Training Day 18: We're Official EGB Horse and Rider!

I jumped off for the down hill bits. Some we ran down together

   A faster ride than normal today. Now that Blaze is back in work she is very happy and subsquently full of beans, so we upped the anti today. We did walk trot and canter. Choosing long, but slightly gentelr hills to trot and canter up and along the top as well as a couple of steep ones at a walk.

   We did it completely bareback again and it look a little longer thani would have liked for me to 'go with the flow.' To start off with I kept coming off my balance point and found that i was having to put alot of energy and focus into my fluidity. Usualy my body flexes and moves with the horse and my balance is bang on, always moving with the horse in what ever direction and at what ever speed they do with ease. It's all very natural, I dont think about it, i just do it and we feel like one being. Its been a LONG while since iv ridden Blaze bareback and so this wasnt the case to start off with but my half way found i was trotting down hills, cantering along tracks and walking up near vertical slopes WITH Blaze easey peasey. Just by lifting my focus point up I felt myself come back on my balance point, and when I truely was sat back on my balance point my lower back rounded (not hollowed) my seat was anchored onto Blazes back, my hips and lower back flexed and moved with Blaze, my legs stopped bracing and the tension in my upper body disappeared. Once again using what the Parelli programme has taught me and using it as a set of diagnostics to work out which part of the equation was broken and needed fixing. Focus!

"Focus gives your Feel. Focus and Feel give you Timing. Focus, Feel and Timing give you Balance." -Pat Parelli

   When we got back Blaze was still blowing so we played some circling game at the walk when we got back to help bring her heart rate down before we called it a day.

EGB Membershhip Stuff!

   The ground it firming up nicely and so come first March i'll be able to put into place a proper training resigm! Including Hill work (like we've been doing,) Fartlek Training, Freestyle and Finesse (Schooling for those not Parelli,) Online play, and some long trail rides, a few hours long, that will incorporate all sorts of terrian and all 3 gaits, like a mini EBG Pleasure Ride. Let just hope that we're not due another 40 days and 40 nights of rain!!!

All of mine and Blazes Endurance GB registration stuff has come through the post so once again we are OFFICIAL members of Endurance Great Britian and the Offa's Dyke EGB group which is our local Endurance GB group that covers Hereforshire, Monmouthshire and Gwent.

   Me and Blaze have now officialy been upgraded to 'Open' (Intermediate) Level, its printed on all our registration stuff, our membership cards and our master card which is so exciting! Blaze's medal should be arriving in the post soon!

   Iv had flick through the Offa's Dyke Rossette and Trophey catagories and me and Blaze qualify to go for a couple of those too, so if we work hard and fingers crossed we might win one or two of those too!

         

Also I need to contact The Offa's Dyke group secretary as I want to know if me and Blaze are still entiteled to the rosettes that we were eilagible for when we competed in 2005. These being the Pandora Rosette- Presented to horses completeing atleast 240, 320 or 400 km in the currant season. Blaze clocked up 248 kms in just Competetive Rides alone, thats excluding Pleasure Rides! And the Junior Rosette- Riders aged 15 completeing any 3 EGB Rides. Well I was 12 and completed 7 EGB Competetive rides and many more EBG Pleasure Rides!

   

Training Day 16. Ninja Move 101!

   Blaze has had a pretty easy week this week, only having being worked Tuesday and today (Sunday), partly because iv been busy with the other ponies (Me and Piggles went to our first Horse Agility Event and came first with 85 out of 90!) and my health, having Raynauds Disease makes yard life pretty painful in the cold!

   A bit of a slow one today. We just sat back and enjoyed the scenery. After having a such a manic Weekend (Horse sitting Friday, worked all Friday night, did Horse Agility on 3 hours sleep Saturday, then worked all Saturday night!) I didnt have a very "Go, Go, Go, Go Training" attitude. It was all walk with minimal hill work.

   

   Im sure you have heard me sing and dance about how wonderful Blaze is. How safe, calm, confident, and genuine she is. This is true. But. She also has a little mischievous streak. This little mischievous streak is something I love love LOVE about Blaze because it's what prevents her from being so robotic. It wonderful to have such a safe and genuine pony but I dont want a robot, I want to ride the free thinking, individual, living being Blaze is, with a heart and a mind and idea's and opinions and feelings. Not a robot. Blaze can be mischievous without being dangerous, its a fun and fantastic mix. She has this very distinct and iconic look about her face, she rounds her neck, tucks her nose in and gets a special glint in her eye when she is about to do something naughty, its a side to her that i have seen less and less of over the years, unfortunately. 

Cheeky Pony!

   Well, being back in work seems to have lit that cheeky spark because i saw it Friday when me and Blaze were helping a young girl with her cantering. I asked for the transitions and instead of the nice controlled transition she normally does, she had that look and zipped into it, unseating the young rider. Again not dangerous, she didnt lower her head or drop a shoulder or run off, and when i asked for her to come back to a trot she responded immediately. She just had a little sass about it!

