SFTS Blog Hop: Why Do We Do What We Do?
Why do we do what we do?
So I'm going to give this a shot since I kind of follow along with what Carly at Poor Woman Showing does with our friend Bobby. Plus, I've never joined in a Blog Hop before so here it goes!
Jenn from Stories From The Saddle asked us (in a matter of words) why we train so hard for our chosen discipline. Honestly... I don't really have one specific thing I like to do. If I had to chose, it'd be trail riding, but B and I are still trying to figure out what we're good at. I've always had a love for dressage and musical freestyle, but with the lack of cash-money opportunities, it was really hard to get into in the past.
So what was the next step? JUMPING!
 |
| "Let's jump all things and try to be cool!" - LB quote Don't have any pictures of us doing fun things... |
Unfortunately I have no pictures of LB and I attempting to jump crazy traffic cone cross-rails.
I honestly didn't even know what real jumping was.
What the hell is an Oxer anyway...
Then Kate & LuLu came into my life. BIG SURPRISE!
But apparently, B loves to jump. So I must jump!
 |
| "Damn straight!" - B |
 |
| Yes, I chose the "Oh sh*t" pic for effect/affect... Whatever. |
And well... We're okay at the flat work... Still have some softening to do but we'll get there. So what's the obvious next discipline we should try (other than everything)... EVENTING! Okay, I'm probably not going to do any of the 3-day stuff where I'm bounding through bushes and jumping down 6' drops, but honestly, I think it's a good mix of everything we love.
Now. To the question that started this all. Why do I do what I do?
I'm talking rope halter and a lead rope. Pointing, sending, disengaging, desensitizing. It's always a win for me and I haven't found any horse that has not responded to it in a positive way. The bending, the flexing. The loosening of the jaw, the chewing. It's when the ears flicker and the eyes blink, that's why I do what I do. I do it for the response. I do it for the respect. And I do it for the partnership & the trust.
Plus... I don't have to drug my horse to take it on a trail ride...
 |
| Indigo - My 1st Mustang Experience |
 |
| B's 1st Year |
 |
| B's 1st Year |
 |
| B's 1st Year |
 |
| "Comic" |
 |
| The Infamous Honolulu Aka "Lucy" |
 |
| Those ears... |
 |
| "Bailey" |
My all time favorite picture...
This is exactly why I do... What I do.
 |
| "Valkyrie" |
There's nothing like the feeling that the horse you have in your hand, would gladly follow to the end of the world and back...
Just because you said,
"It's okay, you can trust me."
posted by Madeline C. @ 9:19 PM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
I definitely think there is something to be said about all the groundwork you do it obviously serves a purpose and it obviously works. I saw in the comments on another post you wrote something about "rope wiggling" and I remember you commenting on my use of the word too. Call me old fashioned, but I see nothing wrong in what you and so many others do to get a horse to become aware and unafraid. Unfortunately there are some real strange ones out there who give it all a not so great name (we have a couple in our barn, they just send their horse in tight circles around them for an hour and then put them away... everyday, for over a year).
I really appreciate this comment. You have no idea. :) I know I mention it here and there on everyone's blogs, but I don't mean it in a negative way at all! I joke about it because it's true, I am what I am and I'm proud of it haha. A lot of time it's just lack of knowledge. People can get so judgmental when they don't understand something. I was that person that would just run a horse around in circles thinking it would help... And when I saw that it didn't, I tried something new. I learned from my mistakes and the horses around. My problem is with the people that comment negatively about it is that they're usually the people who try the same thing over and over expecting a different result, and all they get is an antsy, angry, spooky horse. Sometimes you've got to step out of the box and "wiggle" a little. SORRY FOR THE LONG COMMENT TO THE COMMENT!
GREAT post! Thanks for participating :)
No problem, and I came back to see how you replied :) I just wanted you to know that I don't look down on what you do (that when I say rope jiggler I really mean those poor souls who have been sold a load of stichk that isn't making them better horse people or their horses better horses, but you also can't tell them anything either sadly) , I see its purpose, we do some similar stuff with our own horses, its all a part of proper horse upbringing. So yeah :)
:) True true true! I approve.
It was a great question! I was happy to join in.
I think it's great that you do so much groundwork! I truly believe that if you don't have their respect and trust on the ground, then you aren't going to have it on their backs. Great post!
Thanks. Honestly, it really felt good to get it out there. There are so many people that don't truly understand how amazing it is and what it can accomplish. And just to add, it's an awesome way to get through the winter and "rider's block" when you just need something different. Plus it's a good route to do some fun trick training.
I love ground work. I think I might have murdered Bobby if we hadn't taken February to just rebuild a relationship on the ground.
I was that person who assumed you just get on a horse with no groundwork and expect it to be perfect. You helped in so many ways I cannot even begin to count. I will always be grateful for it. If it wasn't for you saying "hey. Respect." I wouldn't be where I am now with comic. Trust. Bonded. Relaxed. Long and low. Do we have more to work on? Always. But it's better because we started our journey together with your guidance and caring. Love.
Sometimes you just need a break! :)
It's always great to hear that I helped in some way. Definitely makes my day go by better because that's all I want. I want to build better relationships between horse & rider and that's ultimately my goal. :) <3 you Nat!
I think I was lucky enough for a long time to ride horses that were good enough that I never needed groundwork (bear with me, I know it can help any horse but back then they were all "fine" without so I was satisfied with "fine"). I honestly didn't even know natural horsemanship existed, having grown up in a hunter barn; the only groundwork there is lunging lunging lunging....But once I started doing more of my own horse stuff in college and exploring my own interests my eyes were opened to a whole new side of horse connecting. I wanted to be Monty Roberts or Buck Brannaman or Guy McLean....so I read a lot, tried some stuff, then tried different things, but all my horses were "ok" and "made" to begin with so I couldn't see a huge change. Plus I didn't know what the hell I was doing, it was all trial and error (at least I have the intuition to know when I'm on the right or wrong track). But let me tell you, once I got Charlie I had to seriously reevaluate our relationship. He was my first real project and going back to basics with him, learning with him, honing my "horse sense" with your help and Jan's and countless books/articles my whole outlook changed. Boy what a lifechanger! I will never go back. My entire goal set is changed. I realized there are good "horse riders" and there are people with good "horse sense" but that these two do not often go hand-in-hand. I no longer have a huge desire to show or compete. I just want to achieve the latter, to "be" with a horse and build those connections. Then there's nothing we can't do!
I think that's why we'd make such a good team!
Post a Comment
Brantley & I would love to hear from you!
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home