Lightness of being

Nothing feels as good as finally having success at something you’ve struggled to do for a long time with many setbacks and side tracks and feelings of not being good enough. When you do break through it’s like sunshine and brisk air blowing in after a torrid muggy heat spell. Everything sparkles.

So that’s what it’s like now for Champagne and me. Every ride we have a good rapport, nice implusion even at the walk (with a few reminders), canter each way on demand (even on a 20 meter circle), spiral in, spiral out, nice leg yields at walk and trot, backing up, turns on the haunches, turns on the forehand; all just as if it was easy, natural, and the simplest thing in the world.

Part of the change I attribute to me finally getting a better seat, being much more quiet in hands, legs and feet, and in general having more confidence about not falling off. Part of that is having survived a few spooks of medium intensity and retaining my seat and regaining control. Part of it is also Champagne learning to trust me and listen to the aids, which has come after pretty much a year of practice. Cath says I am now an “intermediate” rider (whereas for the first two years I was a beginner: apparently learning to ride is a long process).

However, I am wondering if some of it is the change in Champagne’s diet. When I got him, I was warned that he was an easy keeper, which means insulin resistant and prone to colic and hoof problems. He ate hay, was not allowed much grazing on grass, and instead of grain he had a concoction of rice, flax and wheat brans, sunflower seeds, and various vitamins, hoof health stuff and easy keeper supplements.

The vet changed all that. He still gets the vitamins and hoof health stuff, but now eats a special low-carb grain. He loves it. Previously he would take a couple of mouthfuls of his soupy mash, but turn to his hay flakes pretty early in his meal. Now he rattles and roots in his manger just like all the other horses, and cleans up every crumb of grain before he eats his hay. He’s like a vacuum cleaner. He isn’t gaining weight, at least judged by the saddle girth, but I’m thinking he is feeling more energetic as the added protein builds him up a bit. The proverbial “feeling his oats”, I guess. Plus he is off the thrush meds and his hooves look great.

The two of us are happy, happy campers right now!