That sums up my time with Mark Rashid, Crissi McDonald, and horsey friends. Yeah, there were a few moments of emotions other than joy and excitement, but very few. A nice change for me!
Rusty is my instant karma horse. He is with me 100% whether I like it or not. So if my mind goes out to something scary, Rusty is instantly scared. If my mind is focused right close when we canter, we barely move. If my mind goes out around the corner of the ring, Rusty carries me smoothly around the corner. If I am tight in my shoulders when I ask for something, Rusty is tight in his shoulders when he responds.
My mind goes to the dogs. Rusty's mind goes to the dogs. Look out, dogs!
So many learning opportunities about my accidental and my purposeful use of mind and intention.
Then there were the lessons in softness. Mark is a master at helping the human feel more softness. And once we feel it, we can recognize it and we can find our way back to it and offer it to our horses.
Boundaries.
Softness.
Imagining what we want -- speed, direction, destination, quality of how we go -- as the first 'cue'. Adding the mechanical cues if the horse needs additional help to come with us.
And much more.
1 comment:
Arwen is my perfect match - horsewise. She reads me and I read her. I often end up thinking one thing, and never having to tell her. I look at a hill and she knows. Let's race it. She always knows.
Horses are beautiful animals. Working with them and achieving unity is the greatest gift horseback riding gives me. Forgetting that I am riding and just being out with my horse is the best way for me to measure the level of our partnership.
Loved your post! Rusty is beautiful, by the way. I love his mane!
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