Nicole, Socrates, and the "Rules of Engagement": May 30, 2007

We have a new boarder at the farm, and it appears we caught ourselves a sane one. Field and Stream analogies aside, I hope she fits into our little community with little drama. It appears, for now, the "Sane Boarder's Prayer" has been answered.

In BM we trust.

We lost a boarder a couple weeks ago; it took your trés observant "Of Horses and Humans" host here a week to notice the empty stall. Tenacious D is mourning the absence of this boarder as her horse lost his field companion; perhaps New Boarder can fill the void. We still have 3 empty stalls, and therefore thrice the opportunity to fill them with crazies.

We have passed Memorial Day, and, as dictated by the Fashion Police at Vogue Magazine, we are now allowed to wear white pants and shoes. That is, of course, unless you are a dressage rider, in which case you are required to eschew the dictates of the Fashion Police and wear white britches regardless of the season. Of course, normal rules regarding fashion do not apply to the followers of the Cult of Beauty.

Not much is different in the way of training. Nic is still chugging along in an "I think I can" sort of way, and hopefully I'm not doing too much damage. The underneck muscle she developed when working with Trainer is starting to dissipate (ever so slightly, and in the form of Jabba-the-Hutt-esque flab) and she is starting to build some topline muscle.

We had quite the event the other day; for the first time ever, we had more sweat on her topline than on her underneck muscle. For those who have not been following "The Drama of the Underneck Muscle," this is big for us, considering the issues we've had to slog through the past month or so. If the quintessential definition of the American Dream is the ability to reinvent one's self to achieve success ("I think I can, I think I can"), then surely Nic is personifying (horseifying?) the ideal.

Napalm's influence is substantial, even though she is not around as much as Trainer was. This is the proof that the ever-heard cliché "it's not about quantity, but rather quality" is not always trite, but rather a sound maxim with which to train a horse by. Hmmm...perhaps we have found another bit of information to add to our ever-growing treatise The Equestrian?

Our lesson last Friday was an interesting foray into the Socratic Method. I imagine that upon fathering the pedagogical tool that later became known as the Socratic Method, our good buddy Socrates was not imagining its use in 90 degree weather whilst riding Nic. Believe me, one hasn't lived until one has been taken down the garden path of questions (what happens when you cross your hand over the withers? how does that affect the horse?) while sweating one's ass off from riding in (have I said it yet?) 90 degree weather.

However, if the "Dharma of Dressage" is relaxation and strength, I suppose, possibly, that engaging the Socratic method as a learning tool, to better understand the "Rules of Engagement" as they pertain to dressage, could further dressage enlightenment, on both the part of the horse and rider, and prevent perpetual reincarnation in the Training-level sense. Misinformation and misuse of true information is the bandha that binds the lowly dressage enthusiast to the Training-Level plane.

Use Your Delusion, Part II: May 24, 2007

So, an interesting observation has floated down from Mt. Olympus and into my consciousness. I don't recall what spurred this thought, except maybe just the general experience I've been having lately about feeling out in space as far as dressage goes. I've noticed since Trainer's departure that my relationship with Nic has changed, but for the better. Initially, I thought that was due to Napalm's influence and Nic's increased responsiveness because of Napalm's exercises. I think, though, there is something else at stake.

It's been a month that I've been sorting all this dressage stuff out on my own, albeit with some very helpful input from Napalm. I've had to reassess my expectations, my goals, my approach, etc, and after wading through all the distracting muck, I've realized two undeniable truths:

1. The horse and I are a team.
2. If I want to make my goals for this season, only I can ensure that will happen.

Just as our good buddy Niccolò Machiavelli outlined the necessary behaviors of the successful ruler in The Prince, so shall we examine some necessary perspectives of the successful horse owner/dressage enthusiast. Let's be cute and call this treatise The Equestrian.

Let's examine Truth #2 first. One of life's overarching givens is that we as individuals really are alone. I know that we find ways to distract ourselves from that truth, but no one can secure our future, meet our desires, ensure our agendas are met, except for ourselves. It's an uncomfortable notion to have to face, but it's a fact. Even if you are married/in a committed relationship, etc, if you want something that isn't also something your spouse wants, even if they fully support you and your efforts to achieve your goal, it won't happen unless you expend the effort to make it happen. Make sense?

Now, for the record, I'm aware of this given. This is not a sudden realization, rather, one that I realized ages ago. However, this was one of those moments where the reality of it hit me square on the nose.

For whatever reason, I assumed that would not be the case as far as Nic's training goes. Let's just say I thought that others' investments in the horse is/was as solid as my own. I failed to realize that if I want the horse to be a trained dressage horse, no one is going to ensure that happens but me.

The people we think are there to help us generally have only passing interest, or are really hindering the process by intent, by jealousy, by circumstance, or by the every day distractions. That's not to say that there isn't support - I wouldn't go as far to say I don't get support from the likes of BFF Steph, Mr. Sister, Special K, etc.

