In the ongoing saga of how to get green horses broke without breaking my body - I have come face to face with my own fears.  Basically, I do NOT want to go splat anymore - it hurts and I really don't function well, and darn it, I can NOT afford it!  

So, one of my rescues is a now 3 yr old buckskin named Mickey.  EVERYONE loves him.  He is sweet, pretty and just all around a nice horse.  But he and I have had TWO bad episodes.  Neither time did I fall off.  But I lost confidence in him and myself.  

The first time, I was pushing to get him ridden, and my chief 'crash test dummy' (no really BRI far exceeds that!  She is a stellar rider with a Velcro butt and velvet hands!)  Anyway, she had a series of things go on and she had not been out.  But another student came to the ranch.  No problem, I will have Kristine handle Mickey from the ground and I will get in a ride.  Baby horses need REGULAR rides, not hit and miss.  However, the ground person is Almost MORE important than the rider.  And with a novice handling the lunge line, there is room for disaster. 

I used to let almost anyone ground crew for me.  Little by little, I came up with a list of rules.  #1 - don't drop the lead!!!  #2 - don't let the horse STEP on the line.  #3 - if the horse goes backwards - GO WITH HIM - do NOT pull the line and try to hold him in place, he will run back faster!  #4 - If the horse takes off, gradually reel in the line and try to stop him!  

I developed these rules mostly by experience.  #1 comes from a friend.  Her daughter was on the young horse, and when the little mare spooked, the mom DROPPED the rope and Yelled "jump off".  Melissa was NOT amused!!!  

Rule #2 - Well, it might seem obvious - but really some people are super sloppy about handling the lunge line and when a horse steps on a line, they often panic and then it gets ugly.  So, I really WORRY about people who allow the lunge line to drag on the ground.  

Rule #3 - One of the worst falls, I have ever had was when the owner held the horse.  The mare got a little tense, and stepped backwards, the owner grabbed the lunge line - which was attached to a chain on the bit (another issue that I NO longer do!) The mare RAN backwards until she hit the fence behind her.  Then she bolted forward with 3 of the hardest bucks I have ever tried to ride.  But the 4th one?  I hit the deck.  I SLAMMED into the ground.  I literally split my face open.  However, I Also got back on the mare and rode her, while the blood ran down my face.  I later wound up with 10 stitches in my face. I was also just 35 yrs old.  I don't think I would bounce that well anymore.  

Rule #4 - Again, back in the day, I had owners hold their horses while I did first rides.  I was doing a first sit on with a little Paso Fino gelding.  He got spooked.  And bolted off and ran circles around his owner on the end of the lunge.  She held on, the line never touched the ground and he didn't go backwards.  But he also was NOT stopping. After 6-8 rounds of alternating between flat out running and series of Bucks, I opted to do a Pony club perfect 'voluntary dismount' and I landed on my feet, standing by his shoulder, with the reins in my hands.  "WHOA" i yelled and jerked him to a stop.  All 3 of us were amazed!!!  The owner truly didn't even think to help stop this horse.  She was just frozen.  So, I added rule #4.  

But having a ground person that you REALLY trust requires SO much more.  Abiding by those 4 rules will probably avoid Most train wrecks.  But With Mickey, I had ground crew people that were new to me two times.  One was a student, who really didn't know what to do, the 2nd time was an experienced handler, but she and I had not worked with green babies very much.   

The first time he jumped, the green handler jerked the line, and the poor colt didn't know WHAT to do, I had to give instructions to the girl on the end of the line while Also trying to stop a panicked colt AND stay on board.  He finally came to a stop.  We were ALL shaking.  And we gradually walked out of it.  But I realized how Fragile I felt.  

Then a month or so later, I was on him, he was still very green and just starting to trot. My assistant Tanja had done a lot of work with him and Bri riding him.   We were walking Fine, but upon asking for trot, he shot out and turned AWAY from my ground crew.  Now, rule #5 should Probably be "don't let the horse wrap the lunge line around the rider" - but that is so tough - it requires incredible reflexes from the ground crew.  With a pony we rescued, early in his riding, he got spooked and SPUN - 4 circles, so I literally was wrapped up in the lunge line.  There was no happy ending from that one.  I hit the dirt.  Luckily, he was only 13 hands tall.  But it still hurt.  

