Usache returned home to Solstice Farms on October 8th after his intensive training with Dan Keen near Round Top, Texas. For new readers, Usache is an 11 year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding horse and he and I train in the sport of Dressage.
Earlier this year, it became apparent that Usache and I need training outside of our discipline of dressage. Usache lacked confidence and I was not skilled enough in horsemanship to re-instill that confidence in him. We needed professional help – not just Usache – both of us.
A natural horsemanship trainer, Dan came highly recommended so off we went in early June for an evaluation. Dan’s greeting to us was, “I see the problem; he’s a big chicken.” He then went on to say, “I see the other half of the problem as well.” Yes, that was me! An unconfident horse leads to an unconfident rider and vice versa. The most reassuring thing was that Dan saw it right off the bat and his willingness to speak the truth let me know we were in the right place.
Over the summer, I spent most Saturdays at Dan’s place learning how to address my horse’s fears (and mine!) and to ride confidently. We did all kinds of things, such as climbing a dirt pyramid, jumping (small jumps!), trail riding, chasing the mechanical calf behind the tractor and walking behind the water truck. Usache had many more adventures during the week when I could not be present. He worked cows and went on road trips where he was a demonstration horse for Dan.
The outcome is a much more confident horse and rider team that just returned from our first show (November 1-4) in over a year. Shows are taxing on horses and riders, yet Usache performed brilliantly. I am not talking about the show results, but the fact that Usache listened, stayed connected to me and was able to self-manage when things got exciting, a common occurrence when you have lots of horses in a high energy atmosphere.
Our dressage trainer, Marie Morgan, helps us connect the dots between natural horsemanship and what we do in the dressage movements. The experienced and practiced eyes of trained professionals helps Usache and me unlock the potential we have as a horse and rider team.
How have you benefitted from enlisting professional support? Share your comments below or e-mail me at barbara@acceluspartners.com.