"YOU'RE bored?" Jill exclaimed to one of the spoiled, advanced students at the extensive event facility. Jill didn't have any horses to ride at the moment, and she was jealous of this girl that did, but didn't want to. "I remember when I schooled at a hunter barn where there a tiny sand ring, and one small grass ring with a coop and some poles! That's it! And, I was never too bored to ride." Jill took a swig of her hot chocolate. "I used to take Stoney out on the roads actually, and he would spook at mailboxes and garbage and traffic until we got to the Bruce Trail, and then he would spook at dirt bikes and real bikes and people and bridges and frogs..."
Jill laughed, and went on, "In fact, a bridge makes an excellent cross country training tool. I was out there by myself all the time you know, so you have to ride defensively and smart about stuff. So as not to fall off! And, I was not able to go galloping around on the trails for fun because of the shared public access. And believe me there were no cross country obstacles out there to practice anyway... BUT, I had two bridges to cross if I went left and rode the trail segment between Kennedy and 10. And, you could do the same two on the way back if you had gone all the way like that. I would do that sometimes, like, say on a Saturday morning when I had no commitments that day before supper time...ha ha. Sometimes, depending on if it took me 50 or 40 or 30 or 20 or 10 minutes going over the first one I would just turn him straight back around to get it overwith right away going the alternate direction. Going home direction was always easier than the first walk over.
The reason bridges are perfect for cross country practice is because you can walk them -- one step forward at a time. You know, with the goal of not stepping backwards or turning away. I learned a lot with those bridges - like the never give up even if you are standing still approach. And I got to practice the 'attack' him technique. Not to mention the sitting up and staying on and not spinning round or rearing up and running back home stuff. I got a lot of practice, in a safe non-jumping way, with the thou shalt not ditch me and, forward march horse style of riding! Eventually, we would hand gallop that stretch and we would site on the bridge and organize three strides out and it felt like a proper cross country jump as we'd just blast on over no hesitation at all. Eagerly, in fact. I guess, for the excitement...see what I mean? If you're bored, even with all these jumps around here, go out for a walk. Go find a bridge."
*
One day, when Jill went out on the roads for one of the first times from Spruce Lane with Stoney, it was a weekday BEFORE her shift at a fairly new job in town. She had a noon start time a couple times a week. They went out the concession to the trail and rode one segment and then were heading back to the barn. In the big empty field that they had passed along Kennedy Road, right at Old Baseline Road that the farm was on, there were cows. Big, brown mooing animals all up against the fence where there had been none before.
"Do you know what a pathological fear is? Clearly, Stoney had one of those, about cows, and this was the moment I was finding out! ! !" Jill told them how he was trembling and shaking and refusing to move forward. He was spinning and rearing and trying to bolt the other direction, and she was almost unseated many times. "One option I could think of was to ride all the way around the entire concession and try to get home by going at it from the other way. But I figured that was at least a two hour ride (given the hour we had just done) and I was certain we could solve the matter face to face with the cows faster than THAT. Also, who knew what cows we might encounter on that route?" If this horse and rider disagreement had happened on the way OUT, she would not have hacked him alone that day, and they would not have ended up with the Eventing successes they did eventually achieve because it was dangerous to fight with a stoopid goof in that way over passing cows... "However... I was trying to get us home. I am a very patient and calm rider. And Stoney always responded well to me because he responded well to vocalization, and I was using my voice. I am also tough when I have to be, and I had a whip and spurs and I used them!"
The worst thing, Jill remembered, was that all the hubbub actually interested the cows so they were pressed up closer against the fence mooing, and more and more of them kept coming closer to the terrified horse. "I really thought Stoney's mind was gonna be blown forever. He was SO high strung!" She had considered dismounting and trying to lead him past. But her teacher had always said that a person is in more danger on the ground around a horse than they are on horse back. Also, she was not able in those days to get on him without a mounting block and would have no way to change her mind and get back on once dismounted. And, she firmly abided by the fact that THINGS WITH HORSES ARE ALL ABOUT PATTERNS. If she had dismounted she felt like she would be setting the pattern that he could act really foolish and skittish and end the work session.
Thankfully, eventually, the cows lost interest and drifted a little futher away from the fence line and she was able to get the lathered, snorting quaking one tonne bucket of fear home. This was after hours and hours and hours. No kidding.
"Can you imagine trying to explain to your boss and coworkers that you were THREE HOURS LATE FOR WORK because your horse doesn't like cows? 'You could have phoned' they said, but really, how could I have?"
"You should always take your cell phone out with you." one of her students suggested. "And really, you shouldn't be out on the roads by yourself."
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