Thyme Sweetened Honey

There are stars in the Southern sky
Southward as you go
There is moonlight and moss in the trees
Down the Seven Bridges Road...

I'm an adult amateur. Am I perfectly capable of caring for, training, and showing my mount? Yes, probably, with a LOT of bumps. However, do I think I will ever move forward and progress to those actual shows all on my own? Nope. Even if I was a pro, I'd still answer no. I find it very important to often have eyes on the ground. Whether you want to call them your trainer, your friend, your confidence builder, or your jump crew, having someone on the ground while you ride is paramount in your quest for betterment. You can only see so much from atop your mount. Troubleshooting comes 50% from the cockpit (up there on your steed) and 50% from ground control. I'm extremely lucky to have a trusted friend to bounce ideas off of, or to get really solid, sound advice from in many facets of Maxwell's life.

Maxwell was ridden in a waterford last weekend. It allowed him to swallow and relax his mouth, something he'd been struggling with as the questions got harder during our rides. He had been going in a french link full cheek. There's nothing wrong with the bit, it's a great starter bit, but no bit is a one fits all. He had started to really grab it, chew it, and brace on it. It was time for a change. Summer put him in the waterford, and it was amazing how quiet his mouth was the entire ride. We didn't have foamy lipstick on his lips, drool, a tense jaw, none of that. It's rather astonishing what an equipment change can do for a horse. This past weekend, we took it a step in a totally different direction and completely removed the bit from the equation.

This past Saturday Summer showed up with an english hackamore. Some would have looked at her like she was insane. See, that's where the whole trust thing comes in. I had also successfully ridden Max in a halter and lead rope, so concern was far from my mind with him. He looks so put together in it. Very jumperish. And let me tell you, I would *almost* consider a career change to be able to legally show in this piece of equipment.

Equipment has it's place. For some, a hackamore might be a dangerously terrible idea. You have to take into consideration your horse's temperament and reactions to different stimuli. I knew he rode well in a halter, so we didn't really have a flight risk. However, for some horses, the pressure that a hackamore applies can be enough to send them over the edge pretty quickly. You've got to take it slow. It took almost our entire first ride in this thing to figure it out.

Now, I have loved you like a baby
Like some lonesome child
And I have loved you in a tame way
And I have loved you wild

This was the last time going down this gymnastic exercise. We asked for a LOT of firsts for Maxwell on Saturday. Last week we did a bounce. This week we added a 1 stride on the end of the bounce. It took the WHOLE ride for us to figure it out, this was his first time he had to actually pay attention to where his feet were at after each fence, and having to look ahead for the next question. This is quite alright, as you can tell, I'm far from a rushing person. Maxwell has been retired from racing for 11 months and we're JUST starting to get to more technical stuff. Slow and steady wins this type of race. First time doing a bounce to a one stride, and first day wearing a hackamore. I look like a bit of a hot mess, but it was a GREAT success this time through the line, when he got his distances and gave me a great effort. One of the many reasons I love this horse so much!! He comes first, I come second. As long as I have a supporting leg and forgiving hands, I don't care what I look like while my horse figures out all these 'firsts'. Mine will just be a refining of equitation once we get there.

Sometimes there’s a part of me
Has to turn from here and go
Running like a child from these warm stars
Down the Seven Bridges Road

Monday I had the luxury of a mostly full day off of work. I had my second ride with Maxwell in the hackamore, this time unassisted. AND we rode in the big 10 acre pasture, with a herd of cows laying in the sun watching us (Maxwell has a small issue with big cows, but took it all in stride). I can't even describe how amazing our ride was. I never realized just how heavy on his forehand he was, particularly at the canter. I didn't realize how much I was holding his weight. I had no idea he was leaning on the bit as much as he was. We had such a QUIET elevated canter. I actually did canter lines from one end of the field to the other, and felt like I was on a carousel. I just sat there and somehow we mystically floated back and forth. Away from the barn, to the barn, didn't matter the direction, he was so soft and quiet. He's never not quiet, but this ride was particularly special. He was having to carry himself instead of me doing it for him. Steering was amazing, as well. Prior to our saddle adjustments, I had a very leg sour horse. He would oblige, but not before he had a piece to say about it. After we adjusted the saddle it was a 100% improvement. No sour faces or attitudes any time leg was applied. Monday was another milestone with that, now calling it a 10000% improvement. Implementing a bit of neck reining, and the different sensations that a hackamore provides when asking for a directional change have applied power steering to my horse. He's so very responsive to my leg, that a simple look in the direction that we're about to travel in (ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD!) was just enough subtlety between my leg, body language, and pressure on the rein, to execute a beautiful turn. In the grand scheme of things, it sounds like a very small, unimportant thing, but having a responsive horse is actually rather important. The unresponsive, or sourpuss horse in my horse's case, makes for a frustrating ride, missed fences, and poor scores in the hack. If there's something my trusty helper has reminded me, it's that when I ask my horse to do something, he needs to do it NOW. No if's and's or but's about it. The responsiveness I got from him Monday proved that you  just need to be clear and direct in your requests. Overall I was blown away at how willing my horse has become, after two simple weeks of different thinking on the human end, and different questions/gear on the horse end. I can't wait to slowly introduce a bit back into his curriculum.

We all need to have fresh ideas to keep our green horses moving forward. It's so easy as an amateur without a true program, to get caught in the monotony of riding. I'm truly blessed to have the resources that I do, to make myself and Maxwell better partners. We're quickly coming up on his 1 year retirement anniversary, and soon after our 1 year of partnership/ownership together. He'll be ready to make his show ring debut much sooner than I anticipated a month ago, if all keeps going according to plan.

...There are stars in the Southern Sky
And if ever you decide you should go
There is a taste of thyme-sweetened honey
Down the Seven Bridges Road


A little homage to Glenn Frey. Eagles are one of the greats....Hotel California, Desperado, Take it Easy, Peaceful Easy Feeling....gah the list goes on and on...Another artist lost WAY TOO SOON. It'll be a blast by the time I get to where I'm goin', because all these amazing artists will already be there....I do realize Seven Bridges Road isn't an Eagles original, but they were the most popular cover, and it happens to be a cover they do that I like very very much. It's a beautiful, simple song that paints a familiar picture.