Happy 8th Birthday Mon Amour!

Annual Trail Rides: 50/200

A nice time to hit our 25% trail objective. We finally got access to the trails (walking only) and it has been absolutely delightful. Ive also been using these slower rides to be social and go out with boarder friends, and that also has been delightful!

Q was a delight on our first time out, as steady as an old cow pony. But yesterday on the way home he reminded me that the dragon needs tending. Navigating through icy patches between trees where the obvious path for Q is to hug the trees where the ice has melted, but that means my knees go knocking into the bark. So I picked up the reins to navigate better and he got fired up. All of a sudden his sides were on fire, and any heat from my leg prompted him into a trot. Which is not what you want on slick ice. So I stopped him. And we would start all over again. This happened 12 times on the last 1 km stretch home. Not fun.

After some reflection, I realized that we were in a 12 rabbit situation. Being Florida-bred, Q has never really adjusted to life on the ice. He is fine in snow (not too deep please) and good when it's cold (but not worse than -20 please), but the ice has always just sent him into a panic. Last year he bolted when we hit ice, and knocked my knees straight into a fence. The scar stayed with me for months.

But yesterday he did just amazing. The first 7-8 km were mostly slush and puddles under snow, where we would punch through and he would drop 4-6 inches. He took it like a champ. On the way back home I got a bit bold and adventurous and decided to try a shortcut and see if it was doable. We ended up on a 1 km trail that had very dicey spots.

For the first time ever, Q did not lose his cool. When we would hit an icy patch, he would slow down his feet and proceed very calmly and thoughtfully. I gave him the reins and let him mostly pick the best path.

While he certainly showed me his ability to quietly navigate a very tricky icy trail just previous to the dragon emerging, what he had done was internalize the tension and then once we were on the path home he let his anxiety out. My reaction (self-preservation) was to pick up the reins and manage him ... but that just made him worse.

We've been down this path a few times already. The only thing that calms him down is to drop the reins and let him walk it out.

Consider the Horse

I just finished my second Mark Rashid book last night, and this one (his first one, with new commentary from him 20 years after first publishing) was fantastic! So many case examples of different horses in different situations and how each one requires a unique approach. His analysis of the horse, and what might be the cause and what could be the solution was insightful. A very well constructed book, from a teachers perspective.

Q teaching the 2 year old warmblood to mind his manners

Of course I have learned much from my own horse. But there is still much to learn. And much of our personal learning seems to stem from managing our own expectations. 

Seems like I still have some expectations to manage about Q's behaviour on icy trails.

Happy Birthday

So today is #8! Who would have thought that this cute little brown bundle of joy 8 years ago would turn into such a lovely grey dapple partner. From the Spanish-oak lined paddocks of Florida, to the deep snow of Quebec.

He was always a favorite of the grooms and caretakers at the breeding farm, that produced 20-30 foals a year. He was the first at the gate, just like his mom, and always looking for a hand to lick. He has been a good teacher for me, and he still makes me laugh every single time.

I call him the Benevolent King, and even after 5 years together, he still is. But, everyday, I just call him Mon Amour.