Sharpening one tool - and digging out another one

Well, Remy’s “tool” –aka his saddle- needed to be ‘sharpened’ yet again. It’s only been three months since the last adjustment, but I felt that the saddle was off. It seemed too low in the back and I had a hard time keeping my legs in the correct position. So, Luanne to the rescue. Luckily she was able to fit us into her busy schedule rather quickly. And I was right: Luanne measured Remy and confirmed that his shoulders grew wider, hence putting the saddle out of alignment. Not only the saddle, me, too! So – some tree tweaking and flocking adjustments and we are back in business.

The other tool I am referring to is something I have neglected, and I really do not know why. It’s the one-rein stop. It just hit me the other day that the trusted one-rein stop (honed by years of riding Saumur) would help me get my confidence back in dicey situations with Remy. To quote Buck Brannaman:

“In order for you to advance, you have to do this without a problem. This will be absolutely necessary for you to do…If you can’t walk, trot, and canter and then stop with a one-rein stop, then you ought to practice every chance you get….It ought to be something that you would bet your life on.”

You need the skill and confidence to NOT constrain a horse when it bolts or panics.

So I have been throwing some practice one-rein stops into the training mix, and I am really happy that I dug out that old and trusted tool again.

To close with another Buck quote:

“Don’t be a victim. Be busy with your horse so you stay out of trouble – otherwise, trouble will come and find you. Be assertive, but don’t be aggressive, if you are aggressive you’ll make the horse flighty. The horse needs perimeters like anyone else. Give them guidance, support, rules. The same rules. Don’t change the game, don’t let them have excuses just because of their past.. and love them.”