I've been taking riding lessons lately, trying to improve my riding ability and hopefully get myself (and my adorable horse Sadie) a bit more competitive at the shows and maybe even move up a level... Taking lessons is cool. I learn new things and I happen to think that learning new things is very cool. My horse learns new things and becomes more fun to ride. However, in the process of taking lessons I am also rediscovering a fact that is, paradoxically, both my favorite and least favorite thing about riding.
So what is this favorite/unfavorite fact? I've heard it phrased several different ways and I've even told other people this very same nugget:
It's never the horse's fault.
If you can't get your horse to do something, it's usually (always?) because you're doing something wrong.
It reminds me a bit of a line from a Liz Phair song... "If you do it and you're still unhappy, then you know that the problem is you..."
So what did I learn this weekend? Yep. The problem is me. I wanted to take jumping lessons because "Sadie really likes to take off long and launch over jumps" and "Sadie doesn't seem to really understand how to package herself in between jumps" and "Sadie goes way too fast and out of control over a course of jumps." Well... as it turns out, I've been inadvertently telling Sadie to take off long and launch over jumps and go fast and out of control. Miraculously, as soon as I changed a few things about how I was riding, suddenly Sadie was so much more relaxed and happy. Suddenly Sadie was quite nicely packaged in between jumps, and lo and behold, she wasn't too fast or too out of control.
So, why is it my least favorite thing about riding? Well, because it's my fault, damn it! That's no fun! Noone likes discovering they've been screwing things up, for themselves and their adorable horse who is just trying to do what she's being asked.
Why is it my favorite thing about riding? Well, because it's a lot easier for me to fix myself than it is for me to try to fix some other sentient being. If the problem is me, theoretically, I can take care of that. Now I just have to get out there and figure out to control myself so my poor little horse can do her job!
p.s. One more way horses are cute: They try to do what you ask. They forgive you even when you ask them to do things in such a way that makes them harder. And they don't even hold it against you later when you get in some other argument about something else (which you'll eventually figure out was also all your fault anyway).
p.p.s My other favorite riding paradox? Letting go of the reins causes your horse slow down (and its corollary: a death grip on the reins causes your horse to speed up). Now doesn't that just seem backwards? Maybe that's why I have such a hard time with the concept even though I know it's true.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
How are Horses cute?
How are my horses cute, you ask? I have been thinking about this for over 24 hours and I'm starting to realize that this might be inexplicable, but I'm going to try anyway. I have this feeling that unless you have horses, my examples of their cuteness are going to make very little sense. Sometimes I am just completely overwhelmed by the absolute adorable-ness of my horses.... you know, that heart swelling, innards expanding kind of feeling where you almost want to eat something and make it completely yours, it's so cute? Don't get me wrong, not that I ever want to eat my horses... My mom tells me that is how people feel about their children (maybe not the eating part) which is probably some kind of hint that I continue to choose to ignore.
Anyway, some actual examples....
OK, here is a nice little list of cute things about my horses...
1. When you show up at the barn and as soon as your horse sees you, she whinnies at you. It's cute in the same way it's cute when your dog gets all excited to see you. And for anyone who might say that horses are only whinnying because they want their food, I can tell you that's not true. They nicker for their food, and when I first show up at the barn I don't feed my horses. My horses don't make the same noise for the ranch hand who feeds them as they do for me showing up at the barn. Now, maybe it is just because they want out of their stalls, but that's still cute because getting out of their stalls means getting ridden and if they're whinnying for that, it follows that they must like being ridden and that, my friend, is cute.
2. Horses' muzzles are very very cute. Soft like velvet. And, as an added bonus, if you put your face right against a horse's muzzle and breathe deeply through your nose, you'll get to smell pure, unadulterated horse which is a great warm earthy smell. yum.
3. I have three horses. It is really really cute to watch them together (when they're getting along). The cutest is watching them play together, which is often like a chain reaction. One of them starts galloping for the pure joy of it and they all join in. One of them starts bucking and jumping around and the rest of them join in. It's cute to see them play and it's amazing to watch the things they could be doing when I ride them that Thank God they don't.