But I guess I assumed that there would be more involvement and interest from trainers as far as really ensuring Nic has the necessary, correct, training.

Well, that really hasn't happened with the intensity I thought it would. Perhaps my expectations were a tad high or I lack faith with which other's are inherently born. Perhaps it's a manifestation of wanting to run the show.

This brings us to Truth #1. As a result of the realization of Truth #2, there is a different flavor to the relationship I have with the horse. There is less frustration and more understanding of the horse's needs, limitations, and perspectives. There is more realization of the effort the mare is expending, and how much she really does try to please. I'm amazed at the amount of effort she IS putting forth, and amazed that I didn't see it before.

I suppose, to sum it up, I've a new-found respect for the mare that wasn't there previously, and rather embarrassed that I didn't see it before. Instead of this being a contentious relationship, it appears to be developing more into a partnership.

There, koombaya. Machiavelli himself could be proud.

A Fellow of Infinite Protest: May 17, 2007

Well, this week Nicole, being rather concubinal by nature, has been in heat. Yes, again. The last cycle wasn't so bad, but this one has been particularly heinous. She has been stiff the past week, and as such, our rides have accomplished nothing. I don't blame the mare for successfully heeding that uniquely female voice that whispers "be your own Venus"; she can't help it. But it's disappointing to have her doing so well, and then suddenly not do so well because of biology (that pesky nuisance). If God's favor of the fairer gender is evidenced by giving women the ability to reproduce and ensure humankind doesn't become extinct, I'm respectfully requesting that favor be rescinded.

So, why do I always discuss the mare's heat cycles? What is it about the event that garners such devotion in "Of Horses and Humans," you may ask? I can come up with some malarkey about how it makes her back stiff, and it inhibits training for that week, but the truth of the matter is quite different. The parrying back and forth and comparison of reproductive cycles is the feminine bio-equivalent of men drinking beer and watching Sunday afternoon football over mono-syllabic food. Mare owners are no different from other women, except we get the added excitement of not just our own, but also our horses' menses to discuss.

Yesterday's ride resembled the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on a Saturday night. Mother Nature decided to blast the 1812 Overture on the rooftop of the indoor, complete with cannon bursts and all. In short, the thunder and lightning storm...ahem...made its presence known. Between:

1. The storm

2. Being in heat

3. Being indoors

4. The running farm equipment

(you mean you didn't know tractors ate horses?)

Our ride accomplished very little besides improving my ability to stay on a bucking bronc. I considered setting up the video camera, but since Nic historically has taken that as her cue to practice her best back cracking bucks, I decided to refrain. I had enough working against me already.

So, you ask, why didn't I stop, and pick it up again after the storm passed? Laziness, justified, of course, as "needing to learn how to deal with the mare when things are scary because one day, somewhere, we may need this skill." There's also that part of me that thinks "if I can get her working correctly under these extreme conditions, then I've really accomplished something." Or, as a coworker once pointed out, I'm a glutton for punishment. Really, though, it just comes down to the fact that I was too lazy to bring her in, untack her, cool her out (we experienced the humidity of a Costa Rican rainforest) and then retack her if and when the storm stopped its maestoso discourse.

On Saturday, Special K brought her kids to visit Nic. Nic enjoyed interacting with the kids.

Video: May 14, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnHgzG76Q0

From May 11, 2007, after 2 lessons with Napalm.

बुद्ध, Nicole, and the Dharma of Dressage: May 11, 2007

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" - Buddhist Proverb

We had another lesson with both Napalm and the other trainer I was trying out this week. While I had decided on Napalm last week, I had already made the appointment with the 2nd trainer, and I wanted to try her again just to make sure I was ok with my decision. I'm amazed at how 2 different trainers with "good on paper" backgrounds can approach the same problem (La Resistance) with such opposing methods. Napalm requires more contact on the horse, and asks the horse to relax into the contact. The 2nd trainer rides the horse in a longer rein, and, to me, takes the "Koombaya" approach to horse training. Next thing you know, we'll be coppin' a squat in the Buddha Hut meditating on our metatarsals.

I can't say which training method is better overall; I am not an expert, just a very opinionated bystander. However, our desired path is that of Enlightenment and not perpetual reincarnation in the Training-level-sense. Working with Napalm's methods, Nic does a better job, and is more relaxed after. Since one Buddhist philosophy is that Enlightenment, in part, comes from doing one's best at the task at hand, regardless of how meaningless and small the task may appear to be, applying that ideal in the Dressage sense can only promote Enlightenment in the mare.

