EDITORS INTRO

 

So are you ready for Christmas? The Christmas Show that is – go check out the schedule and get that fancy dress organised. If you can't bring a horse be sure to come along anyway and enjoy the festivities.

I am finding hard to accept that the year has flown so fast – every year I say the same thing and every year it just goes faster though maybe it just seems that way as I keep trying to squeeze more into it?

I've spent this year focusing on improving my overall
horsemanship, not just the riding but trying to get into
the heads of my horses. When I set out on this quest
one of my earliest memories was an instructor asking
me to visualize what my dream was. Having just finished
watching a video of Pat Parelli riding bareback and
bridleless over a course of cross country fences the
image of me doing the same with Juno popped into
my head, I laughed it off as that was NEVER going
to happen, Juno was the horse who a few months
earlier had given me the ride of my life around Kelsall
but in between each and every fence I had had to sit
back and yank on the reins to be able to approach the
next fence at something less than a suicidal pace.

Shortly into the Parelli program I discovered something
huge, that he had major issues with his personal bubble
from his shoulder back, he couldn't cope with


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"squeezing through" narrow places or indeed over obstacles without feeling the need to get through as quickly as possible. What I had previously seen as his "bravery" and him "enjoying himself" by adding in speed couldn't have been further from the truth.

Despite those constantly pricked ears and with never a backward thought in his head I found I had a horse whose base instincts were telling him he wasn't safe in those situations and he just needed to get the hell out of there.

What a contrast now, the numerous varieties of bits that I have collected for him over the years (none of which actually could be relied upon) are now collecting dust, after last year taking what was for me a major step in climbing on board him with just a rope halter, 12 months later we were able to take that off (inset photo) and ride in walk trot and canter in a 50m x 50m arena, using just energy and seat signals to get transitions up and down and to turn. We may not have made it around a cross country course yet and as he approaches his 21st birthday time is not on our side but I have learned amongst many other things "Never say never, don't always say always, usually say usually."

Do you have something that has suddenly made a big difference to the way you think about your horse this year, how about sharing it in the next magazine?

Chris Kynaston

email: chris.ftb@btinternet.com

Mobile: 07870 260710
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