   On the way home we had fallen a way behind and so i asked Blaze to trot and catch up. The cheeky little monster stirred and we had a very zippy walk to canter transition which would have been lovely if it meant i didnt have to deploy ninja move 101 and lean forward and slide to the side (Im riding bareback) at the canter so as to avoid the low hanging tree! Once i had composed myself i asked her to stop and she did so we did that bit again, only a little more controlled! Cheeky Pone!!!

   

Training Day 11

The view from the start of our ride today

   Not much to report other than a really lovely day with the golden girly today. Played online for about half an our, encouraging yet more mental engagement, getting her to ask questions and share idea's. We started off with a game of "Touch It" again, developing it further and upping the difficulty using a pole on the ground instead of big obstacles. The idea being that we'd be building on our level of communication in order to get the message across. The message being that I wanted her to put effort into putting her nose to the floor. The next few minuets were all about feel.
 

Feel is something that my introverts have taught me so much about. I like to think I have a really intuative sense of feel. The horses have taught me to feel for the intention. Like Pat says, in order for a message to reach a horses feet there is a process, first of all the mind is moved, then the weight and then the feet, and i like to think that i can feel when the mind is moving, when the horse is thinking, before that thought has become an action. Timing the application of pressure and the release of that pressure just right so as to communicate as clearly as possible. Also applying the right amount of pressure, the lift of a finger, holding tension in the upper body, pivoting away, adjusting every part of my body as subtlely as possible. If im too loud in my body then Blaze isnt going to take any notice of the small obstacle lying on the floor, she'll be focused on me and the pole.
 

 Another great view!

   From an outside perspective it probably didnt look like we were doing much. Extending a finger to encourage Blaze to try, then leaning back into neutral when she drops her head. Cocking my head towards her hind to envoke some curiosity and question and then directing her focus with a shift of weight towards the pole, not once moving my feet (thats too much!). This is why i LOVE introverts! They are the best teachers when it comes to teaching you all about feel, timing, energy and release. They teach you just how quiet you can be and still be affective.
   Blaze licked her lips and asked questions and then 'Touch Dooooown!" she lowered her head all the way to the floor, touched the pole with her nose and then looked at me "Was that what you wanted?"
   I invited her in, we had a really lovely draw with both eyes and cuddled in the sun for a while.

We've just walked up here

Now trotting across the top

   Next we played around with the circling game, asking her to do less that what she was offering. Blows her mind when I sent her out and when she walks off dragging her feet at a snails pace a shout "Woah there Blaze, slow down!" and ask her to go even slower! Like a child that does nt like to do as they are told she starts to speed up. Only slightly, we're not breaking the speed barrier here but its a start. Then i ask for even less, less still, just a couple of steps is enough and soon enough everytime I stopped her Blaze wanted to take more steps!
   New game, "Tag!" Tag looks like this;

"Id moove oooooooout the waaaaaaaay if i weeeere yooooooooooooooooou...... TAG! Told you!"

Headin home. Hill number 1.

Headin home. Hill 1

   I ask her to circle with a long phase one, giving her plenty of opportunity to depart from the spot of ground she is stood on, the part of ground i am going to tag with my stick and string. If she moves she does nt get tagged, she wins the game. If she does nt move she ends up getting tagged and she looses the game. So i pointed, my energy intense and body language full of tension, almost like in slow motion and stepped forward and swung my stick and string at the spot of ground under her tail, slow motion but with lots of intention and lots of intesity. TAG! She didnt move out the way and she got tagged. Blaze tossed her head, bucked and cantered off and then bucked some more, I disengaged her and she ground to halt and looked at me like "Wow! Where did that come from?"(That would be another question) She paid more attention to me next time, i pointed then took a step towards her, tagged the ground and.... she had already moved out the way. I disenaged her again and brought her in for cuddles, a reward for winning the game. I sent her back out and this time as soon as i pointed she trotted off. Stop. She is now putting more effort into 'forwards' and so i want to reward her for that. If i ask too much for forwards she is going to get demotivated and sour because trotting mindless circles is b-o-r-i-n-g!

Heading home. Hill 2

   So during our little online play we had lots of questions being asked and more licking and chewing. Im definitely starting to get through to her mind more and more each day and we're starting to build on communication. We had a lovely draw and on several occasions she wanted to come in and stay with me.

   Tacking up was great. She didnt put her ears back, swish her tail, or walk off. She stood still, at liberty and checked in with me everytime i offered her my hand. By 'checking in with me' i mean she reach out and put effort in to touching my hand. Just like how horses stretch out their noses to touch an unfamiliar horse, kind of like a hello. When working with introverts it can be very easy for them to tune out everything that is happening around them and ignore it. I dont want Blaze to be tuned out, i want her to be present. They can tune out for a couple of reason, firstly because they are bored bored bored and secondly because they are unconfident. They are afraid and essentialy hiding within themselves, like a shrinking violet. I wanted to check that the reason why Blaze was standing still and letting me tack her up wasnt becuase she had gone Right Brain Introvert, frozen to the spot "Im just going to block you out and pretend this isnt happening." If she had gone RBI then her mind would be frozen in fear and she would nt be able to check in with me.
   She sniffed the saddle pad and the roller (i rode bareback today) and stood happily whilst i tacked her up. Such a great improvement on the last few days and off we went!

