Long Awaited

Spent the night at my trainer's again this weekend. There was a penning in Modesto on Saturday, where I helped ready and warm up horses. It was the same arena where my grandfather last competed, where had me walk around the arena with him and introduced me to everyone. He'd been so proud then that I was training to follow in his footsteps and compete in team penning. It made the trip a little bittersweet.

Sunday, we had an easy work day around the ranch. The owners of one of his horses in training came out, and he showed off what the horse had learned, then I cooled the horse off. Of all the horses at the ranch, he was probably the horse I liked the least when I first started apprenticing. I was amazed at his progress; this is a horse who, the last time I rode him, reared and threw tantrums. This time I was riding him around on a very loose rein, using mostly leg cues and no stirrups. He's practically a month away from going brideless! The more I work with him, the more I start to find little things to like about him.

After that, we worked with Kachina. We were having such a good day, and Kachina was doing so well, that what started off as just a driving lesson quickly advanced into a riding lesson. We saddled her up and I got on and, even though we had her on a lunge line, it was my job to guide her with the reins and use my legs to drive her. This is the most work we've done with her on the bit, and the first time we've really started to leg cue her.

She took to it so well that, in no time, I was walking, trotting, loping and stopping her around the round pen using mostly leg, voice and rein cues. It was the first time she'd done any of that with someone on her back.

Unfortunately, I only had my phone handy, but we did manage to get some of the long awaited Riding Kachina shots that I've been promising:






As I've mentioned before, I've never started a young horse, or even ridden one so green. It's a challenge to remember that she isn't a finished (or even green broke) horse like I'm used to, and can't be ridden the same way. I'm not refining or tuning up previous training; this is a completely blank slate.

Still, Kachina did amazing! She doesn't fight anything. The most she does is stop when she's confused, and I have to patiently drive her forward again. No hopping, no tossing her head, no rearing or bucking -- just a desire to get it right.

It's amazing, too, realizing just how much your body cues a horse. With a young horse there's no "white noise" between the rider's body and the horse -- every signal comes loud and clear. The first couple of times I moved her into a trot I'd post and, after that, whenever she felt me posting she'd move into a trot (or slow into a trot, if she were loping). If she felt me sit back, she knew that I wanted the lope and would start to extend her trot until I moved her into a trot.

Perhaps the most amazing example was when we were working on "woah." I had stopped her once or twice into the session (she stops very nicely for a colt, by the way!) and, on the third time, my trainer told me to stop her when we passed the gate. So, just as we passed it, I sat back, lifted my reins a little and...she stopped! I sat there surprised and a little dumbfounded.

Did my pony has E.S.P.? Did she understand what my trainer meant when he said "stop her at the gate"..? It took me a minute to realize that Kachina was completely tuned into my body. She felt me sit deep, felt the little shift of the bit as I lifted my hands, and knew what I wanted; my body was telling her stop before I ever got the chance to pull back on the bit and say "woah." It's something I've always read about, but hadn't ever experienced to that level. Riding a colt is truly special!

My trainer was pleased with both of us. He seemed to be really excited about Kachina's progress (he even stroked her more than I've ever seen him do, and gave her a lot of praise). Because my trainer is honest (brutally so, sometimes), and I was curious from a trainer's perspective, I asked him what he thought Kachina's biggest training issue will be in the future. "None," he said, "She does everything I ask, she doesn't fight, she gives to the bit and flexes well...As of right now, I don't anticipate any problems."

He also said that she learns fast, and that she's very strong bodied, so we should be able to put her on cattle sooner rather than later. I can't wait to take some Kachina vs. The Cow shots!