Bitless Gitless Riding

Long day at the yard today and here we are at the end of it, my back pretty much in spasm now. I crouched down to go under a chain to check on a horse in her box this afternoon and said, "Hmm, I think I'll have to stay the night with you here , lovely. Don't mind, do you?" Wasn't sure I'd be able to get back up again.

I think it was cleaning the water trough this morning that finally did me in. It needed doing, I had time to do it, and so I did it. Not my brightest plan. The removal of algae with a scrubbing brush wasn't too bad, but lifting the empty trough back onto the cinder blocks was my downfall. It's always awkward, but today I just couldn't manage. Rather than give up and wait for someone to help, I scolded myself to stop being a girl and put my back into it. I did, and my back went into it and just stayed there.

After the morning's yard work, I had a couple of hours to recuperate, and decided that rather than languish at home, I'd take a short lunch break and go back to the yard and do a little session with Max before the afternoon shift started. Nothing fancy, but I'm conscious that he's not getting enough exercise and I wanted to try ridden work with the Dually, just to see how we'd go.

I explained to Max, as I saddled him up, that we weren't going to do much at all, just see how the pressure and release works with no bit in his mouth to contend with.

Off to the indoor school we went, and I mounted up, gingerly. Max, having had a few sessions of standing at the mounting block and not moving off, showed me he'd learned well and stood stock still, remaining so until I gave him a quiet "walk on".

We were only at it for about 25 minutes or so, mostly in walk with a little bit of trotting thrown in. Max responded beautifully! No fuss, no confusion, he turned, stopped and even reined back as if nothing was any different.

On trotting down the long side of the school on the right rein, we had our familiar problem of him turning in, or at the very least "looking" to the centre rather than ahead on the track, but that did not surprise me. That action from him is a response to my wonky back and I can't fault him for it. My balance, my skewed seat bones, and therefore my skewed weight distribution, tells him I want to turn in, even though my head and hands are telling him to go forward.

That's for me to sort out, not Max. Basically, he's giving me the correct response for what I'm accidentally asking him to do.

I'm glad we gave it a try. We're not ready to go out on a bitless hack, but from today's willing performance from Max, I'm sure that one day we'll be able to do just that.

Tomorrow, if the weather holds and the Ent is willing, I hope to take Max out and about in his long-lines, me "driving", and Ent walking ahead, possibly with another lead rope on the "neutral" ring of the Dually, just in case. I think it will be a good way to ease Max in to a new experience with the long lines, and I'll feel more confident that we're safe to do so with the Ent leading the way to boost Max's confidence and take over if things get tricky.

As I finished my afternoon shift, I glanced from the yard over to Max's field, and watched him having a roll in the sunshine, tail twirling like a propeller. It was a lovely thing to watch from afar, my boy just being a contented horse doing horse stuff. He has a happy life, and that's all I've ever wanted for him.

The pressure I sometimes feel (from where?) that we should be doing more, further advanced, fades away when I watch him being Maxo Relaxo. He is willing to try whatever I ask of him, and then is happy to trundle off and be a horse, content in the knowledge that he is cared for, he wants to nothing, and his world, as far as he knows it, is a safe and pleasant place to be.

Sometimes the responsibility of having a horse in my life is so overwhelming it almost chokes me - why aren't I better? why don't I know more? what could Max do in the hands of someone more able and experienced? But does Max really care about any of that? Is he stamping his sweet little feet demanding to go to a show?

"I must and SHALL have a rosette! I really want to go on an endurance ride! Why aren't we jumping over fences, eh?"

Is he hankering after a life that I don't give him?

I don't think so. I think Max is happy with his lot. He's got a pretty good deal. He's well looked after, he's got a comfy box to live in during the day, a good field and field mates at night, and yes, he gets dragged out now and again for "work", but it's not taxing work and we generally find something to have a laugh about along the way.

He doesn't want more than that. He is a pony of simple needs, he knows his sense of humour is appreciated, and his grumps are accepted, just as he accepts mine.

I was overheard leaving Max's box this morning and sighing, to the world in general, "I heart my pony!"

It's true, I shamelessly do heart my pony. For all my wanting what's best for him and worrying about where I fall short, I think that I have to accept that Max doesn't have any concerns about what's best for him. He's happy right where he is, and I'm happy with him right where he is, too.