At the top of hill 2

   We pushed a little harder today and dug a little deeper. I asked her to walk up a slope and then straight away trot across the top. On the way home we did 3 steep slopes in quick succession. The first was a new hill we've not done before, it was uber steep, i asked her zig zag across it instead. The second was just as steep as the first but we had to go straight up and at one point she almost came to a stop and really had to dig down deep and push off those hind quarters to propell herself forwards and up. The third and final slope was really short but the terrian is tough, its rocky and slippy and she was still huffing and puffing from the the last two slopes.
   When we got home she was blowing and panting like a good 'un so i hopped off and had to walk her around the field for a while untill her breathing and heat rate had returned to normal.

 

Heading home. Hill 3

   She was so enthusiasic on this ride, really enjoying herself. Its amazing the effect working with a horse's mind can have on a horses body. Im really noticing the benifits our online sessions are having on our ridden work. This natural horsemanship stuff really works!

Training Days 8 and 10: The Bigger Picture

On Saturday me and Blaze rode out with a friend and took it nice and easy. We went for a nice stroll around the block to round off the week, nothing strenuous, just enjoying the sun, clear sky and beautiful scenery. So not much to report for Day 8.

Blaze enjoying training today

   Day 10. Me and Blaze spent a couple of hours together this morning and it hit me just what this journey will mean for mine and Blazes relationship. I began to understand a whole new level to the saying "Foundation before specialisation." Parelli is a foundation programme. Over the years iv taken the boys through the Parelli levels, because they had behavioural issues they were my priority. Blaze is always so calm, confident and obedient I did very little Online work with her, she was a happy hacker with no issues so we just used to cuddle and go for lovely hacks. When she was doing so little, when we had no focus this was enough. Blaze knows the 7 games and a few patterns. In her older age she can sometimes get a little stiff in the winter when she has nt done much so I'll pop her online and use the games to do a few patterns to help warm her up before riding and and Iv always used approaches Parelli has taught me when I interact with her or if she has had difficulty with something etc but thats about it. We have never really played, only occasionally. 

   We have wonderful moments together. Its not like we have no relationship at all, in fact we have a very good relationship. She nickers to me when I call her and she comes and buries her head in my chest then drops it between my knees so as I can rub her ears in that very special way she likes best, she often drifts off pressed up against me in my arms, but there has always been something missing. Something that I have with the boys that I dont have with Blaze and this is highlighted now that we have a focus, a goal. Now that we have a specialisation im beginning to see the holes in our foundation. These holes have nothing to do with confidence, calmness, trust or obedience but everything to do with connection and communication. Conversation. A conversation is two or more individuals sharing an idea and Blaze is incredibly difficult to engage with mentally and share ideas with. REALLY hard! She'll do as you ask without asking questions. I dont want this! I want her to engage with me, ask me questions, offer me answers, show me what she is thinking, share her ideas. 

View on today's ride

   Its like what I said in my last post, I promise to nurture the mental and emotional, not just the physical. This journey is really going to cause me to build on the mental and the emotional, because if I dont then training is going to soon be all about doing it TO her and not FOR and WITH her. I want to be more than a horse and rider, more than I ask and she does. I want to be 6 feet, 2 minds and 1 heart. I want unity, and this journey is going to cause me to make sure that happens. If i dont put in the time and effort to build on the mental and emotional side of our relationship then it'll be a hollow victory and I will have achieved nothing more than a pretty ribbon.

   I got out my halter and Blaze swished her tail, had a sour look about her face and walked off into the next stable. Definitely sharing her feeling about going out today! The past two days I have taken the time it takes when it comes to tacking her up, rather than "On it pops and off we go!" (as explained in my last post) and it has made a small difference, but like Blaze pointed out today, its going to take more than that to fill in the holes in out foundation. Message received! The ground is getting firmer now so Im able to play with the horses online a little before we go out. Yes! I LOVE playing online, i find its the easiest savvy to use to reveal your horse, share ideas and get a conversation going. 

   Armed with my trusty carrot stick me and Blaze went out into the field to try and encourage a bit of mental engagement. To open up some communication between us both before we head out for more training. "Touch It" has always been a great game to play to help get a horse thinking and asking questions and it was the game that caused Blaze to ask me her first question when we had our first play session together. For those of you unfamiliar with the game "Touch It" the aim is to build enough curiosity in your horse to get them to firstly touch an obstacle with their nose, and then with their feet. Its a great confidence builder for the more spooky horse but its also a great game for getting those thinking introverts asking you some questions "What do you want me to do with this?".

   We played with this for a couple of minuets. She did great, touching it with her nose and her feet, she asked me a question and we had a couple of really nice draws. She came in giving me both eyes and she was enthusiastic (as enthused as Introverts get!) about coming in to rest with me. She pressed her head into my chest and I ran my fingers over her eyes, her head dropped more and we stayed like this for a while.