4. Horses have personalities. And senses of humor. It is really fun to discover their individual idiosyncracies because those things make each horse really cute. For instance, Spot (one of my horses) is very clever... can open gates... that sort of thing. But she hasn't figured out how to open her sliding door. She does know that pushing on the door will make it swing outward and when it swings back into place, it makes a pleasing (to her) banging noise. Pleasing because it gets my attention. Pleasing because then I'll do something to make her stop... like taking her out (which is what she really wants) or giving her food (which works in a pinch). Clue, one of my other horses, is a neurotic weirdo. He is incredibly athletic, but he is also totally clumsy. He seems to forget all the time where his head begins and ends. Consequently, he will bang into the stall wall or bump himself on the fence all the time. He also will shove you with his nose and rub his face against you with so much force it's hard to stand still. It's cute, really. I mean, he could go rub on a fence post or something, but he'd rather almost knock me over. Sadie, my last horse, is cute because she just tries so hard to do what you want her to do. It's very sweet.
5. It's cute to watch your horse being ridden by someone else (especially a kid or a beginner) and to realize that your horse is taking care of that person and being extra careful. It's a little annoying when you get back on and your horse decides to buck and be silly, but endearing that they know when it counts to be careful.
6. The other day, I was riding Sadie and another person at my barn was practicing roping things and then dragging them behind her horse. Now I don't do any of that stuff with my horses and Sadie is my jumping horse, so as far as I know, she's never seen anything on the end of a rope being dragged in the arena. The particular object that was being dragged was an orange pylon. Now, Sadie was just fascinated by this. Not scared. Intensely interested. She watched that cone like it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. And then, all of a sudden, she decided to chase it. Now, horses are prey animals. They are used to being chased. They generally prefer to run away from things. A horse running after an object and chasing it is a bit weird. But there she was, running after that cone. I just let her go and she would have followed that cone around for an hour if I'd let her. It was really cute to see her so interested in something that she would just run after it.
7. All three of my horses grazing side by side or nose to nose. That is cute. Or, when they nicker because they're happy to see each other. Or, when they sniff noses in greeting... their necks arch and their noses meet and it forms the shape of a heart. CUTE!
8. Horse hugs. Those are very cute. There are two kinds of horse hugs. The first is when your horse puts her head right against your chest and just rests it there. Spot usually does this if I've been gone for awhile. She refuses to "speak" to me for the first day I'm back, and then the next day she'll give me a hug. It is totally on her terms and never lasts very long, but it's very sweet when she does it. Clue does the other kind of horse hug which is where he wraps his head and neck around you and then squeezes. It can be a bit disconcerting when he squeezes hard, but it's also very sweet.
But really, what makes my horses cute is that I love them. Wasn't it the Velveteen Rabbit who said that being loved is what makes something beautiful? The more I love my horses, the cuter they get.
Anyway, some actual examples....
OK, here is a nice little list of cute things about my horses...
1. When you show up at the barn and as soon as your horse sees you, she whinnies at you. It's cute in the same way it's cute when your dog gets all excited to see you. And for anyone who might say that horses are only whinnying because they want their food, I can tell you that's not true. They nicker for their food, and when I first show up at the barn I don't feed my horses. My horses don't make the same noise for the ranch hand who feeds them as they do for me showing up at the barn. Now, maybe it is just because they want out of their stalls, but that's still cute because getting out of their stalls means getting ridden and if they're whinnying for that, it follows that they must like being ridden and that, my friend, is cute.
2. Horses' muzzles are very very cute. Soft like velvet. And, as an added bonus, if you put your face right against a horse's muzzle and breathe deeply through your nose, you'll get to smell pure, unadulterated horse which is a great warm earthy smell. yum.
3. I have three horses. It is really really cute to watch them together (when they're getting along). The cutest is watching them play together, which is often like a chain reaction. One of them starts galloping for the pure joy of it and they all join in. One of them starts bucking and jumping around and the rest of them join in. It's cute to see them play and it's amazing to watch the things they could be doing when I ride them that Thank God they don't.
