Reignmaker Miniatures
Well-Known Member
I had the most amazing weekend, in spite of less than stellar weather (thunder, lightening and driving rain storms). I took part in a driving clinic with my mare this weekend. In less than an hour we had advanced to the point it would have taken me half the season to reach, and guess what (I already knew this going in but ...) it is all in up to ME. Once I got my rein handling and body positioning right the cues got clear to her and she was free to respond correctly. She learned (or showed me she knew actually) to go in a lovely self maintained frame and did these wonderful smooth lateral movements that felt like silk. We flowed around turns, I was so thrilled and she, altho a happy driver anyway, just seemed to relax and become so much freer to move her body. The most important thing I learned was to quit looking down at my horse and to look ahead to where I was going. Every time I forgot that and looked down at her she would fall on her front end and loose her impulsion. It was the best money I ever spent and would do it again in a heart beat. We also did some in hand work on keeping our horses focused on us and a bit of hunter in hand. I didn't bring my horse along for the hunter lesson since her proximity to stallions on day one had caused her to go into heat (sigh- mares
) and I saw no reason to disrupt the class with a horse who's only focus was where the stallions had gotten to.
Other than the coming in heat the only less than wonderful thing was that she had a bucking fir in harness. I have driven this horse for 10 years and she has never once done more than a small shy when startled but after my driving lesson she (having been in harness only once this year - the day before that) was tired. We stopped in front of the audience and the clinician was talking to the audience about what they had seen us do. She was describing something (don't recall what) and reached down to demonstrate on my mare, touching her near her head. Neither of us were aware that this mare had fallen sound asleep while we talked and when she was touched it startled her - ALOT! She bucked, hard enough to throw herself off her feet once, regular wild bronc type bucking, only moved maybe 4 feet from the spot she started in but was pretty wild about it. I braced myself in and just asked her to 'whoa' repeating it (as calmly as I could) and the clinician and an audience member ran in to hold her. By the time it was over I was laughing, weird right. It was just so unexpected from this particular horse and I could not help myself. It only took a minute or 2 to get her stopped then we let her stand until she quite bracing and I drove her off at a walk. Then a trot. She was just fine once she realized where she was. Poor girl must have had a very scary dream. Just goes to show you even our so called 'bomb proof' horses will react in the right circumstances. In the end there was no one hurt and nothing damaged so it was not a big thing but people who know my horse were pretty surprised and it was the talk of the clinic for a while.
Other than the coming in heat the only less than wonderful thing was that she had a bucking fir in harness. I have driven this horse for 10 years and she has never once done more than a small shy when startled but after my driving lesson she (having been in harness only once this year - the day before that) was tired. We stopped in front of the audience and the clinician was talking to the audience about what they had seen us do. She was describing something (don't recall what) and reached down to demonstrate on my mare, touching her near her head. Neither of us were aware that this mare had fallen sound asleep while we talked and when she was touched it startled her - ALOT! She bucked, hard enough to throw herself off her feet once, regular wild bronc type bucking, only moved maybe 4 feet from the spot she started in but was pretty wild about it. I braced myself in and just asked her to 'whoa' repeating it (as calmly as I could) and the clinician and an audience member ran in to hold her. By the time it was over I was laughing, weird right. It was just so unexpected from this particular horse and I could not help myself. It only took a minute or 2 to get her stopped then we let her stand until she quite bracing and I drove her off at a walk. Then a trot. She was just fine once she realized where she was. Poor girl must have had a very scary dream. Just goes to show you even our so called 'bomb proof' horses will react in the right circumstances. In the end there was no one hurt and nothing damaged so it was not a big thing but people who know my horse were pretty surprised and it was the talk of the clinic for a while.