We go along the field, into the dark green bit of wood, out the other side and into the woods at the very back!

   Next I wanted to see if I could get her to want ('want' being the key word) to move around a little more, if i could inspire a little more enthusiasm and motivation. Back ups were really nice. I had to swap around with my phases a lot, as one minuet she was focused on me and was light, the next she was looking at something else, distracted. The next moment she had her 'introverted thinking face' on, then she was focused, then she was thinking, then she was playing her own game of "I can out persist you." Believe it or not this was great! The aim of the game was to inspire motivation and yes as of yet we had zilch BUT I was starting to turn the cogs in her brain, I was sneakily beginning to evoke some mental engagement! And that is the bigger picture here.

   We started playing the circling game and after less than half a circle she came in and lowered her head as if to say "face rubs please." This was a nice 'relationship point.' She came in wanting to be with me so i took it, adding to an imaginary 'relationship score board' enough points and we reach the goal of unity!

   After a bit of affection I backed her up and resent her, we managed a little more than half a circle when she came in, head lowered, "face rub please." A quick rub as if to say "thanks girly" I resent her again, and again she came in uninvited only this time I resent her out on the circle immediately. "Thank you girly but thats not what I asked." Being firm but fair, the attributes of a leader. 

Heading through the trees and up the hill into the woods behind

   When she got to the tyre i asked her to stop, and of course she obliged. Nothing, but she did lick her lip (this meaning she's thinking!). I asked her to start circling and when she got to the tyre i asked her to stop, she looked at me! She asked me a question "What do you want me to do now?" Come here, come here, come in, come in, good girl! I rewarded with more head rubs and it looked like she was drifting off to sleep. 

   I backed her up and sent her out on the circle again, when she got to the tyre i asked her stop again, she did, looked at me and then carried on walking. Great! We've got the beginning of a conversation, she asked me a question and then offered her own idea, and her own idea just so happened to be forwards!
   Okay, yes, we barely scratched the surface when it comes to horse psychology and all that it entails, we uncovered very little and only got Blaze to engage a little but it was a start and its not so much about the quantity as it is the quality. Blaze was licking her lips the whole time, there was loads of licking and chewing, you could see her thinking, she asked questions and she really wanted to be with me. That ticks all the right boxes. There will be days when we have solely online sessions and delve deeper and bring out more and there will be sessions like this, when we do just enough to set us up for a great ride.

Half way up the hill. Blaze trots all the way up

    Our ride was great. She was really enjoying herself, striding out, forward going. A happy pony. We did a big long loop today we call "The Checkly Ride" we go through the woods and out the other side into Checkly village and then back into and through the woods, finishing with an open up hill field that you just feel really rude for not galloping across. A lovely ride that includes, steep climbs, a water crossing, and open fields. Blaze was great, she trotted up a long steep hill, she wanted to go much faster, she really wanted to open out into one of her super extended trots but she needed to pace herself so we maintained a good working trot, got the top and then she galloped across the field. It wasnt my idea, she really really really wanted to go and we've not had a gallop for months and months so i certainly wasnt going to say no!

   I am also really impressed with Blazes feet. Blaze is barefoot and with the wet weather I thought Blazes feet might be a little on the softer side and so struggle with the stony tracks in the woods. Hell no! She's just eating up the  
ground, striding over it like its nothing. Wahoo! No shoes, no problem!

Galloped up hear.

   It felt so great, rushing through the field at such speed. She has such power in her hind quarters she really propels you forward. My golden girly.

   In regards to working on exercising her mind with the online work its become apparent to me how much i struggle to assign Blaze to a horseinality. Blaze is so special, one of a kind, its a fact, how can i categorise her as a Left Brain Introvert or a Right Brain Extrovert, a Left Brain Extrovert or a Right Brain Introvert like any other normal horse when she is so special?! She ought to have a horseinality quadrant all to herself, a quadrant thats one of a kind. Because i refuse to identify her as something as normal as a Left Brain Introvert when it comes down to it i let her get away with an awful lot because she is Blaze, she is special, she is perfect, she is beyond the realms of any Earthly approach to horsemanship. Its like i almost feel that admitting she is a Left Brain Introvert somehow takes away that mysterious perfect essence that makes her so special.

Blaze trotting over the stones easy

   She does not need correcting, I ought to just be thankful that she allows me to ride her and be with her. Its almost like she is my leader, she looks after me. Blaze knows best. Yes, you read that right. That is how highly i think of Blaze and that is just how special she is. Everyone who has met her has agreed that there is something very special, very safe about Blaze. They have never met a horse like Blaze. If anyone has ever read Mark Rashid's Book "The Heart Of Passive Leadership" then Blaze is a Passive Leader, the herd elects her as their leader because she is so safe and calm and wise and peaceful NOT because she is dominant. Blaze does nt need correcting because Blaze knows best. How do you go about working with a horse like that!?
   Despite just how special Blaze is i am going to try and not let that cloud my vision and manipulate our online sessions and i am going to identify her as one of the horseinalities and i am going to play with the horse thats shows up and use my savvy to best address that horseinality. 

