The Non-Event
Today was a great day!
Why? Because nothing happened.
Everyone who trains, teaches, or manages a barn has those particular days where it seems there is always another horse to ride, another lesson to add, or another stall to muck out. . . Those days are the ones that make you stop and wonder if you have what it takes today to get it all done. I find on those days, like today, I have to be very careful to guage my own energy and time to make sure that I give each of the horses the appropriate ride for the day.
Especially when it comes to the kids.
Training young horses is a little bit like cleaning the refrigerator. . . yes, the refrigerator.
It's not always the favorite job of the day, but it will certainly be appreciated by everyone around you, and it will certainly leave you with a certain amount of satisfaction when it's over. You have two ways you can clean the refrigerator: the shuffle method and the complete overhaul method. The shuffle method is the kind of cleaning you do when friends are coming over and they may just catch sight of the interior of your fridge while chatting in the kitchen. You (of course) are concerned with the cleanliness factor, but you are more interested in shuffling things around on the shelf, just making sure everything is presentable, the glass is clean, and there isn't ketchup running down the side of the wall. Also, you are hoping, and perhaps only looking with eyes half open, that you didn't forget about a takeaway meal or a leftover dish in the back. Although, if you did, it could probably just get shuffled to the back for analysis at a later date, as long as it wasn't growing or glowing.
The Complete Overhaul method, however, is the type of cleaning where you start with the jug of milk and keep going, emptying everything until you are dumping the tiny bits of onion skin out of the bottom drawer. You check every date, gingerly sniff, poke, stir and investigate the color and texture of everything to make sure it resembles 'normal' and, again, make sure nothing is growing or glowing.
Both methods have their purpose, but in the end no matter which way you choose to clean the fridge there is one thing you are hoping not to find, and that's SURPRISES.
Surprises like fuzzy strawberries from last week from the farmer's market and science project leftovers, cheese with so much mold it looks like it will grow legs and walk away; these are the kind of surprises that you really hope you're not going to find, but when you do you simply have to deal with it one way or another.
I do not like surprises when it comes to riding young horses. I watch, analyze, sometimes even poke a little at these budding athletes to identify whether they are head of the class, sleeping dragons, or like the kid in the back who keeps leaning back on his chair and throwing spitwads. I like to know, before I put my foot into that little metal stirrup that is attached to the saddle that is strapped tightly around their girth on which I will be depending for my very life, exactly what I'm dealing with. Longeing, long lining, even just going for a walk around the barn in hand are all ways that I gauge these young monsters, ehem, angels.
Granted, there is no way to know what to expect, but until you've found a few rotten tomatoes, and had to scrape the solidified mold-growing mystery sauce off the back shelf, you start to see patterns and do a little mental categorizing. Because surprises in the fridge can make you gag, but surprises on horseback aren't generally as minor.
There is a fine line between doing too much and doing too little when training a young horse, and that line changes every day, and not just because of growth and physical development. Some horses need less engagement more often to make them comfortable, some do better with a couple of days of intensity to interest them and the rest of the week spent in low-key exercises. Usually, after a few weeks, the horses show you the rhythm at which they need to learn.
I have two three-year-olds right now that are concentrating on entirely different things, but managing to stay nearly at the same development level. I also have a four year old, which I purchased and train at my home, but am usually limited to the time and energy I have left at the end of each day of what has been one of my busiest summers ever. All three of these horses I rode today, and I am so happy that today was significant in that it was an entire "non-event."
The "non-event" is my goal. I want the progress to be so gradual that it flies under the radar of worry and stress for the horse, and panic for me if I had to push to "make things happen." By letting the horses dictate the timeline, there are many more non-event days than eventful ones. Not that things don't happen. . . dogs run through the ring, the barn help slams the feedroom door and tips feed buckets across the aisle as you ride past. . . the wind blows. . . . there are butterflies outside. . . .it's tuesday. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's be prepared for the worst and sincerely expect NOTHING to happen.
Know how strong you are today, and how much you can handle: know how strong your horse is, and be opportunistic without being reckless. Sometimes things will happen and you will have to make a split second decision, and it may not always be the correct one, but with quick thinking you may be able to weigh the possible outcome before you act. There is always tomorrow, and sometimes tomorrow is the better choice. Other times, things need to be addressed today, but think first and address in clear, concise action and not anger or fear. And hopefully, the biggest surprise of all, is the nothingness that results; a quiet ride, 20 minutes on a young horse doing what we did two days ago, only just a tiny bit better with a tiny bit more understanding. The confidence that will bring to you both may be the biggest surprise of all, and that confidence you will, no doubt, have to hold onto at some point to shuffle through the days that don't go as well.
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