On that ride on Mickey, he turned AWAY from the ground crew, and there was the line Wrapped around me AGAIN.  I kept yelling DON'T Drop the line.  Apparently, my assistant thought I was saying Drop the Line.  But she thought "That would be BAD and break rule #1.  So she hung on and finally the line got straightened out and she pulled Mr Mickey to a stop.  Again, I didn't fall, but I lost confidence in this colt.  No fault of the ground crew, but I just got chicken.   

So, I let my crash test dummy Bri do ALL the riding on him for the past 2 months.  THEN I had another young rider take him for a test drive.  He was PERFECT.  

So, today, I decided I should ride him.  My back was hurting, I was in a grumpy mood.  Tanja asked Several times, are you Sure you want to ride him.  YES - I HAVE to.  ( I don't really want to, I muttered under my breath, but I HAVE to.  )  So,  I put my fear in a bucket and went ahead, Put my foot in the stirrup and got on.  

NO lunge line.  I just Got ON.  And he was Wonderful.  We walked, we trotted, no we didn't canter.  I am old, not STUPID!  But this kid is a GOOD colt.  and Bri has done a terrific job.  And I enjoyed riding Mickey.  I can't say I was totally relaxed.  But I enjoyed it.  And I will ride him again.  And each time I will have a little more faith and trust.  

THEN, Tanja got Lance out and I Rode Him TOO.  You would think I was still 35 years old!  Riding all these babies.  In spite of my fears. In spite of feeling fragile.  And I enjoyed it.  And with each ride, I get a little more faith that These Two are worth trusting.  And that is good.  Because if I can ride them, then some other Adult amateur rider can ride them and enjoy them and trust them.  

As long as we can face our fears, and still put our foot in the stirrup and get on.  Each ride gets easier.  Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.  

As a reply to Anni's comment below (because I can't figure out how to put this below her comment!)  I would like to say Yes, we do LOTS of ground work - lunging, side reins (loose but at least the horse gets used to pressure on the bit) and ground driving.  Also I pony my babies out on the trail, so they are used to seeing someone sitting Above them.  Then as we pony, I can reach over and pet them, etc, so they know humans up there is OK.  I do NOT believe in the dummy or weighted pants technique.  Mostly because I have heard of situations where a horse was spooked by that, and it could not be removed because it was lashed on!  What We do is lay overs.  We just drape a person over the horse's back.  Then if the horse is upset, the 'rider' can just slip down - as both feet are on one side and only a foot or so off the ground.  Once a young horse is OK with walking around with a 'dead body' laying across the saddle, then a person sitting UP in the saddle is usually a piece of cake.  

And of course, the More prep work we do, the less drama there is with getting on.  Still, it is also possible for a trainer to Overdo all the prep work, perhaps because they ARE afraid to just put a foot in the stirrup.  So there is a balance between prep and impulse!  And when the trainer finds just the right point between the two, then progress is made but the horse is never stressed - and neither is the rider.  

As another post script, I rode Mickey again, and this time we cantered - both leads and he was lovely and smooth and I really REALLY like him!!!  Now I just need to find someone who loves him that will buy him!  

He was born on St Patrick's day, 2012.  First foal from a mare I had known for 16 years and the 2nd son of Sando's Alleluia.  And he was a PISTOL as a baby.  

Now at 19 months -he is turning into a really Lovely colt.  Good manners, nice personality, and growing up!  Looks like he will finish around 15.2 hands, not bad for a half Arab

He is easy to handle now.  Ponies on the trail, leads and ties.  Has been in the horse trailer.  I am thinking I need to take him to some arab shows for the half arab classes - or else get him Pinto papers and show there!  

Mostly, I just want to find him a perfect forever home.  But it is nice to see him grow up into a nice young horse.  He was such a good boy today.  I love his color and his marking.  His conformation is correct and well balanced.  And he is no longer a BRAT.  Gosh I did NOT like him when he was 6 months old!  Glad he outgrew that stage.  