Training Day 6: Physical Mental and Emotional Fitness. Finding A Balance

   Blaze had some strong words for me today. I grabbed my halter and with that she dove out of her stable on to the yard, when I followed she dove back into the stable. I went back in and she ran straight back out, tail swishing, not a happy pony. A very clear message. I was pretty disheartened, its never nice when your horse walks away from you and the halter instead of coming over and sticking their nose in it, but one of the biggest things Natural Horsemanship has taught me is never to take things personally. Blaze wasnt being personal, just honest, and as her partner I needed to listen.

   You see, Blaze is an introvert. She's a thinker and takes long pauses. Her actions are thought out and meticulous. She is low key. Its all about the mind. Her mind leads and the feet follow. If there is one thing Introverts hate it is being hurried and their human being direct line. I admit to being guilty on both counts this past week!

   I think im a mixture of excited and worried. Excited to be training and hitting the endurance scene once again but worried that Blaze wont be fit enough. This concoction of excitement and worry has channelled itself into some pretty direct line thinking. Direct line thinking is the predators prerogative, not that of the partners, nor the natural horseman, thank you Blaze for reminding me!

   When its been a training day, iv greeted Blaze in the usual way "Hello beautiful" and as always she replies with a nicker, I give her a rub and kiss and then the direct line monster takes over 

Mine and Blazes "training arena." Definitely not stuck for hills to climb!

"Training GO GO GO GO!" 

On with the halter

On with the numnah

On with the saddle 

"C'mon beauty time to go" 

Off into the woods, no time to stop and take in the scenery,

Standing around wont get you fit,

Lets go!

   Iv not been nagging her to go faster or pushing her to do more, about 95% of what we have done this week has all been done at the walk, and iv mentioned lots in my previous posts the importance of taking things slow. I guess you could say physically we've been on the same wave length but mentally, im going 100 times faster, thinking "Lets go go go!" What Blaze practically shouted at me today was 

"Think about the silence between the notes!!!"

   

...So...

Starting a climb through the woods

   I dropped my halter on the floor, and as soon as i did she let me stand with her. I draped my arm over her back and stood with her a while, then I stroked her face in the way she likes best and her eyes began to close and lip began to droop. I ran my fingers over her ear, something else she really likes and her head dropped that little bit more. I went and grabbed her rhythm beads and plaited them into her mane, as gently as possible trying not to disturb her, then returned to rubbing her forehead. Then i went back to the halter, I stood at her side and I asked, not told. I held it out, she paused, then gave me her nose and i popped it on. I gave her some more affection and she went back to sleepy mode. I grabbed her gel pad and again, i asked, she brought her nose round and gave it a sniff then went back to sleep as if to say "Yeah, thats okay" we repeated with the numnah and the saddle, asking every time. Not only is it polite to ask permission from your horse if you can put the saddle on their back but it also encourages some engagement and interaction, it instigates a conversation. A conversation is two or more individuals sharing an idea and it takes two to be a team, and a team is what we are. 

Blaze willingly followed me out of the stable and into the woods. I mounted and allowed her take a few cheeky mouthfuls of brambles before I asked her to set off. She yielded to my suggestion in a way that seemed like she had said "Yes!" before i had even asked the question and we enjoyed a lovely ride.    

   When I mount I hold fire for a bit, allowing her the chance to rebalance now she is carrying my weight, to have a look around to see whats what and to just enjoy a moment together. My horses are not motor bikes and I hate it when people hop on their horses and go. This week has been no different. When I asked to her walk on, she has only taken a step or two before wanting to stop and think, normally id take it, let her look and think (remember Blaze is an introvert. She's all about the thinking! She needs to think before she can move her feet) but this week iv insisted that she get going and i think this is where we have ran into some trouble. I spent about 20 minuets tacking her up today. Approach and retreat, taking the time she needed and it set us up for success and we had a great ride. 

   Iv been so obsessed with the physical that iv completely forgot about the mental and emotional!!! How dumb can I be! Thank you Blaze for being so patient and forgiving and for being such a wonderful and effective teacher.

   I promise to maintain a balance between physical, mental and emotional fitness.

Training Day 5.

Making our way into the woods

   More hill work. Today we went right into the heart of the woods, off the gravel track anf hit the muddy mountain bike trails. These tracks are great because they are some of the steepest in the woods, not only that but its really important that Blaze upholds her responsibilities of mainting gait, direction and to look where she is going as im having to duck and dive under low hanging branches aswell as having to slide left and right to squeeze through trees without bashing my knees.
   These tracks are really muddy and so Blaze has to work 10 times harder in order to climb them. She had a really good work out today. 2 super steep slopes, both boggy, head down she powered her way up as best she could. The graidient and terrain was tough and she almost ground to a halt having lost momentum and starting to get out of breath. I urged her forwards, knowing that if she lost momentum completely its quite hard to get going again, i didnt ask her to hurry and if she really needed to stop of course id allow her to do so, i just offered her some encouragement and asked her to try to keep going, which she did. I let her stop when we reached the top but she was off again of her own accord. She really enjoys herself in the woods.

