Horses teaching people

[Kerry's Partner]

Having been taught to "listen" to my horse I can say without doubt that my horse has taught me to do so many things - just as she has listened to me (and others) and has been "taught" to do other things.

I just wondered how many wonderful stories you all have to tell.

[virtuallyhorses]

Oh boy where to start! I've had so many great teachers, although I have to admit that I didn't appreciate all the lessons at the time :o

My funniest one was when I thought I'd try some turn-on-the-forehand with my horse. I've done this before on school horses so cocky-me gives the aid - and I get a very hesitant step. I give the aid again and we move another step diagonally backwards. Hmmn We repeat this process with me trying various changes in my reins to make sure I'm not asking for 'rein back' but we have now made our way nearly to the other side of the school in a lovely backward leg yield or half pass type movement (rather impressive if only it were an accepted dressage movement)

- Now I'm thinking hmmn I have 3 choices
1. my horse is very stupid (err no, if only)
2. he's having me on (possible)
3. I'm a plonker and doing something terribly wrong here (most likely suspect whenever something goes wrong :rolleyes: )

So I sit and have a think about this before having another try - I ask him forward and he bounces happily into trot - so there's nothing wrong with him going forward off the leg. We halt again and I can almost see the anticipation coming out of his brain - what now?

I ask again - and again we start off backward diagonally - then I sit back and we sweep majestically sideways! I hear a big sigh! (and its not me) DOH!! Weight aids! Schoolmasters!!

Thankfully I couldn't hear the mental muttering that must have been going on inside his head :D Trust him to be such a smarty pants that he can actually do a backward halfpass rather than doing the 'right thing' to a wrong aid.

[Kerry's Partner]

WHAT a lovely tale. Kerry SIGHS a lot too - and I think that's a telling tale in itself - if one of yours did too I wonder how many others do (maybe they think we (humans) are the "SLOW" ones.

Interestingly Kerry too has taught me in the last two weeks to "ask" for turn on the forehand from walk - now I did NOT know how to do this. She will NOT do it exceptionally well unless asked properly - but she's teaching me HOW to do that and I think that's just amazing.

[Rakeli]

Not a funny one, but I t rminded me to allways give my horse a rest.
I was schooling Jazz, trying to do shoulder-in, and it just wasn't working:mad:. I was getting more and more angry, with both of us, as we did a beautiful one with our instructor a few days before, until I gave up and let him stretch. After a few minutes of de-stressing, I tried again. Voila, a perfect shoulder-in all the way down the long side, with a little snort a t the end, as if to say 'If only you listened, Mum!'
That pony is still cleverer than me, I'll have to work on that...;)

[Kerry's Partner]

After today. I have to say that I think Kerry, too, is by far brighter than I am.

It is odd but she too did such a brilliant shoulder in at walk - all down the long side of the outdoor school. Today 'though she was just wanting to show me that I should have listened to her last week when she was wanting to teach me something a bit more advanced!!!

Maybe it's because she just visited Devon this year.