I think someone is going to get a very special horse!  

Some Sundays, I start a little slow - today was one of those.  I fed the horses at 9 am - but not one died of starvation - even though several horses tried to claim it was a Very close call.  

Then I made breakfast and spent a little time just visiting on Facebook (yes, it is a terrible bad habit - but darn it, I don't have many other vices, I don't smoke, drink to excess, or gamble.  I just own too many horses and spend too much time on Facebook!)  

Anyway, after visiting for a while, I wandered out and got all the horses blankets pulled off and all the waters cleaned and filled.  This is what I call a day off?  Anntasia was here and helped me.  It is really nice to have clients that Love the ranch and love to spend time here - it makes my life a little easier.  Anntasia was also planning on riding Star - they have really made a lot of progress together in a short time.  She is even considering showing her at either the PDM show in Bakersfield in December or the Rose Bowl riders show in January.  

So, she rode while I tried to get myself organized.  I was having a real battle of wills to MAKE myself go ahead and work some horses - it was a little windy and I was feeling LAZY.  I admit it.  But once I got in breeches and boots, I was ready to do something useful.  I worked with Larkin, and I am super pleased that she is really right where we left off when she foaled.  Except she is a little thin - so it is time to wean.  So after I lunged her and gave her a good grooming session, I brought her filly Lil up and put them in side by side paddocks.  I believe in Very gradual weaning.  Side by side for 1-2 weeks, then one corral apart, so the baby cant nurse, but they can see mom and don't feel stressed.  I think the normal program of just ripping the baby away from mom and let everyone scream for a couple days sets mares and foals up for ulcers and stress.  This way, no one is very upset and Mom and baby can trust me NOT to wreck their world.  

This is what weaning should look like!  And this was After a hoof handling session for Lil - she was PERFECT on both left feet, but the right front - well we had a discussion about that one.  I don't fight babies for their feet, but I also don't back down, I just keep asking and trying to get to hold them.  And I reward the Moment they get it right.  After a righteous snit that all bay fillies can do, Lil decided it was Not so bad and let me pick out that foot.  Then the right hind was not even an issue!  Funny filly.  

Then the wind really wasn't too bad, so I rode Dreamie.  I am SO pleased with this half Arab/Paint cross gelding.  He has really figured out how to accept the bit and for the first time ever he trotted On the Bit with a lifted top line and a nice posture to his neck.  (I really don't want to say 'good head set" - but that is part of what he figured out!)  I said "too bad no one has a camera when you get moments like this" and Anntasia whipped out her phone and got photos AND video!  Can't wait for her to send it to me and I will add it here!  Proof of Progress!  

Now the sun is setting and I need to turn Louie out for the night - and I am so blessed to have a great guy to take care of feeding and blankets.  And so Sunday ends and a new week is peering at us.  But at least I got the baby weaning started, Larkin worked, and a good ride on Dream and I can call that a great day off!!!  

and the pictures looks as good as I Hoped!  Hurray for Dream!  He is ready to start looking for some shows!  Maybe HE can go to PDM or RBR!!!  Good night to everyone and a Special Thank YOU to Anntasia Curtis for photography!!!  

Sometimes you just have to have fun!  Today started early, but not painfully so.  Group was at 8:30 am - and will continue to be at that time for a while (until winter really sets in and it is even too cold at 8:30 am)  Had a GREAT group, with Magenta, Anntasia, Rhett and Faith with her son Adrien.   All day the weather was PERFECT.  A high of 75, NO WIND and ample sunshine.  It was wonderful enough to make a person forget the Terrible winds we have had for the past week or two!  

In group, I had Anntasia nad Magenta working on jumping on a circle to land on the correct lead

Both Lego and Star had to work to land consistently on the correct lead.  It requires them to put the outside front leg down first and then carry the correct lead forward.  But in the end both riders got the job done

Then I had a semi private with Nora and Kate.  I love working with these two girls.  It was great to have Rachel Ward helping me today.  She helped the girls get tacked up and on board, and we worked in the ring and then went out on the trail.  I got to ride Dreamie - this lovely half arab pinto is really turning into a FUN horse!  (I forgot to take photos, sorry!!!)

