Liberation

Horsemanship is cyclic in the path; you learn, you grow, you find incompetence at some level, learn, and grow. Hopefully, you don't have many runs of static amongst that cycle because static horsemanship is really just rotting horsemanship. When you stop learning, growing, changing, the journey suffers; it begins to slowly slip downhill because your horse and you need the presence of new challenges in order to thrive.

I am so glad when I feel the incompetence pop up in my awareness because then I know that my horsemanship journey is still kicking. It's even better when I feel us growing because of course that is the fruit of the struggle; the reason that you pushed on.

Today we were growing and I realized a level of incompetence. Weee!

Blu tagged along while I was picking the paddock. It was good that he was hanging out with me.

When I came out with just a carrot stick, I decided to stay in the dry paddock with Blu instead of going to the arena. We proceeded to play at liberty. I tested his "velcro" and sometimes it ripped. We were playing with his spins and once when I encouraged him, it was too much and he shot off. Another time it ripped was when we I asked for the trot on his close circles.

Once things were getting more solid with the circles, sideways, and spins, I began to combine them. After each combination I gave him an appropriate amount of processing time. During the combinations, it felt so GOOD!

I ended the first session with me sitting on the fence for a while with Blu.

I came back and continued to play. We did sideways to and away in me and my shadow, played with forward and backward, trotting liberty circles, spins, pizazzy stuff with his mane as a "line" and more combining.

When it felt like it couldn't get any better, we stopped. It was during a cutting game that Blu was really digging into the dirt with. It was awesome.

I talked with my friend Maree and at one time Blu pawed. I sent him around in a circle and when he got to Maree, he got stuck and decided to leave. It took him quite a while to come back, but Maree and I just chatted away.

The incompetence was my velcro with Blu and knowing where the limit is so I can stretch it and retreat. Also, Blu's expression was sometimes tight, so I grew by using the quit on the exact expression I wanted and when he was moving through his body. This was really illustrated when Blu was trotting next to me and he was tight under the neck and mouth. I put my hand on his neck as we went along. When he put his head down, I quit.

So, we were growing today. It's good to be in such a state when I know the great heights that we are growing up toward.

Natural Horsewoman Out.