   Coming back down the other side i slid off and walked with her, and it was a good job, she kept all four legs still and slide down most of it! At the bottom I found a load of branches to climb on and mounted ready to tackle slope number 2. It was a pretty long one but it zig zagged slightly and changed in gradient, some parts super steep and others not so much. I like to give Blaze some variety not only is it more interesting for her but also its good practice for negotiating different terrian and being able to pace herself, ie taking it steady and rhythmical on steep climbs or more active and changing gaits on slopes that have flatter sections.

Starting at the bottom we climbed to the top of that hill. Its almost as steep as the drop infront!

   One slope was particualry tricky at it was extremely narrow (a couple of ft) slippy and rocky. I completely dropped my reins and allowed her to pick her own way through it, the last thing she needed was me getting in the way, she needs to pick a way and go for it. If i started medaling it could get dangerous, i could through her off balance or impede her forwards motion. All I had to concentrate on was staying balanced and keeping my weight over her back end so as to give that engine as much power as possible.

   With the amount of rain we have had the stream is running really fast and deep (you can hear the water falling from ages away!) so we went through that too. Its somethign a little different and who knows if we'll be negotiating a river crossing this year.

Training Day 3. Hill Work Continues

Blaze would rather lie in today instead of train!

   With the ground being SO wet and slippy at the moment we are really limited to what we can do in training. Once the ground hardens up then we can create a proper training regime which will included schooling and jumping sessions as well as one of my favourite techniques for helping to improve a quick recovery rate; You get your horse to exert themselves and then rest for the same period of time, exert themselves, then rest, making sure the time taken to do both is equal. To do this I ask Blaze to canter up a really steep slope and then walk back down it, canter up then walk back down. It sounds easy but it is really tough and 15 minuets of this is all we need once, maybe twice a week! Its a brilliant and super effective training technique, so much so that I saw it being used to train race horses on Kim Baileys racing yard!
   Until then we're making do with what we've got which in all honesty is still pretty amazing, Haughwoods IS the ponies back garden! So we're continuing with hill work at the moment. Nothing strenuous still as im still testing boundaries but we're finding the steepest longest slopes we can and Blaze is driving us up them.

What we have to climb and more

   Today (once she actually decided to stop snoozing and get up!) we focused less on gradient and more on distance. The road that leads from the entrance to our land and Haughwoods picnic area is 90% up hill, some parts steeper than others but it is a very long climb. Back in our competitive days Blaze could trot all the way up it, so im using that as a way to further assess her fitness and thats a gaol we will be aiming for as training progresses. For today i just asked her to walk up it, but power walk, asking that she really engages that big engine she has behind. She made it to the top with out any huffing or puffing! Next time ill be asking for a more active walk and them for her trot short sections, building it up very slowly. Slowly is the key here, no need to rush things, its amazing how fit just walking up hills can make your horse, being able to take it up a gear will just come naturally.

What we've climbed, its steeper round the corner

"Slow and right beats fast and wrong"-Pat Parelli

Once in the woods we were treated to some really pretty scenery as it was lightly snowing so everything was dusted in white. What goes up must come down so the next part of the ride was all downhill. This will work to our advantage, once her fitness improves and she can trot all the way up the hill the downward part will allow her the chance to rest and for her heart rate to go down, ready for when we hit the next uphill part which ill ask her to trot up (just like what we would do on an endurance ride)

Pretty in the woods

   By the time we got to the next uphill part Blaze was striding out, enthusiastic (I swear she knows when we're about to embark upwards!) waiting for me to give her the green light to take it up a gear. We trotted all the way up the hill, she needed a little encouragement nearer the top but we got there. It was a great work out as she was blowing out a lot, but continued to walk on nicely, after all, on a ride the only opportunity she'll get to re cooperate is during the walk, we dont stop for a breather, we're always on the move!

It just keeps going!

   I feel asking her to trot up this hill is acceptable in these early days. It is a slightly long one, but levels out half way so she gets a bit of a rest and she is able to trot and canter up this if she is feeling particularly fizzy regardless of her fitness so I know that asking her to do this isnt over exerting her.
   Its all about feel, feeling how much is too much and how much is just right, at the moment walking up steep slopes, and trotting up the odd one thats more of a gentle gradient is enough, she always lets me know when she is capable of more- thats how we managed to achieve so much whilst she was recovering from injury, she let me know in her own way that she could do a little more.

 
   Another good day training. Blaze is doing great and at the moment hill work is enough.

Training Day 1

Blaze ready for day 1 of training.