Next, Skyler wanted a trail ride, and she rode Flow.  I have known this mare for over 15 years now, and I sure love her.  She is kind and sweet and reliable.  a LONG way from the tense mare that was given to me because she was deemed "insane".  Some people just do not understand Arabians!!!  Flow is in foal to Zarifes Pride Ror (a wonderfujl black arab stallion who is line bred from FA Asar)  we are looking for an early May baby - with a 50% chance of a true black Full Arabian foal!  

Steve Olney finally was well enough to come trim a couple horses - so Flower and Rainey got their feet done.  and a family of New students came out at 1:30 pm.  These two girls are age 8 and 10, and So eager.  I suggested that they join our Introduction to Horsemanship class that I am offering through the Lancaster City Parks system next Saturday.  Desiree has read every book she can find and was full of good questions - from 'do you think horses need hoof oil" to How do you tell a pony from a horse?  It was fun to show these young ladies how to ride for the very first time.  

Then I got an hour of private time to ride Louie.  We worked in the jump ring, with a hunt saddle.  I do NOT jump this horse enough - I had NO eye for His striding between jumps - luckily, he bails me out of every bad spot I pick!   Jack took some video, but I am not sure I am ready to share.  It was a good education for ME - I am ducking over fences, not staying in good position on landing and I never look up enough!  But Louie was wonderful and we had fun.  There is a Chance that Jack will ride him again tomorrow!  

Then we ended the day doing some pumpkin decorating!  OMG - Jack had ideas and the end product might be the most fabulous pumpkin EVER!  Meet "Elwood" the very cool Halloween pumpkin head!  

Sometimes it is good to Just be silly and have FUN!  

I recently wrote about how much my courage had faded away when riding baby horses.  It was a big lesson for me to walk a mile in the shoes of many of my adult amateur students.  And some kids also have big fears when riding.  It has made me think long and hard about how we cope with fear when riding.  Fear can sometimes be a good thing.  There are some things it is Proper to be fearful of. For example,  If you are a beginner rider, you SHOULD be afraid of riding an untrained stallion.  And if you are riding a horse who is prone to bolt when he hears a car back fire,  then you should be afraid to ride on the streets on that horse.  Until you have trained him to be more reliable and trustworthy. 

And that is the focus of this blog.  How do you put the fear back in its box?  What can you learn from fear and how can you address it.  

There are several different kinds of fear that will intimidate a rider.  The Most common one is fear of falling – or basically fear of getting hurt.  This fear gets worse the older a rider gets because it isn’t so much fear of the Pain as the fear of being incapacitated!  I have come face to face with the fact that if I get hurt, I don’t earn money and I can’t care for my horses.  So, I have become a LOT more cautious in my riding than I was as a carefree teen.  When you are 15 and you break your arm, you get a cool cast and Mom takes care of you.  When you are 50 and you break your arm, you can’t drive your stick shift truck, you often can’t do your job and basically everything gets harder and No one takes care of you.  It is important for adult riders to at least recognize that this is a genuine fear, and not something to be ridiculed for. 

For some riders, it is fear of failure, or of looking foolish.  This is a much Easier fear to deal with – because it is a less genuine fear.  It goes away, Once a rider accepts that if they make a huge mistake at a show, no one will really care, showing isn't as scary.  Most horse people will sympathize, because any Honest rider will admit, they have probably made a similar mistake.  It is part of being a member of the Horse People’s club – you will be embarrassed by your horse, sooner or later, and probably multiple times.  By the way, it is Way worse if you own and ride Mules – then the embarrassment is guaranteed to appear frequently!  Mule people have a special form of humor and very thick skin.  

So, if what is getting in the way of your riding, or of trying something new, is that people might laugh at you – you need to accept that it is just a part of the process.  You can also prepare yourself and your horse as completely as possible to at least minimize the chance that you will make a fool of yourself.  Do your homework, take lessons, set aside Lots of time to be as prepared as possible the day of the event.  I always try to ‘overdo’ the turn out – everything extra shiny and polished from my boots to my horse’s hooves.  Then if we make a mistake, at least we look GOOD doing it!  Then just do your best and realize that EVERYONE has had something awful happen to them at some horse event.  And the best you can do is laugh and learn and try again next time. 

