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January 18, 2016: Horse Training Log Entry: Riding with Deb Moore’s Posse

Deb Moore called around noon – I actually answered the phone. She said that she was coming over with some young riders and that she’d be ready to go at 1:30 p.m. I said that Pete and I would join her.

I was nervous about riding with Deb, but I didn’t let this be known to Pete, the other rider. Riding in groups has never been my forte. I most like riding with Pete and getting our horses out. I was nervous for yet another reason and this was that I am well aware that since I’m instructing, and in this way in the public eye, that I should be an equally good rider.



I agreed to go on this ride because I was not so fearful to make some lame-ass excuse or to instead ride Tinni. Those days are behind me.

All total there were seven of us riders. One of the horses was Teddy, an Icelandic that I knew when I did a clinic in Fairbanks, many years back. A young kid was riding him, bareback, of course. His firecrackers days seemed to be over – he was gentle and extremely calm. The girls rode Deb’s older horses – bareback. Our trails this winter have some tricky spots. We’re used to them, but we know that others are not. We rode to the Grizzly Camp turnoff and then up to the tree fort.

On the way up, I asked Raudi (who was behind Tinni and Hrimmi) to canter, and she obliged. She threw in a few bucks as she did this, and I yelped. I then grounded myself, and got her settled down.

We all turned around at the fort – Raudi was then out front. She really liked that, but alas, we had to pull up and get behind Tinni and Hrimmi because Hrimmi repeatedly balked. Raudi didn’t like being behind the other two, but because she had no choice resigned herself to this.

The ride to the trailhead turnoff was uneventful. There Hrimmi balked – I got off Raudi and walked Hrimmi. This was far better than fighting with her – a simple “and walk” sufficed.

Tomorrow, Deb will come here and ride again. We won’t be able to join her because we have Feldenkrais class. I think that today’s ride went well because I relied heavily on the six basics. Soft ears – that’s a new one. Also, soft nose, soft jaw, soft cheek, soft butt – I am going to use these in an upcoming lesson.

Tomorrow is Feldenkrais day so I doubt that there will be time to ride. I have my regrets about this but suspect that my keeping up with the body work will have long term advantages for me. I suspect that this will do me a world of good, and also do my friends a world of good. A major life lesson was imparted to me recently – this is that people will do things when they are darn well good and ready.

Next: 19. 1/19/16: A Conversation with Rainbow

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