First Times

On Day 38, our little guy had his first ride. I would love to say I was the rider, but I’m honestly glad I wasn’t. He may be there, but I am not quite there yet! That said I had an important role in the whole event (you might say I saved Sean’s life simply by preventing any issues), and it was an incredible experience.

Day 37 was important, too, so I am going to start with that. I worked with Oliver alone and we did all sorts of stuff of which I am pretty proud (he really rocked it). First, I groomed him outside. It was beautiful and sunny and I figured we would give it a shot. It didn’t hurt that there is a shelf of grass by one of the fences that he could stick his head through to sample. Needless to say, he stood still, except to shift to reach the better grass. He stood still while I picked out all four feet, which is a huge win.

Once Ollie was cleaned up, we worked in the round pen--on a lead and free--and he was much more responsive than he has been. Towards the end of our time in the arena, I worked on picking up his feet while he stood without a halter or lead, a first. Again he stood for all four, this time almost stock still. This may not sound like much, but for me it’s a big deal. The approach of having him break at the ankle and then asking him to lift is working well, especially with his hinds. At some point it will be so routine I will stop mentioning it.

We finished up by moving to the outdoor arena, which was interesting because of all the distractions that pulled Oliver’s interest. We kept things super basic and after about 10 minutes of walk-trot transitions and changes of direction we went for a walk around the property. It was really rewarding to be able to do so many things and to find success.

Tuesday was huge with the feature event of Oliver’s first real ride. It was not something we rushed (or planned for that matter). We started off doing ground work with just the saddle, and even with that I started by putting the saddle pad on and off about 20 times on each side. Sometimes I let it slide down his hind end before lifting it again; I varied the speed and intensity. We did this until it was literally nothing.

Putting the saddle on was not terribly exciting at first, but once Oliver started moving all of the sudden it became a deal. Oliver threw a few bucks, but Sean kept him moving forward until he settled in and was able to focus. He got upset again when we tightened the cinch, but we continued as before and he settled down. Once he was focused we upped the ante. We joked it would be "Tarp Tuesday" and the games began. First, Ollie carried a shiny new blue tarp--on the inside going to the left and right and then on the outside. Sean affixed it using to what I call the “oh shit” handle (I will get back to you with the actual term--I am still getting used to all the western nomenclature). Then, Ollie wore the tarp as a tent and Sean moved him around like that before walking and trotting over it once it was one the ground where, at least I imagine according to Oliver, it most definitely belonged. By the time we were done with the tarp (and then some quick work dragging a pool noodle around), sneaking Sean up there (he was wearing blue so the whole thing appeared quite coordinated) seemed almost uneventful. Well, not really.

We have learned about Oliver that he is usually pretty obliging, but getting on a horse for its first ride, I venture to say even for Sean, is a big deal. I saw Sean take a few deep breaths walking over to Oliver once he had his helmet on and it was clear that he was really working to approach the situation with utmost calm. I aspire to this (when working with horses and in life) so it is always really helpful to see how others prepare for situations in which they are to lead others, or themselves, through potentially fearful situations.

When Sean first sat on Oliver’s back, Oliver noticed, but didn’t get too worried, and if he did, he certainly didn’t react by taking off. This one is not much of a goer and pretty quickly Sean asked me to come into the round pen to help to get him going forward. Sean was able to get him to walk in fits and starts, but Oliver was bracing up. I was nervous to be invited in, but actually really honored to be in there because it was something I wanted to be an active participant in and not simply an observer (though it was awesome to see).

We started really slowly and the goal was just to keep Oliver moving forward, which I did using all the groundwork skills we have been practicing. The foundation paid off and we were able to work together to get him to walk forward and make some turns. Because Ollie has been a little off at the canter and had acted up trotting earlier, we kept things at the walk. By the end of the ride, Sean was able to get Oliver going off Sean’s leg (and not my cues) and the grand finale was a solid “whoa” and then back up in the center of the ring. A good first ride, that. We were all really pleased.

Reflecting on this huge step made me grateful to this trio (and extended team of supporters) of which I have become a part. In 38 days Oliver has grown from a totally silly albeit gentle young horse to one who is starting to understand a sense of boundaries, how to take direction, and now his role in the partnership between horse and rider. He is eager to please and a quick study. I have also come a long way (thanks to Sean and all the other folks who don’t mind me watching them work with their horses and answering my questions). Those 20 minutes in the round pen were incredibly draining, mostly because of the energy I think it required for me to stay steady, focused, and calm; but, my ability to take that role and Sean’s trust (craziness? both?) in my ability to do the job is evidence of huge growth. Perhaps next time, I’ll get up there...we will see.

I should likely end on this high note, but it wouldn’t be a proper Oliver story without a twist. Wednesday, Ollie had the day off because I had a bunch of afternoon appointments. He celebrated this by releasing all of his youthful exuberance out in the pasture with a few of the other horses (Rory included this time, which is great!). Apparently, while running along the fence at full bore, something caught his eye and he turned his head, thus tripping, butt over front in a full flip before sliding face first into a section of no-climb fence. And so, the day after he impressed us all with his maturity and grace, Ollie gave himself his first shiner. Not pretty, but he seems to be better today. We let him rest again today--this time confined back in his pen--and tomorrow hopefully we will be back to work, perhaps with the nickname Rocky.