Less is More

Wishing I was Younger

With every horse I have owned I feel that what I am learning can be put to good use to benefit the next horse. My most pleasant learning experience was with Gulliver obviously over 13 years we had our ups and downs but he was probably the one horse who paved the way for Charlie. As I have failed dismally in the posting of Charlie photos I am going to treat you all to a little bit of Gully. I bought him at 4 and retired him at 17 (his age not mine). Now of course I have to pick photos that make us look good.
Ummh let me see now I like these two so there you go.

26June2005

Autumn2008



 

I am now finding chunks of some of the best of my learning experience from two instructors I had during the Gully years namely Emily and Irma beginning to gel quite nicely. Now I am learning with Tori I feel another great layer in my education being slapped on top of the old wallpaper of earlier teaching. So if I had bought Gully now as a 4 year old I would be doing such great things but then maybe I didnt have the understanding or the time I have now.

We have the Book

Quite by chance I saw a post on a Facebook group referring to "Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage" by Phillipe Karl. I have only just started to read it but it is reiterating the teaching of all three ladies and has reminded me that Less is in fact More and is also clarifying where I want to go with Charlie and why. Someone once taught me how to get a horse in outline. I cannot recall the exact words but it involved a leg or two. a bend and a circle and was to be done robotically when I asked why this worked was told because it does.

Now I am happily in the land of you do X because this is how the horse moves and understands and currently my favourite word is Légèreté (I have two other favourite words Wine and Chocolate but they are no use to Charlie). The other word I need to keep to hand is a little daunting Biomechanics.
I like to read and ponder and lets hope I get past the first few pages. I have a better understanding of why it is so important to train Charlie in the school in order to stay on board when we are out and the chips are down. I just hope it doesnt take me 13 years.

So the Future is Less

Already using my positively charged brain I have had some success with the lad. Keeping it simple but also hit the buffers on some issues with him but perhaps I now understand why which of course is half the battle. I never have the camera to hand so the best I can offer of Charlie is a piccy of his lovely clip.