Fear of falling and injury is a whole different thing.  Well sort of.  It is at least a very real fear.  People DO get hurt riding horses.  In fact, some people are seriously injured.  It is a risk you have to accept as a trade off for the joy of riding.  Just as I know that everything I get in my truck, I run the risk of being killed in a traffic collision.  I don’t let that fear stop me from driving.  It DOES stop some people.  Some people never learn to drive, they are too afraid.  Some people give up driving after a serious car accident.  But in truth, Most of us just face that fear and do things to minimize the risk.  We keep our car in good condition with decent tires and good brakes.  We wear our seat belts.  We have cars with air bags and crush zones.  And Hopefully, we remember how to drive defensively – leaving extra room between us and another car, yielding even when it isn’t required, watching out for the other guy.  

Well, facing the fear of injury while riding is a lot like that.  If you are afraid of falling off a horse, you can choose what sorts of horses you ride.  Beginners do not belong on green or poorly trained horses.  There isn’t enough margin of error.  Which means if you want to feel safe on lots of different horses, you need to improve your Own rider skill set.  Take lessons and develop a Good seat.  One that can react to a horse who shys suddenly, or stops abruptly in front of a jump.  The more you trust yourself, the easier it is to be brave.  Even at age 55, I believe I can stick the first 2 jumps or bucks.  I am not sure I can stay on a prolonged bucking spree, but I can stay on if a horse shies suddenly.  And when I am riding an untrustworthy horse, you better believe my heels are stretched Down, my butt is tucked under and I am balanced and Poised up there!  A good seat isn’t just about sitting pretty, when you sit correctly, you are in a better position to withstand the unexpected.  It is also important to wear safely equipment.  I ALWAYS wear a helmet.  I do NOT want to risk a traumatic brain injury. I do NOT agree with the people who say "if you feel you need to wear a helmet, you need to train the horse more".  One of our Olympic dressage riders was permanently brain injured riding a very well trained horse.  The horse just TRIPPED and fell with her.  Courtney King Dye suffered a TBI that impairs her even 3 years later.  I admire her courage battling this damage, but I also don't ever want to work that hard just to walk and speak.    I recently bought a protective vest - and I am going to start wearing it when I ride the green babies.  It won't prevent All injuries, but it might minimize some of them.  It is also very wise to be sure your equipment is in good condition - some bad falls occur when a cinch comes loose or a rein breaks.  

The other side of the equation is to make the Horse more reliable.  The example of the horse who spooks at the sound of car backfires – that can be addressed at home.  If a horse is known to spook at some particular thing, teach him to be less reactive.  Show him that it is Not going to hurt him.  You could put a horse in a round pen and fire a cap gun, or a starter’s pistol until the horse recovered from his fear.  In addition to desensitizing him to the specific stimuli, you would be teaching him to trust his rider to watch over him and keep him safe from harm.  We can NOT desensitize a horse to everything that might ever happen to him – because there is no way to predict every weird occurrence that might happen.  But you can teach the horse to trust his rider and also you can teach the rider to trust his horse!     A horse that fears car traffic would do well to be ponied in the streets off a calm horse.  When the horse sees that the Other horse is not afraid, then the green one learns confidence. 

Once the horse has learned to be braver, and the rider has learned better riding skills, then it is important to SHOW the rider that the horse is better than he was before.  I will take a client out on trail rides, and I ride their newly retrained horse, and they ride a safe lesson horse.  Then they see with their own eyes that their horse is reliable.  After a few rides like that, I may put the owner on their horse and I ride along on a very confident horse.  And I always promise the rider that if they get too scared, we will trade horses.  This makes it feel like a smaller leap of faith.  Knowing there is a ‘chicken out’ helps a rider Try the scary thing. 

