Those who know me .. know I massage horses to fill in my days .. so I work with horses all the time ... and I think I am reasonable at what I do ..
However .. there is this presumption on owner's parts that I am a rider ... well yes I have sat on a horse .. and occasionally taken one of my favourites out for a ride around Centennial Park (remember I am a city dweller) ...and my only attempt at a canter as an adult was in a dressage arena about 2 years ago and the girl getting me to try told me to relax .. I went so floppy my whip kept knocking the horse's shoulder and we just jumped up and down on the spot with me giggling too much to attempt it again ...

I am also on the rising side of 30's heading close up to 40 .. so getting a little old to fall off and not feel it ..

I haven't tried riding for about 18 months - two years .. and when someone said they would host the Sydney clinic for Mark Rashid ... I must have been too high on essential oils and whimsically said .. "I'd like to do that" .. so Lyndall quickly replied and said I could ride her horse ...  and I thought .. WHY NOT? and booked in ...

Two months before the clinic I thought I ought to go try this horse out .. Lyndall put me on her new quarterhorse and we went for a ride .. Lyndall said I had the death grip on the reins ... and slowly  loosened up each finger painstakingly ... we got to a gap in the fence and with my lack of skill ended up splitting my knee open when it connected with the corner post ...

I didn't ride for another month ... and went back up to Lyndall's for another go .. the horse was too sore.. I massaged him instead lol ... but did try the horse I would eventually ride in the clinic .. an off the track Thoroughbred .. 7 years old .. and only 20 months of training from Lyndall ... which I must say gave me one of the best possibilities of learning that weekend ... Lyndall had done a really wonderful job with this race horse, whose sire had  won the Melbourne Cup and he himself had been moderately successful on the track ..

Ummmmmm I was dismal .. so a month before the clinic ... in desperation I called a friend and asked if I could I ride this month to get ready for a clinic .. her horse is the only horse I had ridden this last decade ... and she thought I was insane even thinking of doing a clinic with some cowboy she had never heard of .. besides what would a cowboy know about dressage ... but for the two weeks after Christmas I rode each day .. only for 30 minutes or  so ... I had to ride with so much contact under her guidance my body ached and I was puffed too quickly to go any long than that .. then I rode Lyndall's Spring Festival and under Lyndall's instruction, I quickly learnt that it was safe to hold the buckle and to not squeeze the buggery out of a horse to get it to move ...

Then work got busy so for the last two weeks before the clinic ... I rode about 4 times ....

Anyway .. you needed to know my background ...

Finally it was time to ride with Mark... now I speak all the time .. and teach ... but the fear that set in when I finally led the horse into the arena was awesome .. I stood listening to Mark .. and my legs were shaking uncontrollably .... I finally got on Spring and all he could feel was me shaking .. he got so jumpy ... and we spent most of the first part of my session  going backwards ...

Mark finally had us so distracted with his stories I began to 'feel' the horse ... and what I felt  was quite amazing .. with Mark's help I was able to feel when the horse began to slow or quicken under me .. and sense when I might be able to get this horse to halt ... My entire lesson was at the walk...

I had never had a horse neigh under me .. that was weird ... I am not sure if I will ever get used to that either ... but within the hour Mark had me settled and able to pick when I was losing Spring's attention and to be able to stop and not then go backwards ... If you saw the session, this was a remarkable achievement ..

My feet had gone numb from the fact I had tried to curl my toes over the stirrups ...

The next day .. I was so excited about my achievements .. it was a bit weird with auditors coming up and saying how much they enjoyed watching my lessons ... and the more I was told how well I had done .. the more excited I was getting about my next ride .. wow I might even trot today ...

I bought the friend who had let me ride before the clinic a ticket so she could come and see what Mark was about and see me ride another horse ... she turned up and asked what I had  done the day before .. and I began to explain how I had walked the horse and all the things Mark had helped me feel .. and then her response was ... "Well I want you doing a good trot today so we can see what you are doing wrong" ... My heart just sank to the ground .. and a little further ... I couldn't even sit with her .. I went back to all the other riders and  suppressed a few tears ... By the time I was on .. I was again nervous ..

Anyway I was on just after lunch .. so I had time to just sit out the back with Spring and he helped me calm down .. I tried to avoid people as I was getting so much advice I was dizzy  .. and confused ...

I deliberately talked to Mark off to the side .. microphone off .. and when I told him ALL the advice I was being given .. I knew I was upset ... because I was on Spring then and he was beginning to do all the nervous stuff he had done the day before while I talked ... so Mark sent me off around the arena for a walk while he chatted to the crowd ...

We then sussed out Spring's sticky spots just going around the arena .. my riding was still improving ... and then it was time to trot ... Spring is much finer and Springier than the guy I had practiced on .. so I just got used to it ...

The work the day before helped me to moderate the pace .. and feel when I had to slow him or pick him up ... we just kept working and Mark kept talking .. there was one story he was halfway through before I realised I had missed most of it ...

We just kept working .. Lyndall quietly reminded me from the corner as I passed I was slouching and called out "Barbie Boobies" ... oh and when I first started trotting I was still tense so my right butt decided to cramp up .. just in front of all the auditors ...

Anyway .. I was begining to feel ok .. I was not looking at Springs head too often ...    we were getting around the arena and I wasn't puffing too  much .. and then something odd happened .. Spring's back kept coming up to meet my seat .. and I got a bit confused .. and  actually thought I was getting tired and doing something wrong ...

But DUH .. he was actually collected and moving nicely ...

You have no idea how amazing this felt when Mark actually told me what I was achieving ... anyway ... when he asked me if there was anything else Iwanted to do this weekend ..

I explained how I had intended for him to teach me to canter ... but after what I had just experienced I was happy to finish on a high ...

I did ask if I could try the fancy lateral stuff some other riders had been doing .. so we did a
few of those .. (though my glasses fogged up for that ) ... and even those were amazing .. just feeling how the horse would respond to the mildest of cues ...

I was just so wrapped when it was over .. when I got safely outside the arena I burst into tears with satisfaction ... just in time for a photographer to come up and want a snapshot ..

This last weekend showed me a lot ... and it was just magical all the way... Lyndall gave me a very responsive horse, one she can be very proud of ... he was a dream once I got over my nerves ... I managed to keep my heels down and my hands in a reasonable place from my other friend's instruction ... and I came away feeling like I had experienced something  special ...

Anyway .. if I can do what I did in two sessions with Mark Rashid .. others could achieve much more .. I joked around that there was a one-day-event on in month's time .. and in all honesty ... if I could keep Mark in Australia for that month .. I reckon I would have a good chance of getting around the course .. without Mark here .. I think I will safely practice and build on what he taught me ...

Just a quick note to close off ...

On Friday night before I packed for the weekend .. I got a rushed email congratulating me on being NON-RIDER of the year at my riding club ...  hey may have to watch their other trophies soon

Many of the auditors at my clinic were clients, friends or business contacts so now I have been offered a wide variety of horses to keep on  developing my skills ...all I know is when I dismounted from Spring that afternoon I felt like I could fly and if I wanted Spring would have sprouted wings and flown with me ..

regards

Catherine
January 2000

You can read more about Catherine and her work at her website Healthy Happy Horses, Naturally or you can join her mailing list about the benefits of massage, herbalism, aromatherapy, TTeam and other natural therapies for you and your horse here

Mark Rashid has a website here