Starting Again
There are many reasons why we need to start our horse over.
Pregnancy…
Injury…
Family commitments…
Holidays…
and the list goes on.
After an extended break, or sometimes even a relatively short break, you will probably find your horse cannot immediately work at the same level you left them at.
This may create feelings of guilt, annoyance, frustration, anger, or even inadequacy.
I get it because I am there right now.
After the loss of multiple family members and ongoing injuries with Custard (the gods, or whichever diety you choose to place your faith in, have a wicked sense of humour at times), I haven’t been able to work him properly for more than 6 months. And even before I feel confident with starting him again under saddle, I have had multiple professionals assessing and supporting his physical comfort.
The positive part to all this is that I get to beta-test our Green to Self Carriage Course along with some of our other students! The purpose of the beta-test is not to see if it will work (it will), but to see if it is easy to flow up and down the training scale for different horses and riders. Super exciting time for us right now!
So as Custard and I start again, I wanted to share some cold-hard truths I have uncovered:
A break
can be just as important for your horse as it is for you.
Your feelings about starting again are valid, but irrelevant to your horse’s needs. As long as you have continued to provide to the emotional and physical needs of your horse during the break, your horse couldn’t give two hoots and a flying lollipop that you had to stop work (and in fact, probably enjoyed the break). So I am afraid you (and I) will just have to suck it up - perhaps using that flying lollipop you horse has hidden…
You WILL NOT be able to start where you left off. You will need to go back to exercises that you horse finds easy, and work your way back up the training scale.
You WILL have to move your goal post. Your horse WON’T care.
Starting again is so much easier if you have the correct foundational muscular development already established (or establishing) in your horse - as that which we have outlined in the Green to Self Carriage Course. Healthy muscle and movement that feels good is easy for the horse to maintain in the paddock. Poor development is harder to fix and harder to scale up the developmental scale.
Sometimes, a break is actually necessary for your horse and just as important as a vacation from work for us. Considering the time off a necessary mental and physical break, rather than the loss of time, will be much easier for your own mental well-being.
Join us on the Equestrian Movement Facebook page for videos and updates as Custard & I start out again. And if you are in the same position as I am, have heart - you still have your horse, and he/she still loves you just as much as before the break.