In my opinion, because Napalm keeps the horse working, and engages the mind, the horse doesn't have time to think about anything except the rider and the task at hand. The 2nd trainer, in the interest of relaxation, lets the horse determine their own pace. While that method works with other horses, for Nic, who requires constant stimulation, it is just an opportunity for her to place her attention elsewhere. Nic needs to be required to pay attention at all times.

Trainer used to believe that I was too harsh on Nic, and that I expected too much. This 2nd trainer echoed his thoughts. Only once Trainer started to ride Nic, did he realize I was correct; the horse uses spooking as an evasion. Needless to say, I was frustrated after the lesson with this 2nd trainer because the horse can do much more than the woman was allowing her to do.

With "relaxation" and "strength" being the Dharma of Dressage, and upon which everything you see in the tests is based, one must realize that no single method works for each horse. One horse's relaxing ride is another horse's tension builder. I know when I sit and do nothing, I am more tense than when I am busy. Nic is the same way; she can't sit in her stall and do nothing. She needs hay, something to look at, etc.

This 2nd trainer suggested that my ambitions are too high and that I am putting undue stress on my horse; Napalm sees things my way. She stated that Nic’s spooking is disobedience. Even if the horse is truly scared, she believes the horse should still be focused on the rider. I can work with that perspective.

I tend to be very demanding on myself, and, I suppose, on Nic. However, I believe my demand is within acceptable limitations; I just expect the horse to be round, pay attention, attempt relaxation (because the horse is on a constant caffeine high, that's not always achieved), and to make progress at an acceptable pace, and not infinitesimally slow pace, as the 2nd trainer believes she should. I get that some days the horse is a little muscle sore from the day before, especially if she has worked hard, but inattentiveness just isn't going to cut it. From discipline, comes Enlightenment.

Napalm said that our canter departs were looking better this week, and that Nic actually wanted to start coming round in the canter. The horse was holding herself up better this week; I think it speaks volumes that after 2 lessons with Napalm the horse is doing much better. Napalm isn't for the faint of heart; she is demanding, but I think our test scores at our last show prove that there is something there, and Nic's positive response to her instruction shows that Napalm's methods produce effective results. The bottom line is this: I am more proud of my horse after working using Napalm's methods than I have been of her in a while, and I think that is all the endorsement I need for right now.

O brave new world that has such people in't: May 7, 2007

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

Star Date: 5707, Orion Arm, Milky Way, Earth, USA

Finding a trainer, the most annoying frontier. This is the voyage of a ship of fools. Its tedious mission: To explore the strange world of dressage. To seek out new trainers and end disorganization. To boldly go where many horses have gone before.

Ok, so this is a slightly cynical exaggeration. It's been a while since I last posted; last week 2 new trainers ventured into the crazy solar system that is Nic's training. Nic and I also had a show on Sunday, and I was just generally stressed about the whole kangaroo court of finding a new trainer and preventing La Résistance from a sudden resurgence.

So, here's an update: I tried 2 new trainers last week, each FEI, with impressive backgrounds. Both had a different style - a different way to get Nic to do what she should be doing. One style worked much better for my horse than the other style (one was able to Napalm La Résistance out of existence), so I've decided to go with "Napalm trainer," and for the sake of this blog, I'll refer to her as "Napalm."

The other trainer taught much like Trainer did, however, I think Trainer's way of training Nic became more about force than about coercing Nic to round and become supple. His training wasn't that way when we started working with Nic. I only started to feel that way in the last month; the rider would have to wrench Nic's head to supple her jaw. As we all know, that just isn't how suppling should be done; dressage isn't really about force.

Even though I warmed Nic up by myself (I work better that way, anyway), I used Napalm's methods at our show last Sunday. Even though the mare was distracted, Napalm's methods helped focus her, and our scores very much improved. Ironically, I've used Napalm's methods in the past with other horses before I bought Nic; I'm ashamed I didn't think of them myself. My lesson here is to not assume one path will lead to Rome (in this case, a round and supple horse), and to question when something just doesn't seem right.

About our show: Nic did much better - my goals were:

1. No bucking in the canter transitions

2. Higher scores on the freewalk

We worked consistently on those two issues to improve our scores, and we did improve our scores. We got a 63.2% on Training 3; the judge was an "I" (international) judge. I've heard some rustlings that our scores were inflated; I compared them to the scores from our last show, where we received a 56% in Training 3.

The scores for our trot movements were the same; as expected, the difference was in the scores for our free walk (coefficient of 2) and the scores for our canter transitions (no bucking this time) and the score for my riding. Because Nic was more on the aids (thanks, Napalm), we received scores 1-2 points higher.

There is only 1 score that seems odd: we received a "7" on our left lead canter transition, while at the last show we received a "4." It's possible the transition was that much better, but I don't believe it. Otherwise, the scores reflected my expectations based on the amount of work I put in to schooling Nic on the elements on which we scored poorly last time.

We received 4th place in both of our classes, which is validation for me, considering the events of the past 2 weeks.