The Christmas Gift

It's been two days since we all sat excitedly in front of the Christmas tree sharing the joy of gift giving. My shopping was done weeks ago and my list was simple. Mostly I wanted a new video camera, so I could record my students and the horses as they progress in their journey and enhance their relationship with each other. I am hoping to record their lessons and create a personal DVD that they can watch over and over. It's a great way to learn through visual information. I'm best when I can first see, then do, followed by hear then do and lastly, read, then do. The visual medium is a great tool for me, both as a teacher and a student. I knew I would be using the camera constantly and was so happy to see it under the tree on Christmas day.

But, I must say, my favorite gift this year was a short ride across the street from the stables to the Columbia River park known as Willow Grove. The weather was warm and mild, just under 60 degrees on Christmas Eve. The sun was shining and dropping lower as I began riding in late afternoon. I knew it would be the last day for a while that I would have both the time and the good weather to ride. As I write this, the rain is coming down in buckets, the wind churning as it rings the chimes just outside my window.

The river was calm and the park almost deserted, everyone undoubtedly running around, anxious to put the finishing touches on their Christmas celebrations. I couldn't believe how fortunate I was, how far I had come in my horsemanship and riding. Each time I take Chanty to the park alone, I marvel at how far we've come. She walks slowly down the driveway, crosses the road and up the sandy path that leads to a flat stretch of grass that overlooks the park and is the first view of the river. It's gorgeous and I can now appreciate it fully because I am not focused on slowing my horse. We walk together, our movements in sync. My lower back flexes, my hip,knee and ankle joints gently opening and closing. My contact with the bit in Chanty's mouth is minimal and easily goes forward and back as she vibrates her breath softly across her lips. It is the sound of contentment and I now see the calm confident horse in her that I had dreamed of 6 years ago when I first brought her to this park, kicking and screaming. Back then, she ran in fear and I pulled hard on her mouth, convinced she was misbehaving and needed only to be overpowered by me, gripping and grabbing, bracing every muscle in my body, draped across her back, like the predator I was.

As recently as this past month, I have begun incorporating more focused movement of the lower back, the lumbosacral joint into my riding and emphasizing it during my lessons with students. It is the bridge between the alternating hip movement of the lower body with hips, knees and ankles flexing and the absorption of movement up the spine of the back, through the shoulders and arms, rippling into the neck and upper spine as it connects to the head at "the poll" just between the ears. The spine connects to the pelvis with a joint that allows for forward and back as well as side to side movement. It has not always been emphasized in the descriptions of centered riding or even in my recent studies of the psoas OR it was assumed that this joint was the source of "engagement" of the deep centering muscles of the psoas. In any case, the more I focus on and make myself aware of that body part, the more my conscious competence in using the joint has grown. I am almost at the point at which I can ride without picturing my lower back during a transition or turn, the most important time to keep the movement free and flowing. Not only is the ride easier and smoother for both of us, there is no pain from straining outside muscles previously used to unnecessarily brace and balance on Chanty-no pain for me OR her.

We walked, we cantered and we returned to the stables with the same calm, confident attitude that carried us out just an hour earlier. Now as I returned from our ride, I stepped out of the saddle, hugged Chanty and genuinely showered her with affection and appreciation-no pulling, no racing, no harsh words.

She has given me so many things over the years, but this year I was given a Christmas gift that I will not soon forget. It really is all about the relationship with the horse, creating harmonious movement between two living creatures and it gets better and better every year. I can't wait for the New Year to see what treasures are waiting for me with the horses in my life.

Zen for Riders-Another Milestone

Part I: Do You Really Know What Good Posture Is?

WOW! I finally got a chance to go to a Rider's Seat Combo Clinic with Tom Nagel and Karen Irland this week. Ever since I've become a CR Instructor, I've been hearing about Tom's course and the "missing link" to riding through the correct use of the psoas (pronounced so az) muscle. Tom actually calls it the First Key to Centered Riding, followed by the four basics, techniques and visualizations of Sally Swift's groundbreaking first book .
Sally actually uses the word psoas and shows the anatomy in her 2nd edition book but working with Tom, you are able to isolate the part of your body that represents the true CORE-the place of stability that so many of the best riders can access without thinking (see unconscious competence in previous blog).

