I rode him!!!
Our lesson started out with Gail announcing that our goal was to get me up on Skip's back. I just about fainted dead away when I heard those words! Already?! Are you sure?! Am I ready? Is he ready? I had so many thoughts racing through my mind, but all I could feel was a warm excitement that I was about to take my first, first ride! And it couldn't be on a better horse. Skip and I have been a long way together (as you know), and it is just fitting that we experience this first together. Gail has warned me over and over to always remember that he is a baby, and not to trust him too much. I take those words to heart, and treat him as the young horse he is, but deep down, you know that there is a trust that has developed between us. I remain cautious in my actions, but I know that the bond we have formed will carry us a long way in the years to come. I just try to remain consistent and reliable for him. Hopefully he will do the same for me.
Before I hopped on, we did plenty of ground work to make sure there were no potholes in his training that might sneak up to bite us later. I also worked with him at liberty (without a halter or lead rope on), to get him moving faster with the saddle on his back. If he was going to buck, we wanted him to do it without me on him! Moving at a lope in the round pen seems to be hard on him because of his legs, so once we got a feel for how he felt about the saddle on his back, we let him rest. He did buck about two times, and Gail informed me that if that was all he was going to do, I could ride that. (I am glad she thought so!)
Part of the groundwork that I did was to play the seven Parelli games at liberty. I can't tell you how amazing it is when your horse willingly does exactly what you want with just a wiggle of your finger, or movement in your body. Even though we didn't have a halter on, Skip willingly played the games. When I asked him to come back to me at the end, all I had to do was smile and wiggle my finger to bring him in. My best friend came up and put his forehead right in the middle of my stomach for a rub. Magical...
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| Practicing lateral flexion one last time |
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| And we're on! |
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| And we're walking! |
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| Gail giving us a "little motivation" |
We didn't move much, or very far, but I must say that it was a quiet and comfortable first ride. Skip was willing to try, and even though he didn't quite understand what I was asking of him, he kept a calm head. Next week Gail is going to saddle up her horse and help Skip move a little better. It takes time for a horse to learn how to walk and balance with the weight of a rider on him. That is why I am so honored that I am able to do this: it means that I have good enough balance to not ruin him with my riding skills. You will be glad to know that my head was back in the game this week. I just put everything else out of my mind and focused on the moment... After all, that is all we ever really have, isn't it?
Thank you to Amy for being there as my moral support and an awesome photographer! I will treasure this memory forever, and the pictures are the icing on the cake.
And, of course, thank you to Gail. This experience has turned my life around, and I am so thankful for every second of it!
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| We did it!!!! |
~Jackie
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