Great Horsemen~

Jack Brainard, Connie & Farah

Cowboys - the men who lived by a code, said what they meant & treated people with respect.  You never had to worry where you stood with them - they never minced words, but spoke true &  from the heart.  These men are disappearing -  the last of what many call;  the greatest generation.

As a kid in the late 50's & early 60's, Cowboys were King!  Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger...  On Sat. mornings the Watts Hardy Dairy hosted movies a the Boulder Theater.  You brought your empty milk cartons to for a free admission.  The Westerns were my favorite!  Horses, lots of horses, shoot-em up plots, fast riding - plenty to keep a horse crazed kid entertained :-)

In my early teens, I worked a few weekends at the local drive-in restaurant;  Twin Burger - to pay for riding lessons at Green Meadows Riding Stable.  Then - lived for the summers on my Grandparents farm in IA - where my mare Topsy waited.  The minute we arrived, I was out of the car, begging for a pickup ride out to the pasture.  Once we spotted her, I'd jump out & call her name.  Even Grandpa had to admit that she remembered me - she would lift her head at the sound of my voice & trot right up to me!

Connie is Concentrating!

To learn from Jack Brainard - who would be just an hours drive from home, at the Northwest Natural Horsemanship Center in Fall City; was an opportunity more like a dream come true.  Saturday, I spent the day auditing to absorb all I could.  Jack's style was soft spoken, direct & to the point.  What I appreciated the most was the way he made every rider feel special.  When a horse made a correct move - he would say;  "Look!  That's it!"   His words timed so perfectly that as a rider, you felt your horses response.  

If you have an interest in riding a better horse - this book is for you!   If I Were To Train A Horse.  It's hard to put down & will have that well-worn look in no time.  

My private lesson today, was a personal revelation - trusting Jack enough to give myself up to the ride - I felt that by the end of our too short time with him - I'd gained a huge amount of trust in my mount & she in me.  Our communication had taken a huge stride forward in mutual understanding.  After all - that's the beauty of the true relationship we strive for with our equine partners~
(Thanks for coming with me Dave, photos & support!)

Old Habits Die Hard!

Farah at the Wetland~

Funny how easy it was to get back into my conditioning routine for Farah's Limited Distance debut.  After all - it's what I've done - for a very long time!  Fighting her for the 25-miles was something that I was not used to.   (Khari was such a professional & knew her job so well, that I would set a pace & away we went.)  Farah hasn't yet had the experience to figure out that there are many more miles out there!  :-)  Actually -  I don't want her to find out - at least not at top-ten endurance speed.

So today, we slowed down, we enjoyed the ride, we worked on the basics.  I worked on some of the techniques that I've been trying so hard to learn - the finesse of Light Hands Horsemanship.   I like the idea of a partnership built on trust & reward.  Lightness was certainly a casualty of Bare Bones!

Beautiful yellows~

Once Farah figured out that we weren't going to be blasting around the woods, she settled in - started listening & we had a really Super ride!  She held her collection on a loose rein - moved into the trot without sacrificing that collection & paid attention to where she put her feet.  A large doe crossed our path on the way home - it was one of those quiet, still, cool afternoons that are my favorite of our Washington "Summer"!

"Two-fer" Day!

Friday was a busy day!  I loaded Farah & headed to Snohomish for our appointment at Fire Run Farm.   We had attended a presentation there by Eitan Beth-Halacmy known as the father of Cowboy Dressage.  This farm is one of a handful that practice & teach the methods of Light Hands Horsemanship.

I have to admit to being almost as nervous as I was at the start of my first endurance ride!  Never much of a fan of arena riding or formal lessons, what formal training I do  have (besides many miles in the saddle) has come from the skilled coaching of my friend & mentor Dean Essex, DVM.   

Arriving at Fire Run - I parked alongside the Peacock enclosure, then headed over to the arena to check-in.  Tara met me at the door with a welcome smile & warm handshake - then introduced me to Teri Rumens, owner of the farm.   Tara pointed out the saddling area & where to bring Farah in.  I declined her offer of help with tack & decided to saddle Farah by the trailer as usual.  I unloaded her & just as I was opening the tack room door on the trailer - we both jumped as one of the Peacocks let out a Very Loud "Yell"?  To our credit, we both kept our cool :-)

Farah walked in like she'd been there 1,000 times before.  I  backed her into the saddling area & she stood quietly while we discussed her prior training & my goals for her & myself.  Next we were invited to warm-up in the very large, beautiful arena.  Farah put on her game face, we made the circuit of the arena & even went down the ramp & into the round-pen that sits below the level of the arena.  

In a very friendly way, Teri started commenting on Farah, her incredible movement, willingness to please, the way she's bonded with me & how we looked as a team.  Her coaching started so smoothly that it very easy to understand & comply.  Especially since Farah would immediately adjust & respond to what I was asking of her.   Our first lesson was a huge success!   We were introduced to family & friends who came by & made to feel at home!  Teri & Tara gave me ideas to work on at home!  I felt motivated & encouraged - what more can you ask from a trainer?

I left the farm & headed back into Snohomish with just enough time to pick up a burger before my friend was there to lead me the back way to Lord Hill. 

Farah, saddled & ready~

 We saddled up & were on the trails by 1 p.m. riding for over three hours!  Lynn was determined to show me that the park was bigger than I thought!  We had a trotting contest on the way back, with her wonderful mare setting a blistering pace!  Fun for us, fun for the mares!   We headed home tired - no better way to spend a day!  I'm definitely looking forward to our next lesson!  Now to start practicing!