There is no doubt, I am 'detoxing' - finally coming off the constantly high adrenaline that had been with me during most of my career, and was especially off the charts in the last years. I was more often than not at the end of my rope, and in hindsight Saumur and I just fed of each others nervousness, stress, and racing minds. Almost a surprise that we both lived to tell the tale and we are now in a much better mental state. And not to forget long-suffering JP: I think he enjoys my new-found "state of chill" the most!
It is also very noticeable in my daily dealings with Remy. Our relationship has changed, we have way more harmony because he no longer gets rattled due to my mind racing at 1000 mph. So, note to Remy: You sure can't blame that bucking thing you did today on me!
I've been intrigued for a while by Equine Bodywork, and the equine massage therapist that comes to Topline recommended I check into the Masterson Method (www.mastersonmethod.com). So last Friday I made the -not so scenic- drive to the Indiana farmlands. Note: If you use US 24 from Ohio to Indiana be aware that there are NO Starbucks or anything else for that matter for very long stretches of the road. Which is probably a good thing, because there are not restrooms either!
I truly enjoyed the weekend workshop held at a nice dressage barn. The advanced instructor was excellent, and also happened to be the translator for Dr. Gerd Heuschmann's books. Very cool. My fellow eight students were a great group of people from all walks of life, one young woman drove 17 hours from Nebraska to attend the workshop. She and her husband have a huge cattle ranch and her goal is to find ways to help the hardworking ranch horses.
The first day was a breeze, and I thought "I can do this", as all the horses we got to work on were solid citizens. The challenge came on the second day, when Vickie and I got assigned a second level dressage horse that was definitely a tough nut. Between trying to nip at us and coming up with rather creative ways to evade us it was a stretch. But hey, we like challenges. And the good thing was that in addition to Coralie, the advanced instructor, we had Cheryl and Annie (two certified instructors) always there to help the students. It was a really good feeling when we were able to do decent work on the horse (with their help) and at the end the horse was all mellow and chill.
So, I've decided to go 'all the way' to certification. It is a long and very demanding process. Next step: Advanced Training in Tucson, Arizona, if I pass the entrance test, that it. It will be at the end of January. What better excuse to leave in the midst of a Michigan winter? It's all for education!
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