Nothing strenuous just a short hilly ride to get us started and to give me the opportunity to access her fitness levels and her recovery rate (how quickly she can return to normal breaths per minuet and heart beats per minuet after intense excersise). In Endurance its really important that your horse can recover quickly after excerting themsevles as you need to maintain a particular speed. For example after climbing a steep slope your horse must be able to then pick up a trot or canter as quickly as possible, they cant walk the rest of the way! Or once you've crossed the finish line you only have 30 minuets until you have to present your horse to the vet, this is when the vet takes their final heart rate which determines the garade you achieve, so you want them to be able to return to a low heart rate as quickly as possible. A quick recovery rate is really important!
Its amazing how fit hill work can get your horses, even if they just walk up them. It is ofetn harder for your horse to walk up a steep slope than trotting or cantering up them. They have to really engage their hind quarters in order to power themselves up the slope as they have no momentum to help them. 
Blaze was awesome, iv never known a horse thrive on taking on slopes, she is drawn to steep inclines, head down and just powers her way up them, eating up the ground with her powerful stride. I had one particular ride in mind but as we made our way through the woods she had her outside eye on the big slope that we were walking round, her nose trying to face it so as her body could follow! I gave in and allowed her to go in the direction she seemed to eager to persue, directly up the hill. The mud was slippy and deep in some places and she was having to work much harder to climb it and she loved it!

All the bits and pieces we need in order to reregister with EGB

We did a couple of steep climbs to get her heart rate going and to get her using those hindquarters. I love the sense of teamwork we get when tackling a steep climb. Its as if she says "Just point me in the right direction mum and ill get us up it." She puts her head down and powers forwards trusting that I'm looking out and guiding her through the easiest path. Its such a wonderful feeling to know that I can trust her to act like a parter, maintain gait and direction and to look where she is going when I have to duck down under branches and things.
We headed back home via the road, so as to incorporate yet another hill. Im not a fan of trtting horses on roads but i wanted to see what I was working with in regards to fitness and so a asked for her trot to see how long she could last. She managed about half way/ two thirds of it at the trot and walked the rest. A great first day. Blaze felt great, enthusiastic and she had a nice gentle work out. Most importantly we felt like a real team. Love my special girl so much, she is one of a kind and truly incredible, I cant thank her enough for allowing me to be her partner <3

To Hell And Back

As of February 8th Blaze was back in training!

Me and Blaze competing. 2005

In 2005 me and Blaze began a competitive career in Endurance. At 12 years old I was amongst the youngest of the Endurance GB competitive riders and Blaze turned out to be a natural at the sport. We both enjoyed it thoroughly and together we completed what turned out to be a very successful first season.
We competed all over the country, including a 170 mile journey up north to Burnley to compete on the moores at Townley Park. We rode past the Westbury White Horse on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. We crossed the damn over Lake Vyrnwy, travelled along Britain's oldest roads at The Ridgeway and galloped round Ludlow race course in a final attempt to cross the finish line before we ran out of time.
Blaze truly excelled herself, keeping up with my friends experienced endurance 15+hh Carbbert Arab. Our first ever ride at The Forest Of Dean on 10th of April 2005 me and Blaze completed a 40 km (25 mile) ride at an average speed of 11 km's an hour. That was 2 km's an hour faster than the Novice speed we needed to go! Blaze finished with a resting heart rate of 47, which meant we had achieved a grade 2. The second best result!

Me and Blazed crossed the damn over Lake Vyrnwy

On 13th August we headed 170 miles up north to compete at Townly Park. We completed a 30km ride at 10.5 km's an hour. Blaze finished with a resting pulse of 42, her heart rate had lowered to her original resting pulse that she had before we began our ride. We achieved our first grade One!
The weather was horrific, truly apocalyptic, by far the worst weather i have ever ridden in. Horses were racing with their heads tucked between their front legs in an attempt to shelter from the howling gale force wind and the driving rain. Horse and rider were soaked through to the skin. Blaze powered her way over the moores, head down, she thrived in these wet, cold conditions.
I remember like it was yesterday. The vet stared at the ticking hand of her watch whilst she pressed the stethoscope to Blaze's side. Always the longest minuet of my life, the vet taking her heart rate at the final vetting.

"42, well done"
"42! Well done Blaze, good girl!" I kissed her pretty face and wrapped my arms around her neck. We did it! Our first grade one. Unkown to me at that time, it should have been our last.

The chalk horse we past over on Salisbury Plain

August 21st 2007
 
Me and Blaze had nt yet completed another season of Endurance as we made the transition to barefoot (one of the best things we've ever done!) Blaze had just started going really well over hard ground and we aimed to get back on the endurance scene the following year in 2008.
We were taking Blaze and my other pony on holiday to the beach. I had never ridden on the beach before. I have never ridden on the beach before. It's one of my dreams. 30 minuets in, i turned to speak to my friend in the back of the truck when I saw the underside of a car coming towards us, in the air.
The next few seconds were just a blur of road, hedges and tree's and the sound of squealing tyres and crumpling metal.
The trailer was no where to be scene. Mum restrained me to the seat whilst I screamed. She didn't want me to see my horses like that. She didn't want my last memory of them to be that. Dead.
A stranger ran over and opened my door and I screamed at him "My horses! My horses! Check my horses! Are my horses okay? Please!"
He ran behind the car and past the hedges and trees we had skidded through. Waiting on a complete stranger to come and tell you if your children are alive or dead is a strange feeling. Things don't seem to play in real time and it feels like your on the outside looking in. Its not real.
I cried, and cried then he came running back.
"They're fine, they're fine!"
I launched my self out of the car, and ran round to the road, past the horse trailer . It was on its roof. Blaze and Piggles were stood in the middle of the road looking extremely bewildered, a couple of onlookers holding their lead ropes.
At a first glance they appeared fine, until I got to Blaze. Her abdomen and hind legs were shaking. Her stifle ripped open.

