Building a Team of Two, Part 2

Horse and rider come back together
by Allison Trimble

This has been a great month! Karen and April have made more improvement than I would have thought to hope for. Karen is such an open-minded student and has made a great effort to get to the barn and put in her time in the saddle, whether it is on one of my horses or on April. It has been a real challenge for her to rearrange her schedule, but she has a determination that is really paying off, and this commitment to showing up 3-4 times a week is the biggest change she's made from her earlier training. In less than a month, this team has gone from feeling downtrodden and unable to reach their dreams to being hopeful and moving forward.

We had decided in the beginning that it would be a good idea for Karen and April to do some separate learning. For the first three weeks, I rode April and worked on building her confidence, tolerance and maneuvers. It didn’t take long for her to start loping freely and steering well. Her turn-arounds were coming along nicely and she was becoming really trainable and relaxed. It took much less time than I had thought it would to have her settle into the routine.

This past week we have started bringing April and Karen back together for a couple of rides. It is remarkable to see the transformation in both of them. Karen is much more confident in her ability to ask a horse to do something and get the desired result. She understands how to keep April between her hands and legs when she is loping circles. With a horse like April, who is really feely and can tend to be a bit nervous, it is crucial to be very black-and-white in your commands. A lot of nervous behavior and fidgeting or unclear commands can add to this type of horse’s apprehension. Karen is getting much better at not picking at April, just correcting her when she needs it and otherwise leaving her alone.

Karen's new spurs have made a huge difference. They sit lower on her boots than the old ones, adding about two inches to her legs, and the shank is tipped downward. Now when she goes to use her legs she is able to use her calf without unintentionally spurring and can get her legs under April's belly to cue her instead of jabbing her in the sides.

April has proven to have a really nice turn-around. The essence of a good spin is that it is cadent, and the goal is to back off and let the horse do its job. For a lot of people who have not ridden a pretty finished horse, it is hard to comprehend that a horse will turn around without you constantly telling it to do so. Karen learned how to properly spin a horse by riding a couple of my show horses, so it was much easier for her when she went back to April.

Another maneuver most beginners have trouble with on their own horses is lead changes. When we were trying to figure out the right program for April and Karen to get the most progress as economically as possible, we decided it was important that April develop a solid lead change before she went back to having Karen as her main riding partner. We decided that one more month of training with me working on her lead changes would be best; during that time, we would start having Karen ride April a couple of times a week as well. One issue with April’s lead change is that she has done a lot of simple lead changes. Every time she goes to change leads, she wants to break down first, and then change. This is going to take a little time to work through and will be challenging for Karen. I want her to learn how to change leads on one of my horses so when April is ready for her to start, Karen will know what to do and how it should feel.

The lead change is really the only maneuver I think might cause Karen to get into trouble if she tries it on her own. The circles, spins, stops and rollbacks will be very manageable for her, as long as she keeps up on her riding and takes regular lessons.

I think both Karen and I have been pleasantly surprised by how well April has taken to this program. I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing them in the show pen together.

Karen Says...
"It's been almost a month since I started with this program. I'm enjoying the time in the saddle and feeling more confident. For the first time, I have the belief that I really can do this! We have covered so many aspects of riding that I really hadn’t thought much about: the proper use of spurs, the reasons behind the use of certain bits, and how to find the right equipment for April. Riding April this week after some time apart, I'm amazed at the progress we've both made.

I'm excited to get back in the show ring and compete again with confidence. My horse is happy and seems to enjoy her job. This has gone from being something I dreamed of--but struggled with--to a reality. Most importantly, I'm having fun!"