Zen Mo

I am not sure what my soul would do with horses. Or my idle hands and mind, really, if I didnt have horses to occupy myself. But my soul most of all, would suffer, I think.

I cam home from work today kind of stressed. Not about anything horse related, or really anything in my control right now. Just not knowing the details and ramifications it will have on my life has got me a little on edge today. Knowing this, I wasnt sure exactly what would happen when I went out to see the ponies.

Sometimes things go really really well and I get fixed, and sometimes I am stupid and things are a catastrophe. Today, things followed the first pattern, and went really REALLY well.

Mo is my soulmate. In every sense of the word. She is always there for me, always ready to keep me company through the lonelies, or push me that little bit extra to make sure I *really* learn that lesson I needed. Today, she was, once again, everything I needed.

When I got home both ponies and cows were up at the barn. I think they were trying to figure out what the big tarped lump was - the round bales we baled and piled there last night. When I went over, they both came over, as is typical [dinner time!]. I started brushing Mo, just at Liberty, to get a feel for her today. Sometimes, if I am not *there* she says she isnt ready to talk to me until I get my ducks in a row. Today, she was more than content to stand around while I doted on her, and kept a certain pesky Zephyr out of her tail.

I got her all shined up. I love doing that. There is something soothing about putting effort into making her look so pretty. Sometimes I see riders with half-turned out horses and I wonder if they love them as much as I love Mo. Making sure every hair is perfect and brushed and shiny is something that I love to spend time doing. Letting her know how loved she is and pretty she is just makes my heart happy. I think she enjoys it too - who doesnt love a good massage and visit to the hair salon?

After she was all shined up and looking wonderful, I brought out the saddle pad. Mo licked it thoroughly, but when I went to throw it up on her back she kind of went |"yeah, but". Hmmm, how interesting. It made it up to her back, but she had turned as if to leave after it landed. She didnt leave all the way, but it was definitely enough that I noticed. I stepped back and tossed some energy towards her hind quarters and waited..... and waited ... and waited.... then all of a sudden, she yielded herself back into proper position and started yawning and licking! Whoa!

Im not really sure what that was all about, but it sure was interesting to watch! I went up and rubbed her, rearranged my shims and watched her continue to process that whole event. How interesting. That really set the tone for the whole session. I went slowly and gave her lots of 'good girl' and rubs, and she was super engaged and full of try. This horse is SO my mirror, its beyond my belief. The days where I have high energy and am ready to go-go-go, so is Mo. The days where I need to take some time, process, and meander, Mo gives me the green lights to do just that. Man, I love this horse.

When I brought the saddle out, there was no sign of the squigglyness, or any kind of hesitation about being saddled. She actually yawned again when I set the saddle on her. Well dang, I wonder if there have been some tiny thresholds that I have missed or something? Mo is so tolerant....  Finally got the girth and fly spray and then the halter [ yea, a little backwards, but it worked out, right? and I learned stuff!] Mo was ALL OVER the halter - which was SO interesting! The last time I went to halter Mo, I offered it to her and she kind of half heartedly tried, but allowed Zephyr to push her away and then she left. This time, she was the bulldozer, getting that nose INTO the halter NOW! How cool is that?

Sometimes I drive Zephyr away when I want Mo, since she is so pushy and always wanting to play, but sometimes I just wait and see what Mo will do - if she will really make the choice to come play, or if Zephyr can talk her out of it - whats more fun? Me, or doing nothing in the field? It is an interesting conundrum.

So there we were, haltered, with finesse reins on the halter. I am experimenting with a new thing for us - Finesse in a halter. I am not to sure where we are headed with it yet, I just know its something I want to try. Both me and Mo get emotional sometimes with a bridle - I get so worried about being in the wrong place/feel for her, and it causes her to get emotional about the bit and contact. So with the halter, we can play with lightness, shaping her body and steady feel without leaning - because I know I can be hyper vigilant about having her not lean on the halter, where with the bit, I am not really sure what is her taking contact and what is her leaning and asking me to carry her gigantic head.

