Making Strides

While many moments in this process thus far have been memorable, yesterday, I am certain, will stick with me awhile. At least I hope it does. It filled me with an almost indescribable sense of opportunity and gratitude: my first real ride on Oliver.

My work with Ollie this past week has mostly consisted of what I consider maintenance work and I say that not because it is unimportant (in fact, it may be most important) but because when I work on my own I am cautious about moving too far ahead of what we have learned working with Sean. I have no delusions about my horse training knowledge and I respect my role as a student in this process. That said, I did do a lot of groundwork with Ollie, mostly what we have worked on already, but I did it this week while he wore his saddle.

On Friday, Jake came down to see how Oliver is progressing. This is the first time he has seen him since our trip to Black Hills, and I could tell Oliver impressed Jake with his progress. After I did some groundwork with Ollie, Sean rode him for a bit. We started in the round pen so I could support from the ground if needed, but after a few minutes Sean noted that Oliver was really opening up and Sean was able to get him to move, change direction and do his first walk-trot transition with no assistance from me. 

Sean finished up by working on the backup. 

I wasn’t sure what we would work on yesterday, but I got Oliver saddled up and moved him around in the round pen. I realized (after watching Sean’s work with him on the same skills) that I need to revisit my presence again; Oliver obliges, but I am still having to do a lot of chasing around to get him to move out and I know this is because of my body language. A goal for the rest of this week (and likely beyond).

Once I finished groundwork Sean told me to grab my helmet. I had hoped to get on Oliver a bit after Sean rode him this week, but I hadn’t expected to ride yesterday and I certainly hadn’t expected to ride him first. I may have thought of deferring until a later time, but if I did Sean nipped any questioning in the bud and I found myself getting on.

I am extremely pleased with my first real ride on Oliver. He did a good job trying to read my cues and honestly, I was way less nervous and thus less stiff than I thought I would be. We started in the round pen and my first challenge was getting him to move forward. He needed encouraging but once I relaxed into my seat a bit he walked off better. I need to work on using the cues to move him to the rail and to figure out how and where to use my legs to move him forward. Like on the ground, what I think I am doing doesn’t always translate.

In the round pen we worked on moving out to the rail and did a few turns. I didn’t need Sean’s on the ground support to move Oliver, which was great. At this point, he is still in the bosul and I had to hold my hands out wide and forward to direct him. Once I felt as if I had accomplished something and was feeling secure, Sean opened the door and told me to walk out into the arena.

There were obstacles set up with which Oliver is quite familiar. I had actually walked him around after grooming him: up and over the bridge, over the tarp “river” and cavalletti and through the hanging tarp. This practice (and the days of working leading up to it) really paid off in that again once I was on him, Oliver knew what was expected and if anything I needed to steer him away from each of them (except the hanging tarp, which he has encountered the least). Overall, he knew where he was supposed to go and went and when it was time to take direction, he mostly got it. When he didn’t, it was likely due to a miscommunication on my part and not his. He has gotten playful with the barrels that make up the bridge, so just to make sure I was on my toes, he knocked one over. Thankfully he did it without a flinch.

As expected, I finished my first ride with a huge smile on my face; we have accomplished a great deal in these almost two months. Poor Sean may have a few gray hairs from the experience, but I think he too must feel some pride in our progress (and if it’s more in Ollie, I understand). Truthfully, it is a joy to take these strides and to feel the success born out of the days of repetition and practice. Oliver and I still have a long, long way to go together, but truthfully I am looking forward to each milestone (and even the practice and routine stuff we need to keep up in between). Day 58 will certainly go down as a good one.

Today, I returned to the round pen to tune up some of my body language during groundwork. I could feel my precision slipping a little these past few sessions and I asked Sean to give me some feedback on my position, posture and how I ask Oliver to do things like disengage his front and move a quarter circle to make a turn. It is helpful to have another set of eyes on because what I think I am doing and what I am actually doing aren’t always the same thing. Once I found a better position and was able to muster some more energy and confidence, Oliver responded in kind. He was much more in tune with my movements and requests and moved out when and as asked.

The plan this week is to try an afternoon out on the trails--first leading Oliver (and possibly Boone as well) over things likes bridges and by the river. I am really looking forward to seeing how Ollie does with a real river. He certainly spent time along one when he was in the wild, but now we will have to see how he handles it, and all sorts of other man-made obstacles, with his new “herd.”