The car accident. 2007

The car I had scene in the air had hit a car opposite when trying to over take us at dangerous speeds (we were doing just 30 mph). He got launched in the air and he hit our horse box. Right where Blazes head was. The horse box flipped on to its roof. Piggles fell on top of Blaze. The roof smashed apart. Blaze and Piggles were flung out of the roof and skidded across the road. They skidded out so fast their travelling rugs and boots melted.

Whilst Blaze and Piggles took refuge in a neighbours garden the vet arrived. He confessed to me after examining the horses and concluding they were okay, that when he arrived he got his gun out of the back of his car. He said when he saw the wreckage there was no way a horse could have survived and the kindest thing to do would be to shoot them at the scene. He was astonished to see my two up and about destroying the poor ladies neatly mown lawn!

 
Blaze was taken to hospital in Tewksbury where she had an emergency surgery to stitch back together her stifle and assess the soft tissue damage sustained on impact and when Piggles feel on top of her. They concluded that the soft tissue damage was severe, more severe that the wound to her stifle.
Blaze spent 5 days in hospital. I visited every day, wanting to bring her home.

Blaze's recovery was tough. The life she led was one of freedom, not only in the sport of endurance and the training but in her everyday life also, she lived out 24/7. Now she was confined to a stable. Every day, every night, all day, all night. She spent months stabled. She got really depressed and the spark that made Blaze Blaze was beginning to fade. I began to turn her out in to the field, keeping her on a lead rope id stand with her for hours, making sure she didn't exert herself but allowing her to smell and feel the grass, the breeze, the outside. This raised her spirits greatly and we decided that she was well enough to be able to walk to the next field to her pasture mates and be stabled there.
She broke out and ripped apart all her stitches. The vet advised against another surgery as there was little skin to stitch together and instead told us to flush the wound with an antiseptic fluid and let it heal itself from the inside out. It didn't work. It got infected. The infection entered her blood stream and made her extremely ill. The next 12 hours were crucial. She could die.
Blaze just kept fighting and received emergency surgery as soon as she was strong enough. When i say emergency i mean emergency, there was no time for hospitals. She was operated on in her stable. The vet stitched her back together with what looked like rope! Only he had to take away a lot of dead skin which meant the wound and stitches were awfully stretched. There was a strong chance they could rip and we would be back to square one.
They held and healed and Blaze could finally start her 12 months of physio therapy to help repair her soft tissue damage. The vets said she would never be able to compete again. Only gentle hacks. I didn't care, Blaze had survived and the nightmare was over.

We built up her strength slowly over the next 12 months. Blaze did brilliantly and by the following summer I was walking her out in the woods, ridden! The future was looking bright, there was never any pressure to pick up Endurance again, but i looked forward to continuing her recovery. Walks in the woods weren't so much remedy for her body but more for her soul.

August 2008

Things were going great. Too great. Whilst running with the herd in the field, Blaze pulled the tendons in her hind leg. She could nt walk, not a step. She went back to box rest. We had sever flooding that summer, unable to walk through the mud to higher ground we had to dig a mote around the edges of Blazes stable in order for the water to run around her. She pulled the tendons in the same leg a further 2 times over the following months.

Ride details and entry form

2010
Blaze had recovered from her tendon injuries and had come through 2 bouts of colic also. After many hours of pole work on the ground and stretches we finally built up her strength, and began riding again. Nothing as strenuous as our training days. The soft tissue damage sustained in the car crash has never 100% gone away. On August 2nd, my 18th Birthday, we did our first Fun Ride since the car crash and she was great.
Through out 2011 and 2012 we continued to do more and more and have taken part in more fun rides and pleasure rides. We completed a pleasure ride at Blaenavon where we climbed some really steep slopes until we reached the top. Me and Blaze touched the summit. We were given special permission by the ride organiser and were aloud to complete the ride bareback. We were the only riders without a saddle, Blaze was the talk of the ride! Bareback riding is pretty unheard of in Endurance. 

Taking on Blaenavon, bareback!

There we were. On top of the world. Undefeated. Ready for more.

Blaze has already done the unimaginable. She survived the car crash. She survived surgeries and recovery. Regained her physical health. Touched the summit on the hills at Blaenavon. Now she is about to tackle the impossible. On October 2nd me and Blaze will be one of hundreds entering and competing in The Red Dragon Ride, considered one of the toughest rides on the Endurance GB Calendar. We'll be taking on a 42km ride round Builth Wales' toughest slopes.
Blaze was born for this. Its more than a sport to her. Its freedom, its the opportunity to roam, explore, live like generations before her, to do what she is so talented at, what she was born to do. This is it!