How I Spent My Birthday

 

 

Yeah……

Umm. We’ll get to that in just a few minutes.

But first I wanted to go over the side-passing that Apache and I worked on during last week’s riding lesson, since so many were interested.

If you all remember, we were having some challenges with Apache not moving off of my leg.

After realizing that Apache would not move off of my leg, Jessica wanted to try a new tactic. One which made me a little worried because I know about Apache’s nervousness around sticks, whips and crops. Jessica had me continue to use my leg, first pressing, then kicking her barrel between her front and back girth, while she used the whip to encourage Apache to move sideways, away from my leg….and the whip. No problem. Apache wants nothing at all to do with the whip. The problem for me was to keep her moving sideways, because Apache just wanted to turn and run, or back up as fast as she could. My job was to keep her nose on the arena wall and move her down and around the arena sideways. There was a lot of backwards (on Apache’s part) and forwards (that was me kicking her back up to the wall), and just a little bit of sideways movement. We were a hot mess!

After about 15 minutes of the chaotic dancing along the wall, we did finally get a few semi-smooth side passes, with the help of Jessica’s whip shaking. She learned how close (or not so close) to Apache she could stand before Apache lost her mind and concentration and just went into “Agh! Get me outta here!” mode.

So, after we were able to side pass a few steps in both directions while under Jessica’s tutelage, she had us try some on our own. We sucked. My main task was keeping Apache’s nose at the wall, while trying to push her sideways with my leg. Her main task was to either back up, or try to turn her head to evade my requests.

So, I did like all inexperienced side passing students do. I asked Jessica to hop on and see if she could turn Apache into an excellent side passing equine.

Jessica jumped on and Apache immediately knew she was in for a new experience. Jessica was wearing A Spur (I know. I asked the same thing. She had loaned one to her son earlier. Who I am to question that? lol!). And I figured that with Jessica’s assertive attitude and The Spur, Apache would be side passing like a happy line dancer within minutes.

Au contraire!

Apache gave Jessica a run for her barrels. Even with Jessica kicking, Apache refused to move sideways. The Spur only caused Apache to cowkick at Jessica’s leg, and she still gave Jessica the backwards, forwards, try-to-keep-my-head-straight dance moves. At one point, with Jessica insisting Apache stay with her nose to the wall, Apache came up off her front legs a few inches, while my heart jumped into my throat.

Man! I’ve got one stubborn mare!

Jessica did finally get about 10-15 feet of side passing on one end of the arena, but not without getting Apache’s pissy face. And then she handed Apache back to me. And since we only had about 10 minutes left in the lesson I just worked on some flexing and softening exercises until Jessica had us come back over to the cavaletti maze and practice backing up and moving through it and backing out. There was definitely an improvement from our first attempt at the beginning of our lesson, so I was pretty pleased. 

So yeah. Apache needs some more work with side passing. And we have another lesson this Thursday.

Well, I wanted to write about the photo above and how I spent my birthday yesterday, but it seems this post is already too long already. So I’ll just say that the photo was taken in Santa Fe at the Caja del Rio and there were lots of gorgeous, spirited Arabians (and a couple of Mules and a Mustang, too) that I had my hands on all day.

There will be more info coming soon….