Somewhere along the line, we develop habits that force our body to work harder, with tense, tight and often sore outside muscles. I've been told in the past that the key to a stronger back is to develp strong tight "6 pack abs". Turns out, according to Tom, that when you engage your core and the muscles of the psoas, you can create stability in you body that makes it easier to use the abdominals and all the other muscles of movement. With simple tone in those muscles, the psoas takes them along for the ride as you physically move through your day or participate in physical activity, including riding. So why the emphasis on six pack abs? Because you can see them and it represents achievement in physical strength. BUT DO WE REALLY NEED THEM TO BE THAT LARGE? Maybe if you're a competitive body builder. But for the average human, it's more about correct use of your body from the inside out. This was very revealing to me. It explains another comment in Sally's book, that says it is not about physical strength but correct use of self that makes riding so harmonious with your horse. So how do you use your self correctly and what does the psoas have to do with it?

It starts with posture, what those in the know call an independent seat. We have all become dependent on the chair we sit in and when you ride that way it creates an imbalance that not only upsets your horse, but forces you to tense and tighten your outside muscles to avoid falling over. The psoas, deep in the body, connects the upper body to the lower and when you adjust the lower back and pelvis by flexing this muscle, you actually LENGTHEN your lower back and level your pelvis-but you must let those six pack abs soften. With a simple exhale, release of the solar plexus and what Tom calls the scoop motion of bringing your pelvis up, you have created a stable center from which all else will emerge. The top part of the psoas is the core that stabilizes and the bottom part connects to hip flexors. And here was a real surprise for me once I practiced Tom's exercises. When you release the tension in your outside muscles, engage your core, it actually releases the tension all the way to the top of the head-all of a sudden I was moving my head at the top of my spine right where the vertebral column connects to the skull, my "pole" if you will. Now I have stability and my upper body feels longer and more mobile. I have LIFT.

This just gets better and better. But why should you believe me? To quote Mr. Nagel "If it's stable, it works." Try using your six pack abs next time you try to stay on your horse as he spooks at a leaf blowing in his path. You can show the doctor in the emergency room how buff you are as they're wheeling you to the xray department to count how many ribs are cracked on your left chest. Stability in your core and tone in your outside muscles (strength with flexibility) creates ease of movement. Now you're in self carriage (how many times have we heard that term without really knowing what it meant?) To ride in harmony our movement must be vertical and alternate from side to side as our 4 legged horizontal horse moves us forward. It works so much easier once you release the tension and develop simple tone in your outside muscles as you put your psoas to work. At the top of the body are the hyoid (pronounced hi oid) muscles that engage up to level the chin and release the shoulders. It is the scoop at the top of the body.

Having good posture used to mean sit up straight, don't slouch and while it appears from the outside that you are using your body correctly, we now know that a good posture in riding and in life means tone, self carriage with stability that allows freedom of movement, free from pain caused by tension and locked joints. As Karen would say, "How cool is that?"

NEXT: Part II Breathing or "Did You Know Your Horse is a Martial Artist"?

4 Stages of Competence

I recently read an article "Personal Best"by author Atul Gwande, a writer for the New Yorker magazine and a surgeon who specializes in procedures of the endocrine glands. He's written many books and articles and has been operating on humans for over 10 years.

It just so happens, he also loves to watch tennis in his free time, and was watching professional matches recently, when he noticed that there is a lot of attention paid to the coaches that sit in the stands-mention is made of their facial expressions and reactions, their seemingly silent "conversations" with the players. It turns out, that in addition to having incredible natural talent and the drive to succeed, followed by hours of practice, these amazing athletes attribute their championship career outcomes to the coaches-men and women whose own career may have not been stellar, but whose ability to observe and analyze an athlete's positive and negative attributes enables them to advise players on how to improve their performance. Even the best people in their field need a little input every once in a while to keep them at the top of their game. Gwande says, "...few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in. " He then wondered why a coach isn't available to ALL professionals, including himself- wouldn't it be beneficial for all concerned if he performed at his "personal best" every time he operated on a patient?

