The best things in life tend to come along when you are least expecting them...Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, follow your heart, and do the crazy thing. This is the story of my first horse, a horse named Charlie.
This weekend was full of fun stuff with my friend, Emily. On Friday, we spent all day at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, and, although it is nothing like Equine Affaire, it was still really fun to wander around the booths and listen to some presenters, including my favorite, Guy McLean :) Plus Jan was there, the trainer I worked with back in PA, so it was nice to catch up with him.
Oh, Guy, how I love thee
Saturday was a day of wine tasting and shopping at local tack stores. One of the consignment stores was having a French saddle event, and I unexpectedly discovered the coolest saddle ever: a WISair Dutton RZ saddle (Wise Equestrian).
I have never sat in anything so comfortable and that put me in such a good position; it just felt perfect (and I've sat in plenty of saddles across a wide range of price levels). The cutout in the seat, although meant to promote cooling and airflow along the horse's back, was the ideal solution to my chronically sore tailbone. Plus it has an adjustable gullet and nice wither clearance, which only make it even better for a horse like Charlie.
In the saddle market, this one is actually a very reasonable $2600 (base). However, it will unfortunately be some time before I could even think about affording something like it. The worst part, as I learned after coming home and doing some research, is that they are no longer being produced because Dutton has partnered with Antares instead! Gah! I guess I'll just have to add it to the wish list and hope that when I am ready to buy, I can find one used.
Em and I enjoying some wine with some Lafayette alums on Saturday night
On Sunday Emily and I took a nice morning hike at Oregon Ridge Park. I quickly realized it was going to turn out to be a gorgeous day, and
Emily had to get to her barn for spring shots anyway, so as soon as we were
done I booked it back home...to ride my horse! At a beautiful
40+ degrees, how could I not go riding?!
Charlie and I didn't do more than walk, with lots of bending and a little bit of trotting. After all, we are both really out of shape and the deep wet snow wasn't great footing-wise, but we did it!
Charlie was reluctant to move forward at first, biting at my legs when I asked him to reach out and resisting by hollowing his back with his head in the air. Once he realized I wouldn't stop asking, though, he gave up and I was able to get him to stretch a bit. We've got a lot of ground to make up after both having the winter off, but I know he knows what he's supposed to do, and it is encouraging to have had such a positive first ride back (behavior-wise) without really lunging or anything beforehand.
After we were done, I hand walked Charlie down all the way to the end of the driveway to cool him out and test whether the "driveway demons" were still there in his mind. (If you remember, he wasn't too keen about leaving the barn when I had tried this before.) This time went really well, especially since we had to go through some pretty big, deep puddles. It was really good experience for him, reminding him that water is not something to be afraid of. Overall, a really good day!
Look at us, waaaay down here
Checking out the puddles
I would have ridden again today, but I'm super sore, so I'm sure Charlie is too. Plus, today was Dentist Day. Hopefully we can try again later in the week!
Guy is one of my biggest idols and today I got to see him at the World
Horse Expo in Harrisburg. This is the same expo I visited with Emily in
Maryland, but Harrisburg is a bigger show and tends to attract some
bigger names, like Guy McLean, so I was really glad I was able to get
out of work at the last minute and travel out to the show to see him
today. He wasn't the only presenter we saw today but he was one of my favorites so here are a few pictures and a short video.
We got to see two of his presentations today. The first set of pictures is from the
finale of his 4-day training session with a 3-year-old who has never been
ridden before. It was amazing. And the horse is worth his weight in
gold! What a brain he has. So fun to watch!
Guy's 4 and 5-yr-old main horses for the weekend
Learning to be ridden in control while other horses are at liberty
Not bad for your 4th ride ever.
Below is his round pen demo (which we actually saw first) just showing some of his training techniques and tricks. He's quite the inspiring and captivating presenter....and not a bad poet (apparently he's writing poems now too).
I am inspired by his quiet, natural way with horses and really admire his outlook on training, to "be a leader worth following," and I feel that if I can absorb even a little of his wisdom I will be that much better of a horsewoman and person in general.
In his own words today, "If we can all offer our very best in the moment, that's what makes life living. That is what it is all about." Words to live by, and not just at the barn :)
In the saddle market, this one is actually a very reasonable $2600 (base). However, it will unfortunately be some time before I could even think about affording something like it. The worst part, as I learned after coming home and doing some research, is that they are no longer being produced because Dutton has partnered with Antares instead! Gah! I guess I'll just have to add it to the wish list and hope that when I am ready to buy, I can find one used.
Charlie was reluctant to move forward at first, biting at my legs when I asked him to reach out and resisting by hollowing his back with his head in the air. Once he realized I wouldn't stop asking, though, he gave up and I was able to get him to stretch a bit. We've got a lot of ground to make up after both having the winter off, but I know he knows what he's supposed to do, and it is encouraging to have had such a positive first ride back (behavior-wise) without really lunging or anything beforehand. 