If you are afraid to ride in certain situations, you have choices.  You can limit your riding and just try to avoid whatever scares you.  You may be perfectly happy never going on a trail ride, or not riding on Windy days, or even only riding familiar horses.  Avoidance is an acceptable solution.  But if you really want to do something, and fear is getting in the way, you need to address it.  First, really think about what you are afraid of and what triggers it.  To use a concrete example, I have a friend who bought a weanling 6 years ago.  Her previous horse was her First horse and a 4 hooved angel.  She took a huge leap to go from a steady Eddie to a baby.  But at the time, she had the fearlessness of prior success.  Sadly, bringing along a green horse is often much harder than they make it sound in those books we read as kids.  When the mare was 4 yrs old, she had been green broke, but needed seasoning on the trail.  Her owner went out with a group of riders and the mare was tense and jiggy.  Finally, she bolted up a steep hill.  The owner had to dismount to lead her down, and then was hand walking home, and the mare acted up again, and seriously injured her owner.  6 months without riding left a deep seated fear.  Not of All riding, but if that mare jigs at ALL, her owner feels panic. 

She went and worked with a pro trainer and developed a Lot of ground control.  Then she started riding, and the mare improved, but the trainer was not quite as good instilling confidence in a timid rider.  So, she wound up with me.  We started with lessons here and now have progressed to riding at her place.  She will ride her mare confidently if she rides alone or with a few known companions.  But if anyone else joins in, then the rider is tense, and the mare picks up on that.  So, I am riding the horse in new situations to show her owner that even if the mare jigs a little, she is no longer going to lose her mind and bolt up a hill and injure someone.  But it is a long and slow road.  When the mind envisions a terrible outcome time after time, the neural pathways are etched.  So, when conditions hit the trigger, the mind Races along that familiar path straight to disaster and panic. 

Just as we have to give a frightened horse time to develop courage, we have to allow a rider time to learn to be brave.  And that only comes if you carefully set up conditions that take the rider just a tiny step out of their comfort zone.  If you push too far and are in the stress or panic zone, no learning takes place.  But if you take baby steps into the area of stretching the envelope – and then you retreat back into the safe comfort zone, eventually both a horse and a rider will develop a larger comfort zone.  Then you can push a little farther.  It helps if the rider can SEE that the horse has learned better skills or that this NEW horse is better and safer than the one that hurt the rider.  Always try to end on a positive note and mentally reward yourself for trying and focus on your successes.  

I am the project leader for the east side Antelopes 4H horse project.  It is a GREAT group of girls (we would Love to add some boys by the way!).  And for those who don't know, 4H stands for Head, Hands, Heart and Health and is part of the 4H pledge to Clearer thinking, Larger Service, Greater Loyalty and better living.  



One misconception about 4H horse is that you have to own a horse to be a member.  This is not true.  Right now, 3 of our girls are competing on borrowed horses. Two of our members are not yet ready to show, but they can learn about horses and even compete in our "horse Bowl Quizzes" that are held in Jan and Feb and are open to Horse project members throughout the Antelope Valley. 

4H is fairly inexpensive.  It cost $34 to join and all of this fee goes directly to the state to cover insurance.  (some clubs do add on a small fee to support their individual club).  Horse shows are very reasonably priced at $5 a class.  We also offer 2 gymkhanas and 2 Trail trials.  And there are Year end championships for the kids that compete all year long.  



The AV 4H horse council offers many educational experiences.  We have a showmanship clinic in September.  The Livestock symposium in January offers one teaching seminar about horses.  We have a horsemanship clinic with Bill Cameron on Oct 20th.  There will be a group trail ride in Spring.  Each club also has monthly meetings where the leader teaches the kids about some special aspect of horse care and riding.  

We have a web site - www.AV4Hhorse.org that outlines our program and whom to contact if you want to join up.  There are programs throughout the Antelope Valley.  If you are on the east side, contact me of course.



Our next show is November 2nd - at the AV Desert Riders arena on Ave N-3 at 34th street West.  Spectators are welcome and admission is free.  

I have been working to update the Horses for Sale page and it really is exciting to see How much Progress all these horses have made in the past month.