When I began as an instructor, I had to return to the role of student. I was fortunate then and now that I have met many excellent coaches and teachers. It is important when we learn something new or try to improve on our current performance, that we identify what it is that we are doing that is not working. It usually takes an outside observer, what we call in riding, "a pair of eyes on the ground" to point out specifically where improvement is needed . This first step toward advancing our goals is called "unconscious incompetence", because we are not even aware what it is that we are doing that isn't working or that needs improvement. A good coach or instructor can see it and hopefully offer constructive advice on how to change. Once we are made aware, this "conscious incompetence" becomes the beginning of changes that we will make, sometimes awkwardly as we try to use our body and our mind in a more deliberate and focused pattern of behavior. With a coach watching our "new" movements, encouraging and reinforcing the changes that feel so strange, we begin to find the repetition evolves into "conscious competence"-we now know what works and why and we will, with clear intent, repeat our success with greater ease and less effort.


With each stage we are seeing an improvement and gaining the confidence it takes to push on with the challenging work of acquiring a new skill. Eventually, with hours of practice and positive reinforcement from a talented coach or instructor, we are able to become "unconsciously competent", able to perform without even thinking about it.

The most difficult transition in the progression of learning or improving a skill is from the conscious incompetence stage to conscious competence. It takes a great deal of focus and may lead to failed attempts and frustration. This is where it helps to have a creative teacher willing to make the work interesting and keep a positive approach as you are given instuctions in simple, easy to follow steps. My students have learned the four basics of Centered Riding, have learned to find their center and stay grounded in their stirrups. In recent lessons they've had a chance to practice their "power breathing" which allows them to use their unconscious competence to maintain their balance and tone (strength with flexibility) without having to concentrate on a specific position or technique. Trying too hard to keep your body in one position or use your position in specific turns and twists can lead to tension. With a breath in and out, it can be done all at once. My students improve with the help of a good coach and instructor as they move through the four stages of competence. Wonderful!!!!!

Now That They Know You're a Good Leader

Followup to Horses Were Babies Once Too

I've really been enjoying the time spent with the arab mare. I don't really connect with her name, so I just call her "Baby". When we had just one dog years ago, I called her "Puppy" instead of her given name Belle and she always answered to it. Horses are very receptive and responsive to the tone in your voice and of course, your body language and so I know the mare will be able to understand when I am talking to her. Our relationship has grown in just 3 short weeks and when I work with her loose or retrieve her from the pasture, she comes right up to me. She has allowed me to trim her front feet without being tied and she has tolerated the saddle on her with lungeing. She does have an issue with backing up and tends to freeze, but we are working on that.

Yesterday, I spent time in the arena with both Chanty and the arab mare with a new friend of mine who wants nothing more than to understand these magnificent creatures and spend time with them as equals. He is learning first hand about the unique relationship that can develop when a human becomes a good leader to a horse.

When I ride or work with Chanty on the ground now, she is quiet and calm and has responded so well to all of our interactions that I jokingly refer to her as my "new quarter horse". She has truly gone to the other side of the charts when it comes to personality traits. Less reactive, calm, confident, even dull to respond at times, I have to convince people that this really is an extroverted horse who used to fly off in all directions with the slightest movement of my hand or squeeze of my leg. But, the beauty of working with horses, is that they are very adaptable, and while they remember the good and the bad, they can learn to accept the direction of a good leader even when asked to do something that in the past caused stress and anxiety. It's all about trust and confidence in your leader.

I know that Chanty finds me trustworthy and by association allows other humans to handle her without any concern. But, when she was at liberty yesterday and my friend worked with her, she saw something different in his body language that made her "radar" go up. Horses are very perceptive to even slight changes in body language and as he walked slowly towards her with the orange stick behind his back, you could see the tension in her body as her eyes got bigger. As soon as he reached to touch her with his hand, she walked off quickly, head swinging defensively, tail waving in the air. Her personality traits have not been extinguished altogether and her reactive, safety conscious nature was on full alert in that moment when she needed it. But that's not what my friend would have predicted she'd do based on her calm demeanor just moments earlier.

