2007-01-13

Learning To Trust

Jill was lucky enough to go and stay in Staynor for an Ian Stark clinic, at Lexi Cameron's place. This was after the now late purple lady and her partner had decided to stop hosting events on the property, but were still using their fabulous facility in support of the sport, inviting big wigs from England to come and teach them, Olympic Team members, and some lucky others. Including Jill and Stone this time.

Jill was scared out of her head. Not only was the instructor the guy she'd watched on video win Badminton on Murphy's Law (the unridable-by-any-others beast), there were much, much better riders there, on much better horses. And, even the other teams that had trailered in had done a clinic with him there before! While Jill was honoured to be invited, and to have her corporate sponsor pay her way, she also felt in over her head. The others were challenging themselves on a familiar plateau, where as she was risking a step up, and a strange place, and a new type of training experience all at once. It was to be a celebration, really, of the fact that Stoney and she had finally (with some fine new equipment, known as the gag snaffle), reached agreements about him tanking off with her when ever, why ever and where ever he chose to run... terrifying experiences she had never known before. Stone was tremendously strong and skittish and simply loved to run like no other racehorse she has ever known. She sometimes said she had since always been afflicted with 'The Fear,' yet another obstacle to overcome.

Passage for First Timers

All the horses that morning were frisky. It was a fresh, fall-ish feeling morning and they all had their hands full, making their way over to the open, grassy space where the day's festivities were to take place. Through the fog and the trees there was a big bridge to cross and the water beneath it was very active. A little too active and noisy for the liking of their group of horses. They were just trying to get where the training was to take place, and already there was trouble!

Jill pushed her way to the front of the freaking herd saying, "Stone’ll go first" and urging him over. She was proud to be so confident, but Jo had taught her by then how to "attack him" when neccessary, so as to prevent him from ever stepping back. And given the part of the Bruce Trail they frequented for conditioning, they had done sooooooooooooooo much bridge work that she knew he’d go. She'd been stranded on the wrong side of a bridge for long times, many times but they’d broken through new ground recently and he had learned to cross on command. Besides, he felt braver than usual. As they bravely clomped over, picking up speed but leading the pack just as she'd predicted, they came through the break of trees to the next field first. To discover deer! Lots and lots and lots. Obviously it had been the scent of this big huge herd of deer not the just the bridge and busy creek stalling out the horses. Stone basically stepped in to the pack, they were so close to the edge of the treeline, and suddenly all the deer started bounding away, startled. It seemed like hundreds of them, scampering with Mutual of Omaha hind flanks thrusting against the ground in the dash get away.... Stone more than trembled. His hind quarters were doing the same action as all theirs, but Jill and he stayed in place, as the rest of the horses came up behind him. It was awesome. What a way to start a day.

The Need to Ride Off!

Jill had once set the "barn record" for falls, when 17x in one lesson she accidentally dismounted. It was learning to do a drop jump, and she just wasn't getting the hang of absorbing the shock of the lowered landing. She wasn't being flexible enough in her hips.

That was why, at the clinic, Jill found herself riding up to ledge of huge drop jumps, cringing. She had come a long way, you know, but these ones were so big. (6ft, she'd measure later). This slow approach and fear just made it all more rough and difficult.

The teacher had no time for her, for this behaviour, and he totally yelled at her. "Ride Off.(!)" He said harshly, and meant gallop of the end of the bank, up over that log and down to the ground on the other side, with no hesitation at all. He meant Go For It!!! Which she started doing, albeit terrified. And, the tough trainer was right! Despite the fact that these were Intermediate Level fences (near Olympic level), and she was in a Pre-training class, they were ready. Stone did not crumple on landing. Flying through the air with some speed made it easier! Smoother. She was starting to fill the thrill instead of fear...

While jumping the next couple Olympic calibre fences, not as baggage laden as the drops but beyond the level of jump they had ever tried before, the English coach shouted again “you’re not trusting him!” like that was a completely incomprehensible action. He doesn't know that Stone is a known bolter and quitter she thought. How could the clinician understand she had to ride defensively because Stone could not be counted on to go until he had gone? But then, she realized the coach was right. This was the cusp of a new trend. Not only was the horse listening to her, he was into it, adding his own heart. Stone was being brave and honest that day. She thought, "he is officially becoming the fire breathing dragon I have always known he could be." He had the scope all along, but suddenly he was demonstrating the heart to back the talent! Stone finally LOVED Cross Country and he wanted bigger, harder, broader, scarier obstacles than they had ever faced before. More challenging than each one before! And the teacher, to Jill's delight and and terror, was happy to present them!

What that coach was the first to witness and point out, was an exact moment of transformation. Jill knew that it would never the same between them as partners again. To this day, she knows that the horse remembers too. It was magic! She trusted him, and he came through.

*

"I forgot my boots and borrowed some from a rider-artist-complete stranger in town, a boarder from that stable." Jill reported afterwards. "A neat new friend that I also stayed with overnight, unexpectedly. Ill fitting boot aside, it was all very nerve-wracking and dramatic." But special too. Jill had been moved when the woman's lovely 4 year old daughter had told Jill, breathlessly, in private that her mommy was making a beautiful mobile in the gazebo "out of mattresses," taking Jill into the yard to see the beautiful overhead artwork her mother had made with the springs of many beds.

The next day, Jill made her TOTALLY non horsey family drive 4 hours there and then the 4 hours back with her the next day, so they could spend 30 minutes taking photographs of the jumps that Stoner and her had done. And then, she treasured pics of 6' tall kin, with a chin on the ledge of a drop jump.

She told them how one of the event organizers and high level riders paled while watching their class. She may have even thrown up. When Jill came in the barn she said, "if he thinks that is Pre-training level, I do NOT want to know what he is going to do to US."

http://loguelikevogue14.blogspot.com/2006/05/what-i-learned-from-ian-stark.html

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