striding has changed, and as a result, I have to work extra hard to be fluid with her bareback. Before her stride was just jolty. Now its long and flowy and slightly jolty. Her back moves SO much! She was stretching down at a big trot as we found our 'rail' and it was just and insanely large stride. I am super proud of the changes in her.

Back to my point. Her changing isnt my point... just my tangent... My point is, that on the rail Mo's stride got super huge and super fast and my comfort zone was *just* behind me because I felt just the tinyest bit out of control. Now, to be fair to Mo, if I let my energy out, she stopped, and it I tried to turn her with my leg and she sped up [working on it!] and then used the stick, she turned or she stopped. So we were really out of control. I was just having trouble reconciling to her new found uber-stride. It was really good fluidity practice.

At one point I thought maybe I should just try the canter, since her trot was being so fast, cantering would be easier. Now this pushed my comfort zone just that little bit more, cantering bareback, out in a 25 acre feild with just one rein and a carrot stick apparently is my edge. Which is funny, because while it was happening, I was thinking to myself "If I had two reins I wouldnt be uncomfortable" and then I laughed at myself because that was ridiculous. I grabbed mane, just in case and asked Mo up into the canter. HOLY WOW! It was fast, but it was UPhill and big strided!

The first canter we only did maybe six strides because of ME. *I* was uncomfortable with the speed that we were hurtling around at, and unsure if I could direct Mo accurately without making her speed up more, so I stopped her - emergency style, because of my discomfort. I sat there a while, wriggling my way back to the normal sitting place because of her super fast stop I had slid forwards a bit. I also sat and thought. Why is this pushing my comfort zone?? I CAN canter around fine in a saddle, even fine bareback, in the ring, or on the trails around the farm, or around the house. Ive even cantered up to the stone patio and jumped up on to it bareback.. so why was THIS canter bothering me?

I figured it was just the newness of the place - even though I keep meaning to, I really dont ride that often out there, and it IS big, and Mo was trying for the barn a little at a time. Its not like I could bolt off onto the road though, if she went anywhere, it would be to the barn. I wasnt worried about falling off, I feel pretyt confident about my seat, so it was a control/letting go thing, trusting Mo and trusting in her new uber strides!

How interesting. I did a lot of thinking out there, sitting on my horsey. We went back to some quiet figure eights while I processed my sudden confidence edge. After a while I wanted to canter again. I figured that was a good sign - that I *wanted* to the thing that had pushed me over the edge. So we tried again. This time we got ten strides! And this time I stopped on energy! No emergency stop, but it was a quick stop none the less... Mo likes to pretend shes a reiner, and also refuses to spend more energy than required so when its stop time.. look out because its STOP time!

Hmm.. I thought to myself... that was better, her stride was still big and giant, but I gave myself long enough to get in sync with her and it felt really good. HOW INTERESTING! So thats what we did for the next little while. We cantered little spurts, that slowly got into bigger spurts until we finally did one whole circuit of my 'ring' and then I quit, super proud of myself for moving closer and staying longer. And for realizing what that niggling discomfort was and how to deal with it!

Mo and I walked out, both of us quite sweaty and warm. Back over to the fallen tree to pick up our 22' rope, and then finally to the barn. I wonder if Mo was wondering if she would still have to play in the ring to?? I put Mo in the back yard to graze while I fed Indy, Ivy and Candy and filled their water trough. Ivy is all proud now because she gets her own bucket. Such a dork.

When I finally got around to fetching Mo back, she actually walked to me, which was super nice. Back out the back gate, with lots of hugs and scratches and snacks, we finally parted ways for the day. It was a VERY interesting, highly educational and completely prograssional session! I am very proud of us BOTH!

On a funny side note, my jeans were branded with the standard "went bareback riding" sweat pattern, and I got some interestng looks at the gas station and grocery store where I had to go before going home! HA!

:-)
S

Edited to add: While playing on the ground pre-riding I held Mo's tongue for the first time that she actaully relaxed! She hasnt been able to relax/stop struggling until then! Whoo!