It is this so called "unpredictable" nature of horses that inexperienced horse owners will point to when their so called trained horse does something "out of the blue" and they are either injured or simply frustrated and ready to lash out at their animal. The horse is simply reacting to the inconsistent treatment they are receiving from their owner. A good leader is consistent and expects the horse to behave in response to requests of the leader. The requests, though, cannot be outside the horse's emotional, mental or physical ability to respond, and as a good leader you must learn to make reasonable requests of your horse based on their personalities and this ability to respond.

Let's say you were working at a new job that started you off simply putting together 2 parts of a 300 part item. You were shown what was expected in order to complete your task and your aptitude or mental ability to accomplish the task was evaluated, as well as your ability to physically complete the job. After working your way up to 5 parts, you begin to feel confident in your ability to respond to requests from your supervisor. You are rewarded with encouraging words, a reasonable pay and breaks during the day. Then, one day, your supervisor asks you to put together 100 parts of the 300 total parts, explaining the process quickly to you. You are asked to do it in a very short time or you will be docked a half day's pay. If it is done incorrectly, you will be watched over by your supervisor until it is done right and you will still lose a half day's pay.

Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, your mind is losing focus and you can't think of what was just asked of you moments ago. The directions were given quickly and you can't process what was said. With the pressure of having your boss watching over you and the threat of losing wages, you begin to make mistakes. You feel that the request made of you is unreasonable and you react in your own way based on your personality. The next time you interact with your boss, you are immediately leery and on the defensive, unable to trust his leadership. You may even become defiant or beligerent, disrespectful or simply dismiss his requests.

Now obviously, there is a significant difference in how humans deal with stress and how horses deal with stress, but the fact is, we assume that horses can process our requests and physically perform every exercise we throw at them without fail and their reluctance to do so is a sign of resistance based on disrespect and bad attitude. A good leader knows differently...

Instead of asking you to suddenly put together 100 parts with very little preparation or direction, your supervisor takes you through the next step in the process of say 20 or 30 pieces and allows you to give feedback as to how well you are absorbing the information and how easily you are able to physically perform the task. If you are having difficulties, the supervisor backs up a step and allows you to work on something that you are accomplished at, building your confidence. Your trust in your supervisor grows because you know he won't ask something of you that you are not able to do, but will prepare you when there is to be an advancement in the demands of your job, mental or physical.

A good leader to a horse or human makes requests, with the reasonable expectation that the request will be fullfilled and that the follower will respond without emotional distress. The follower will then respond calmly, confidently and consistently to each new step. Learning will progress quickly and new skills will be retained in the horse's mind (and human's). Trust and confidence in the leader will grow.

Horses can accept leadership from multiple sources-two and four legged creatures as long as the leader knows the language of the horse and will make requests of the horse that are understood clearly, based on that language. I really enjoy Carolyn Resnick's videos Panadero's Journey Part 1 and 2, as they explain how horses interact in the herd and how you as a human can duplicate that behavior. Also, I recommend that you watch Understanding Horses by Robert Miller, DVM.

I tell my students that all of the information they've gained has made their requests clearer to the horse and as such the horses now know you are a good leader. And now that they know you're a good leader, the possibilities for interacting with your horse are endless! And FUN!!!!

It's The Real Thing!

Summer is now in full swing and the weather has stayed warm and sunny this past week. I've had a chance to trail ride now both with hubby and with friends. Chanty had quite the challenge on the last ride going through deep mud and up and down hills, but she and I did great. I tried to stay as balanced and grounded as possible so as not to interfere with her on the difficult terrain. The woods were gorgeous, conversation lively and every one went home tired but happy. This past Monday, a group of us rode out from the stables and headed across the street to the river and had a great ride. I'm heading out tomorrow with another friend for a "ladies only" ride just an hour from home. Got to get all the riding in while the weather's good.


And, when I'm not out riding, I'm working with a new horse-a 12 year old bay arab mare. Her history is a bit sketchy, but apparently she was ridden in gaming shows and has had at least 2 other owners. Her current owner is trying to find a home for her, free of charge (is anything free when it comes to horses?) to someone who has experience and patience with horses. I was told by a friend who knows the horse, as he's been at the stables for the entire 5 years that the horse has been in her stall or babysitting senior horses, that I would love this horse and we would get along famously. I resisted getting involved with this horse for a long time, knowing what a responsibility it is to own one. And, once I have a horse, I try to keep them for life.

