Poplar is my Everest. I think about her, and how to develop our relationship, as well as her mind and body, near constantly. I don't bother to even think about the "ending", the summit, the release at the end of the rope, a trustworthy trail partner. All I think about is the climb, the exertion and willpower, which it will, definitively, take for me to unlock the potential of my chestnut Everest. I thought, when I purchased her, that our journey together would be like driving through a parking lot. That we would encounter only a few speed bums along the way, but easily cruse over them and around the deeper ruts which pocket the asphalt. I was wrong, and that's hard to swallow, but OK. I thought that her incredible brain (read: crafty) would make her easier, that her powerful will (read: stubborn) would make her a stronger partner from the very beginning, and that her strength and unflappable mindset (read: not afraid of you) would make her as efficient and easy as a Prius running in Eco mode. I was wrong, yet again. She is as mysterious as a wooded, smoky mountain, yet, she is my mountain. My little Kentucky Everest.
The incredible athleticism, mental strength, and personality which this mare possesses are the deceptively hidden rewards of a journey which will require every minute portion of patience, knowledge, understanding, and persistence which I possess. She will be either become my harbinger or my dream maker, and the time and effort I put into her, will determine which part of the trail we walk upon most often, the ruts or the green. I simply can't devise how to express how much I like this horse, I would argue, that one day, she will be the one showing Oz how it is to be done.
The difficulty with this mare comes from her absolute lack of fear and complete confidence in herself, she essentially does not need nor desire "our" guidance. The best way I have come to understand her, is through the analogy of growing up. Usually, a horse would begin to see humans as herd leaders as foals, babies, they learn to give to pressure, to seek release, to find comfort in our presences. This way, when they are started as teenage colts and fillies, the feeling of release and "giving" to pressure is a natural process, a continuation of the handling which they have received all of their lives. They naturally see humans as dominant herd members who's attention and affections are of the highest importance. As (essentially) a range bred horse, Poplar comes from a different world entirely; she is the mid-twenties woman who has always danced to her own beat, she drives a hatchback, and has plans to solo hike the John Muir Trail before her 30th birthday. She does not need anyone, because she never learned to. If she does not want to do something, she does not do it, bottom line. She's stubborn, hard to convince, but craves engagement and stimulation. She's my Everest.
What fun.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
Post ride!
(Since this blog is more of a personal reflective record than anything else, please excuse me if the language in this one is a bit convoluted. Many things have happened since the last post, and I feel that it will be somewhat difficult to keep things compartmentalized and organized. I'm going to try my best, so hopefully it makes sense in the grand scheme of things.)
The second half of Summer has given us a world of changes, both physical, mental, and emotional. First and foremost among such changes is the fact that Oz and I went to and successfully completed our very first limited distance ride! We did it! I want to shout it from the rooftops! We did it! We rode the full 25 miles with two good friends, and had a roaring good time the entire ride through. Even when I was reeling from the shock of having to go out again after the first 15 mile loop, as I was ridiculously unprepared for the pace at a ride, we were having fun through the exhaustion. Oz was a rock star, he pulsed down instantly when we came into camp, and stood perfectly for the vet, who complimented him every check for his happy attitude and calm demeanor. He was ears forward the entire ride, and was a powerhouse until the very end. I never knew we had a HA gear, as Brenda, my mentor called it, but we were in Hauling Ass gear most of the ride! It was definitely the best first ride experience I could have asked for, what an adventure! We ended up winning the Turtle award, and were very proud to be the last pair to finish the ride within the time parameters. This was extremely unintentional, I had assumed that once you were clocked "in" to ride camp you were within the time parameters and took my time cooling Oz down before getting his heart rate checked. Annt! Wrong! Oops! We still finished with about 50 seconds to spare! Yippie!
Our vet card was great, with a single exception, all A's and one C on back score. Oz was back sore, incredibly sore, I am truly surprised that we passed the vet exam at the end of the ride. Our saddle that we thought was a great fit, really showed its true colors after 25 miles of pounding trail. Its a no go, but we found a replacement which I will mention in my next post. I'm super excited about it! All in all, the ride was a huge success and we broke the mental blockade of the "first ride." Oz carried me to both the very beginning as well as to the summit of a long seated dream which I had almost given up on. Thanks buddy!
On the reverse end of the monster pony spectrum, the Poplar chronicle continues. Things are...going. She has exceed my expectations in the worst possible way. Why oh why am I not surprised? Needless to say, I am definitely worried at this point about getting her back and being able to ride her safely. She has been bucking with and without a rider...four feet off the ground, "I'm going to Texas for Christmas!" type bucking and will be staying at the trainers for another 30 days because of this. I bought a protective vest and I plan on duct taping myself to the saddle. I am hoping that it is just a saddle fit issue or a quirk that can we worked out. I should be OK, I've got this. Right guys?!
Ugh, horse ownership in a nutshell. The highs, the lows, the lower lows, and on we go!
The second half of Summer has given us a world of changes, both physical, mental, and emotional. First and foremost among such changes is the fact that Oz and I went to and successfully completed our very first limited distance ride! We did it! I want to shout it from the rooftops! We did it! We rode the full 25 miles with two good friends, and had a roaring good time the entire ride through. Even when I was reeling from the shock of having to go out again after the first 15 mile loop, as I was ridiculously unprepared for the pace at a ride, we were having fun through the exhaustion. Oz was a rock star, he pulsed down instantly when we came into camp, and stood perfectly for the vet, who complimented him every check for his happy attitude and calm demeanor. He was ears forward the entire ride, and was a powerhouse until the very end. I never knew we had a HA gear, as Brenda, my mentor called it, but we were in Hauling Ass gear most of the ride! It was definitely the best first ride experience I could have asked for, what an adventure! We ended up winning the Turtle award, and were very proud to be the last pair to finish the ride within the time parameters. This was extremely unintentional, I had assumed that once you were clocked "in" to ride camp you were within the time parameters and took my time cooling Oz down before getting his heart rate checked. Annt! Wrong! Oops! We still finished with about 50 seconds to spare! Yippie!
Our vet card was great, with a single exception, all A's and one C on back score. Oz was back sore, incredibly sore, I am truly surprised that we passed the vet exam at the end of the ride. Our saddle that we thought was a great fit, really showed its true colors after 25 miles of pounding trail. Its a no go, but we found a replacement which I will mention in my next post. I'm super excited about it! All in all, the ride was a huge success and we broke the mental blockade of the "first ride." Oz carried me to both the very beginning as well as to the summit of a long seated dream which I had almost given up on. Thanks buddy!
On the reverse end of the monster pony spectrum, the Poplar chronicle continues. Things are...going. She has exceed my expectations in the worst possible way. Why oh why am I not surprised? Needless to say, I am definitely worried at this point about getting her back and being able to ride her safely. She has been bucking with and without a rider...four feet off the ground, "I'm going to Texas for Christmas!" type bucking and will be staying at the trainers for another 30 days because of this. I bought a protective vest and I plan on duct taping myself to the saddle. I am hoping that it is just a saddle fit issue or a quirk that can we worked out. I should be OK, I've got this. Right guys?!
Ugh, horse ownership in a nutshell. The highs, the lows, the lower lows, and on we go!
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