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

Just How Much Moxy Does A Girl Have to Have?

Jill was seated behind the admin desk in a Corporate and Investment Banking office tower in the big city. It was her new full time career step, and her parents and coworkers approved.

She brought her left hand to her nose again, and inhaled deeply the scent of the police horse she'd patted on her lunch break, over in Nathan Phillips Square. She could not bring herself to wash it, and suddenly realized how badly she craved equine companionship.

She googled horse trainer jobs. And came across an ad for a part time instructor/trainer in Stouffville, at a stable essentially commutable by Go-Train. When she'd called, her mentor to be had offered to pick her up at the train station. That was how Jill got back into horses, and underway on "certification" as a credential in the industry. Jill was ridiculously excited to start training at Rolling Hill Farm.
*
Her coworker asked "Can't you ride near the Science Centre? Jill sighed, "For my discipline of riding, I could never bother with a place like that."

"Oh do you jump?" Jill couldn't tell if he was making conversation or was sincerely interested in the horseness. To make her point quickly, she said "Don, I gallop off cliffs taller than you are." When he gasped she teased him, "You're not such a tall guy." Sipping her coffee she continued "That's what we call a drop jump, and they are not my specialty. So I must commute out to where there are acres of land to find one to practice...
*
Saturday morning she got up at 5 am for the commute. She was greeted in the dark stable parking lot by the giant, sweet and friendly resident black lab, aptly named Bear. He had a giant three limb branch in his mouth that she realized as he got closer was actually two parts dangling bone, and one part dangling… paw. Ew! She could see brown fuzz or fur and black toe nail claws. Gross! Assuming it was a deer leg/haunch, and a fresh one at that, she instantly decided “dogs are NOT my department,” and went inside the barn.

The other labourers were Japanese exchange students, and just arriving so there was a language barrier to add extra hilarious confusion to all of the required hard-work-as-a-team. Together they threw hay and fed grain to the horses, and began cleaning out the stalls. Before the lessons got underway, Jill was proud that she managed to catch Josh, which the others could not. It was not easy and involved a sassy lead rope around his neck (instead of putting on a halter) technique. The owner of the barn, Kate, congratulated her for this feat, when she came in moments later, by stating that “he has been easier to catch lately.”

Then, Jill got to teach her first lesson, to Laurie, a young beginner, on Josh who was obviously in a be-a-pain-in-the-neck mood. The student could not get the horse to move, and was saying “he won’t. I can’t…” so Jill was tough. “Is that what you say at the bottom of a hill when your bike isn’t going up? No. What do you do then? You pedal! Soooo, let’s see you pedal…” The rider’s friend, a more assertive, outgoing sort and a more experienced student was there, and offered to go get a crop. When she caught up with them again, whip in hand, they were out of sight of all of the adults around the barn, and Jill had her walk on the horse’s right side, and give the horse a few good taps behind Laurie’s leg to help drive him on, while the Laurie “pedaled” squeezing the horse’s sides, and Jill led on the left hand side. The whole hour was challenging, but they did get him going, and it ended up well, as it turned out Laurie could reach her hands together under his neck for a big hug before dismounting!

Then, because some potential buyers were coming, Jill was asked to ride Moxy! The big, beautiful, handsomest horse in the whole barn that Jill had adored since her very first visit at the farm! What an honour. Everyone at the whole stable actually seemed to have a crush on him (saying that Moxy knows them, seems to like them, always comes to them etc.). Maybe his celebrity was because his regular rider had just been long listed for the Olympic team. Maybe it was because he was the foal photographed on all the stable brochures. Or, maybe it was just because he is a 5 year old 17 hand Hanoverian horse who needed a strong, advanced level rider. Whatever it was, Jill was also smitten and was excited to be tacking up for her fifth time on horseback in years. She felt so rusty. And, she didn’t even have her riding pants!

It was also the first beautiful day of spring, and so, Jill was double celebrity as she got to be the first person to ride in the sand ring. She had long hoped for a chance to try Moxy and was brave enough then and there, thinking “at least if I fall off, the sandy, muddy ground will be very soft.” A crowd gathered to watch on the top of the hill – the 3 potential buyers, Kate, Dan (who farmed the land), Mich (the most advanced rider around) and a bunch of the other students. They started by lunging him in a big circle on a long lead line, and could all see he was feeling fresh. Despite the fact that he had been running up a spring fever sort of storm in the paddock all day, he bucked some more and did some cute leaps into canter. Kate was downplaying all the headshaking foolishness, but it was easy to see how fit and strong he was, as the excess energy did not wear off…

When the time came, Jill mounted and athletic, talented horse flesh vibrated under saddle as she tried just to keep her hands low and act like a rider on a calm, bombproof sort of hunter horse, like the boss whispered she should do.

The entire ride lasted only 7 minutes, which included the stirrup adjusting time!! After one or two trot circles round, one of the exchange student workers, while dumping a skep in the manure pile accidentally dropped it. So the big green plastic bucket came tumbling down the huge hill towards the looking for an excuse to freak out beast. Boing Bounce Boing Bounce Boing. Jill didn’t even know exactly what Moxy did or how she stayed on, but no one besides the horse and rider could see why he had even spooked and taken off on his bucking spree in the first place. She regained control at the far side of the ring, and made a joke about there being no charge for the circus show, just as a loose horse came trotting towards them. What the *&^% ??? Someone had accidentally let go of a horse they were leading. Moxy snorted and put his head down as if to start anew. Kate shouted “dismount!” which Jill did, fast; kicking both feet out of the stirrups and jumping down to the ground on Moxy’s left side. She said “Whoa,” firmly, and he did stand still, thank goodness.

The runaway horse was caught, as the potential buyers stumbled over one another getting into their car saying “He’s a little more horse than we’re looking for right now” and speeding off down the gravel driveway, in a cloud of dust.

Jill thought she deserved a medal because not only was she brave enough to get on such a challenging horse in frisky weather, but was lucky enough to stay on, and then managed to act light hearted about his behaviour, but Kate seemed disappointed. She said she had been counting on Jill to sell him. Oh well, Jill thought, “at least I got to practice an Emergency Dismount for my very first time