In the year I've been at the stables, the mare has been housed mainly on the other side of the barn, out of site. Now, because an owner with four horses exited the barn, several stalls opened up on our side of the barn and she was moved to a stall right next to Chanty. She goes out with Chanty and the two of them are now sharing the honor of having grazing muzzles placed on them daily to lower their caloric intake. Chanty gains weight just looking at grass and the new mare was a mom at one point, then was totally inactive and overfed for years, so she has the big belly and very little muscle tone. The two bay mares, housed and fed together are now unavoidably a part of my daily life at the stables.

I finally caved in and agreed to work with her for a month, emphasizing to her owner that I could not commit to ANOTHER horse until I was sure she and I would get along and only when I was sure that I was ready to let Rose go to the wide open green pastures in the sky. Her arthritis has gotten worse and she has lost weight since moving to my friend's stable. But, just when I thought she was on her last days, she rallied a bit. The weather turned warmer and she and Sally are both out in the pasture. That's right, even Sal's been out, ever since she began coughing and wheezing with asthma from the dust and sand of her stall, paddock and hay. It's a regular senior citizen's home for horses at my friend's stable.

So, before I commit to another horse and the expense that goes with that (I figured I spend $3-4,000 a year on my horses), I was going to take a 1 month trial period with the arab mare. I had noticed immediately that she was high headed, reactive and full of energy. Lots of go, very little whoa. And, her feet were in terrible shape, having been trimmed many months ago. It turns out that one of her "issues" was picking up her feet. Not surprising, since she had the reactive, extroverted, nervous, worried, run to escape personality traits that Chanty exhibited when I first owned her. Chanty, too, had not had her feet picked up or trimmed for YEARS before I got her. Her owner was afraid to pick them up as Chanty would pull the feet away and she was especially protective of her right hind. Over the years I've worked very hard at gaining Chanty's trust and although she'd rather not lift her back feet for me, she accepts it as long as I'm patient and pick up softly. I then began rewarding her first with "good girl" and then a small treat which she looked forward to each time she held her foot up quietly for me. The new mare also has an issue with her right hind foot and I'm hoping to trim her soon, one foot at a time.

So far we've progressed to the point where she comes up to me in the pasture, allows me to halter her, lead her through gates without rushing (that took several trips back and forth from outside her stall and back, through pasture gates, arena gates and on and on...), pick up her feet, brush her all over, throw the rope, stick and string on her and lunge her in both directions. We're working on leading quietly without rushing forward whenever she sees something around her. In short, she is becoming more trusting and confident around me as I remain calm, confident and consistent every day. I've worked with her 8 out of the last 11 days and it is paying off. It really warms my heart to know that all of the years of reading, watching, practicing and just plain old hard work has given me the knowledge and experience to help this mare return to a life with humans. She loves the attention and the interaction as most living creatures do. I know she wants to go places and be a horse again. What's wonderful is to see how quickly she has recovered and it gives me hope that I will be able to continue to progress with my horses and other people's horses without so much of the frustration and 2 steps forward, 3 steps back course that a lot of horse owners, including myself have struggled with in the past.

I love what I do now and it feels like it's what I was meant to do all my life. That's a pretty big statement, but when you are consistently rewarded with smiles and good feelings, you know it's the real thing. More good things to come, I'm sure.....

Finally, Some Nice Weather

Yesterday, I went trail riding for the FIRST time this year. It's July already and someone told me today that this weekend marked the first time in 9 months, that we here in the NW have had more than two days in a row of clear weather. I took advantage of the weather and trailered out to my favorite trails in the forests of a nearby tree farm. I've been riding Chanty regularly in the arena or at Willow Grove for the last year and she is in great shape. But, she wasn't quite prepared for the creek crossing we encountered at the beginning of the ride. My husband was riding his mountain bike and he was able to cross over a man made bridge that the bikers had built for the trail ride. Unfortunately, for Chanty and I, the step down to the creek was right into deep mud. Chanty was a bit nervous, to say the least and tried to avoid stepping forward. When she finally did, she crossed the water quickly and came to the other bank, just as I was stepping to the left to avoid feeling her body on top of me, but slipped. She stopped immediately as she saw me go down and my husband breathed a sigh of relief that we were both okay! Gotta love her. She was pretty hyped up after that and was plenty charged to go up the hill that was ahead of us.