4. Horses have personalities. And senses of humor. It is really fun to discover their individual idiosyncracies because those things make each horse really cute. For instance, Spot (one of my horses) is very clever... can open gates... that sort of thing. But she hasn't figured out how to open her sliding door. She does know that pushing on the door will make it swing outward and when it swings back into place, it makes a pleasing (to her) banging noise. Pleasing because it gets my attention. Pleasing because then I'll do something to make her stop... like taking her out (which is what she really wants) or giving her food (which works in a pinch). Clue, one of my other horses, is a neurotic weirdo. He is incredibly athletic, but he is also totally clumsy. He seems to forget all the time where his head begins and ends. Consequently, he will bang into the stall wall or bump himself on the fence all the time. He also will shove you with his nose and rub his face against you with so much force it's hard to stand still. It's cute, really. I mean, he could go rub on a fence post or something, but he'd rather almost knock me over. Sadie, my last horse, is cute because she just tries so hard to do what you want her to do. It's very sweet.
5. It's cute to watch your horse being ridden by someone else (especially a kid or a beginner) and to realize that your horse is taking care of that person and being extra careful. It's a little annoying when you get back on and your horse decides to buck and be silly, but endearing that they know when it counts to be careful.
6. The other day, I was riding Sadie and another person at my barn was practicing roping things and then dragging them behind her horse. Now I don't do any of that stuff with my horses and Sadie is my jumping horse, so as far as I know, she's never seen anything on the end of a rope being dragged in the arena. The particular object that was being dragged was an orange pylon. Now, Sadie was just fascinated by this. Not scared. Intensely interested. She watched that cone like it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. And then, all of a sudden, she decided to chase it. Now, horses are prey animals. They are used to being chased. They generally prefer to run away from things. A horse running after an object and chasing it is a bit weird. But there she was, running after that cone. I just let her go and she would have followed that cone around for an hour if I'd let her. It was really cute to see her so interested in something that she would just run after it.
7. All three of my horses grazing side by side or nose to nose. That is cute. Or, when they nicker because they're happy to see each other. Or, when they sniff noses in greeting... their necks arch and their noses meet and it forms the shape of a heart. CUTE!
8. Horse hugs. Those are very cute. There are two kinds of horse hugs. The first is when your horse puts her head right against your chest and just rests it there. Spot usually does this if I've been gone for awhile. She refuses to "speak" to me for the first day I'm back, and then the next day she'll give me a hug. It is totally on her terms and never lasts very long, but it's very sweet when she does it. Clue does the other kind of horse hug which is where he wraps his head and neck around you and then squeezes. It can be a bit disconcerting when he squeezes hard, but it's also very sweet.
But really, what makes my horses cute is that I love them. Wasn't it the Velveteen Rabbit who said that being loved is what makes something beautiful? The more I love my horses, the cuter they get.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Do I win?
Have I ever mentioned that I'm competitive? I really like winning. Even when there's nothing to actually win. This blog is really only in existence because of a challenge. A nice friendly challenge from some friends. And this challenge has nothing to with horses or ponies or hay. I just wanted to win the dare and be the first to get my blog off the ground. So, do I win??
I solicited name ideas for my blog from my husband, and he came up with some great ones. Yeah, if I'm trying to attract pedophiles and sexual predators:
Dirty Leather Tack
Hay in Her Bed
Bareback Princess
Maybe he thinks I'm going to write about something besides horses. Or else he has some latent desires I'm not aware of. But I am flattered that he thinks I'm a princess. Still.
Maybe I'll write about my ponies tomorrow. They're really cute. Maybe I'll change my blog name and get started on my Wishlist. My ponies could use a lot of new stuff...
p.s. my husband says the hay in my bed is actually my truck bed. Well, that's a relief anyway.
I solicited name ideas for my blog from my husband, and he came up with some great ones. Yeah, if I'm trying to attract pedophiles and sexual predators:
Dirty Leather Tack
Hay in Her Bed
Bareback Princess
Maybe he thinks I'm going to write about something besides horses. Or else he has some latent desires I'm not aware of. But I am flattered that he thinks I'm a princess. Still.
Maybe I'll write about my ponies tomorrow. They're really cute. Maybe I'll change my blog name and get started on my Wishlist. My ponies could use a lot of new stuff...
p.s. my husband says the hay in my bed is actually my truck bed. Well, that's a relief anyway.
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