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.