Visualizing

I had fun today riding Rusty. It was my second ride since last fall. I realized when I decided to ride him that it was due to how much better my shoulder is feeling. Not 100% but close enough I am unconcerned about the consequences should I indulge in some moments of spacing out while riding Rusty. We do best when I'm paying attention in the 95th percentile or better.

After ground work of breathing, walking, trotting, and halting together, both directions, I bridled him, pleased with his readiness and helpfulness in taking the bit. Mounting was another event of presence and synchronicity.

I was conscious of softness from my core connecting with Rusty's core, and we were together for most of what we did at the walk. He had some ideas pulling him toward the arena gate but let go of this thoughts pretty easily. I kept breathing and focussed on where we were going.

Then a visualization shared on a yahoo list I read came to mind and I incorporated it in the rest of our riding time. Picture one of those cone shaped things that we put on dogs who need to be prevented from chewing on a leg bandage... Picture a cone of light coming out from me and my horse, a cone whose light shines where we are going, whose light defines where we are going. Like headlights whose direction, width, distance of projection are all in my control.

Rusty amazed me with how he responded to this! He was right there with me, and admittedly, I was right there with him. Even when we halted and I opened the cone of light behind us, he knew and was ready to flow backwards.

I added my counting for transitions of walk to trot, trot to walk, walk to halt, trot to canter, canter to trot. 1234, 1234, 12, 12, 123, 123, 123, 12, 12, 12, 1234, 1234, 1, pause... 1234, etc. We were together for this. I'd been doing this with Kacee, and there has been a lag time with Kacee and I. I count and sooner or later, sometimes with the need for reins or seat and legs, we come to be moving together at the changed gait.

With Rusty, I changed my count and he change his gait.

I was brave and did this more than once. Brave because I had the fleeting thought that this was a fluke and if I ask again, it won't happen. But it did happen and perhaps because it wasn't about me asking and him doing. It was about him being so open and available that my intention was his direction.

Now I can hold this in my cells and memory and welcome it when it shows up with Kacee, with Sofia, with anyone I am fortunate to be riding.

I think I'm more blown away as I think back on our ride, than when it was happening. At that time, it simply was what was. I was ready to be living my dream, no editing interruptions.

May the flow be with you.