All and all it was a GREAT ride and my husband commented on the big smile on my face and so took a shot of the two of us at the mid point of our ride.







I even got a chance to work on my centered riding. I noticed that, as usual, when I am on a trail ride, my right leg begins to grip and shorten as I brace to keep my balance. I made a concerted effort to lengthen my leg and release the tension, and as matter of fact, dropped my stirrups one notch with the help of my hubby. What a difference! I was able to stay balanced and centered and move slowly and in harmony with Chanty. Once I stopped gripping and bracing, I'm sure Chanty felt less of a pinch on her shoulders and hips and she showed her appreciation by taking slower steps. She was so comfortable and when it was time to canter, we moved off effortlessly. Again, my wonderful hubby was ready with the camera, this time to take a short video of us cantering through the forest. Ah, it doesn't get any better. We are already planning our next trip out together.

Watch the video Trail Riding at Stella

Posture, Breathing and Awareness

I had an unexpected stretch of free time last week after two students couldn't make it to their lessons. Having cleaned the two stalls I was responsible for, and taking time to eat lunch, I took Chanty to the outdoor arena and decided to practice my centering and engaging while turning, by riding with no hands. Before mounting up, I set up cones in the middle to create a 4 point outer perimeter and one for a center mark. Then I set up two barrels with about 8 feet space between them. Lastly, I put a tarp down along the outer wall of the arena. At first my goal was to walk the arena with no particular path in mind and spend the time paying attention to me. The cones, barrels and tarps were to be visual markers so that when I did get Chanty moving and turning, we could head towards something.


You may have heard the expression, "your horse is your mirror" and if that's the case, then Chanty is a full length, oversized glaring reflection of every move I make. I started out with pain on my left side from having done some lifting and pulling incorrectly while gardening and doing yard work the day before. I struggle every day to maintain body awareness and remind myself to "use my psoas" and yet somehow I go back to old habits that quickly pull you off balance and strain the muscles normally used for moving and not supporting the body.


As I walked with Chanty I focused on my position and began with some simple stretching exercises to loosen the tension in my muscles. I figured that if I could allow my body to align properly in the saddle, that my lower legs would drape around the horse as my hip joints opened and moved with my horse. Once I felt my posture improve and attempted to remain vertical at the walk, trot and canter, I began to work on turns. I could feel my left side bracing as I rotated my upper body to left. I couldn't release the tension and so I continually pushed Chanty to the right, frustrating both of us as I'd pick up the reins to correct her, knowing all along it was my fault that we were "drifting" to the right. I went back to focusing on my soft solar plexus, taking full breaths that filled my entire body and allowing my psoas to engage, lengthening my spine down as well as upward or what Sallly Swift calls "center and grow". Little by little I was able to release tension in my back and left hip and as I turned my ribs to the left (always keeping my nose lined up with the buttons on my shirt down the center) I could feel Chanty relax under me. The minute my muscles tensed and braced again, she would begin to race off at a faster pace.

Finally, I gave into her need to escape me and we cantered around the arena for several minutes without stopping. Each time she made it around another lap, I would focus on my position and the brace in my body, mainly on the left, until I finally released and cantered with her with tone in my body-strength with flexibility, that allows us to effortlessly follow the movement of our horse. I got off with no pain. We were both tired and a bit sweaty, but I know that the better I was at maintaining my centered position with body awareness, the better we were able to move together as one.

It starts with posture, breathing and awareness. It must follow with the release of bracing, preparing the body with centering/breathing and finally waiting for the movement of the horse as it comes up to meet us. I spent more time than I needed to in coming to this realization that day, but as with all instances of learning, mistakes are made. How else will we know that we are making progress?