We wandered our way out to the back field, playing with matching my walking intention and scooping her up if she didnt quite follow. It was a really nifty experience though, because I didnt have a stick - I tossed my dressage whip during picture day and hadnt picked it up yet. Since that was the stick I wanted to ride with, I figured I would just go get it. Of course, on the way to go get it, I get distracted and play with my super-pony. Point of my stick-less side track, was that I was scooping her up with just my focus. I would just look over my shoulder with the intention of her needing to catch up, and she would - either a faster walk or a trot, as needed.

That went on for a little while, I played with bigger and smaller circles, asking for more bounce in the stride a few times - one time got me this really cool tiny tiny super uphill canter for four strides. That was cool! And then I fetched my stick from its forlornly tossed spot and went ahead and mounted up. We played a whole bunch with friendly game while moving with the stick, because Mo has been getting a bit worried about me carrying a stick down like a whip. She keeps thinging she needs to yield from it - which results in some fantastic sideways stuff, but not ideal when I would just like calm confident forwards :)

I cant remember the last time Mo blew out so much on one ride. On one *focused* ride, I should say. She blew out a TON at the last OVH Trail Ride, which was A++ for her!  Today though, was a whole 'nother plane! She started out a little unsure - with the stick and what not - we were heading to the bottom field to ride there for the first time too. I played lots of friendly with the stick all over the place and really rode forwards with my energy and thought about my body posture -engaging and core strength -  and she started to relax. We just walked all over to start, testing out brakes and turning via HQ yields. That is getting really nice! When I first picked up the reins on the halter, Mo wasnt really sure what to do. We had played with it one time before, just at the halt and a bit at the walk, just asking for flexion and relaxation. I just played with the feel until it was right for her and she softened, then released and rubbed her. She licked a TON!

We continued this pattern until it made sense to her [ she licked a million times!] and then I tried it at a trot. She was really experimenting in her body, playing with different neck positions, different flexions, raising and lowering her withers at different times. It was really cool to see and feel that. It was really rewarding to know she felt the freedom to try all those things too - because with the bridle, I think we both still feel blocked. Gotta work on the one. My sort-of-plot right now is to make a go of Finesse in a halter, then transfer everything back to the bridle.

Everything was going so well at the trot, I decided to play with the concept that Farrah Green gave us during our lesson - canter/walk transitions through sideways. I can honestly say, I have never ridden such light, uphill, beautiful canter transitions as the ones Mo gave me today. Holy. Cow. She was just effort less. I could FEEL the up-jump in the transition from walk to sit to canter off. It was AMAZING! Coming down to a walk was a whole other story, but the walk to canter was just JAW DROPPING. Literally, out in the field, by myself, I asked Mo to canter the first time and out loud I said WOW. Lots of rubs for Mo!!!

Up into canter is easier for Mo to balance, we have yet to master the canter to walk part. We played with it a bunch to. It is getting better! The last part we did was a big figure eight, with walk transitions in the middle was waaaaay better than the first super sloppy one, so that was great! It is hard for me to figure out the right energy to keep a forward-to-walk transition. We can get an "our life dies and we dribble into a walk" transition no problem - this Finesse stuff though, its supposed to be pretty! Mo was just so positive and soft and full of try the whole time though! Not emotional at all - which often she will get when I try to get particular about downwards transitions.

We finished off with a check in the trot, just to make sure that I wasnt building any assumptions that picking up the reins meant canter. Nope, check. I picked up the reins, we walked, I picked up my energy, we trotted, she relaxed, she offered flexion, she offered stretch, she blew out again, we played with trotting serpentine's using HQ turns, more blow outs, game over! BEAUTIFUL!

I am not sure I can even express the joyous serenity I felt coming out of that ride. It wasnt the exuberant over-joyed excitement that sometimes happens when things go well. It was just this quietly overflowing joy in my heart - exactly what I needed today.

I know horses are sensitive to people and their emotions to an extent. It is days like today that blow me away with exactly how attuned our partners can be to our emotional needs - as much as we try to be to theirs. Today, my soul NEEDED that quiet, calm, joyful, light and airy ride . Maybe tomorrow I will need a good gallop through the field. Who knows? What I do know, is that Mo will be there to support me though, and that means the whole world to me.

I've said it before, and I will say it again [and again...!] MY GOODNESS I LOVE MY HORSE!

 :D
S