Had a good ride in sector 3 and got some new flying mane pictures on 17 and N trails. The scent of the wildflowers was a delight, and we got surprised by a deer. 🦌
After four days of despooking clinic and some reflection time, I want to share my broader perspective on what despooking can teach us. Only humans dwell - sometimes you just need to go with the flow. Horses have wonderful lessons to teach us in this regard. Their desire to be one with the herd, to establish hierarchy and rules, and to be in the present moment forces us to reconsider our thoughts and actions. Being such generous and forgiving souls, horses begin every moment as a new one. They dont dwell on past issues, they dont cry over lost relationships, they dont get angry over spilled milk. They lock in to their surroundings, feel their environment, find the path that leads to safety and grass. They are fluid. Let us learn to connect with the “herd”. Dont focus on the obstacle, focus on what you are doing. Obstacles are everywhere, physical and psychological. Some are created in our minds (“Im not good enough, Im not worthy, I cant do that”) and we fixate on them. We give ou...
One fine morning with blue skies and sunshine we set out to do some canter work in the outdoor ring. We started with a five minute warm-up walk, a few minutes of trotting serpentines, and then did 10 minutes of 30m canter circles with simple changes, reverse loops, and some halt-canter-halt and walk-canter-walk transitions. By the end I was sweaty, thirsty and exhausted. My back was in spasms. We occasionally took a one minute break to do some trail obstacles like the bridge and balancing beam, but we mostly cantered with a few hand gallops thrown in. It all lasted less than 30 minutes. I then proceeded to do a cool-down short trail and check the dragons energy. Lo and behold, the dragon was not quite tame. He still proceeded to sprint down the trail. So we kept on trotting and cantering and about ten minutes later he finally chilled out. The dragon was tamed. But it took my back two days to recover. Yesterday I crawled back into the saddle for a restorative ride and Q was gloriou...
Annual Trail Rides: 29/200 Here in Quebec, Canada, we have variable weather patterns in winter from springlike sunny days of +10C to arctic freeze of -40C. While winter officially goes from Dec 21 to March 20, we find that it really begins on November 1rst to April 30th. SIX MONTHS OF WINTER! Our other three seasons are much shorter as a result. Aside from the cold, winter also brings a new set of challenges for footing. Deep snow, sheets of ice, crusty snow can bring about dangers to horse and rider and also increase fatigue and injury if not careful. For the truly committed, a set of four winter shoes with studs and plastic snowball inserts, can make a world of difference. Particularly if icy conditions are commonplace and restrict turnouts. I currently keep my horse barefoot, and as a consequence there are a cumulative 2-3 weeks a year where turnout is limited if not impossible and trail riding is off the table. I also benefit from an indoor arena when this happens, so it really is ...
The mountain pass opened to the valley of an endless sea of rich grass punctuated by deep streams that zig zagged across. Juan warned me of swampy areas and pointed out spots where the ground appeared wet. We had left after breakfast to climb close to a 1000 meters through forests with snaking paths clamouring over gigantic fallen trees and deep gorges with makeshift bridges of rotting log piles. We topped out in the arctic tundra over the tree line for our last views of the glaciers and the estancia. I could see my new friend Helen from the UK who was just coming back from her own dayride and we yelled and whistled a hello to her as the sounds echoed in the valley. Over the top and on the other side 10 km to the south, were the summer pastures used for 7 months from December to June to fatten the 600 head of Hereford cattle that provides 50% of the ranch income. Here we are on the border of Chile with just a small fence to block the cattle. Unfortunately the narrow passage that leads ...
Yesterday, I was listening to famous podcaster Ira Glass of This American Life justify his obsessive, micro-management behaviour in his quest for perfection. He spoke of the need to do something great. That good enough was not enough. That if it couldn’t be great, then why bother? Wow. I haven’t achieved greatness or world acclaim in anything. My need for new conquests and adventures always trumps my need for excellence. I’ve never stuck with a single discipline (riding, professional, or educational) for very long, and I often tout the benefits of lateral and agnostic thinking. The need for greatness is sometime rooted in a competitive desire to be loved, admired or appreciated. Greatness can become a symbol or achievement that confirms our value and worth. It sometimes has an external validation (award, prize, achievement) or can be the personal satisfaction of a job well done. And yet the path for greatness is also about never being satisfied. Continuously striv...
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