Today in the ring Kim made the comment, "we're Bramblewood, even the blind horse canters." True! Then Rachel chimed in with, "That's just how we roll." Probably more hilarious if you were there but the events of the ring, D cantering that is, are starting to be come common place and it is so weird. My fully blind horse has been cantering for several weeks now and its just what we do now. I call it our new trick but really its not even that. D picks up his canter from a walk, most often on the right lead and gives me the most beautiful and relaxed canter ever. His consistency at the canter is quite amazing. He is calm and rhythmic and because of that I am able to guide and balance him without worrying about a rodeo scene. I have no false notions that this will never happen, he is a horse after all, but his steadiness has brought us into the common 3 gait workouts.
I have not consistently cantered a horse in nearly two years and so my body has had to adjust but it has been awesome. I am not really sure what changed but D and I have reached a really different place. He is ridden about three days a week and I am there a fourth which is not a ton for a 13 year old thoroughbred but its all I can manage with work. D has coped and flourished under our schedule and I find myself tacking my horse up and having fairly successful rides even when he has been off for 2-3 days. Its amazing!! I feel like we have scaled a super huge mountain. Most of the mountain I am sure was in my head. I have never given up on D, Kim pointed that out today and its true but I have had many moments where I have felt like what I was attempting was dumb but now I feel I've been given back my horse.
He has another cut on his leg, this time the the inside left front leg but he made it through a lot of storms without much incidence and its not as bad as what he has done in the past and his tolerance of me cleaning it has grown. I am under no delusion that we are out of the woods. And life with a blind horse is never easy. But the strides of the last few weeks have made me feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
So much of riding is letting go of ego and remembering that the horse you are working with is full of its own fears and deficiencies and unless you are ready to understand his and somehow fit yours with what he is able to give you, the ride is going to be one of battle rather than teamwork. I had a moment today when I saw D's leg and I got bummed because I so wanted to ride. He ended up being fine to ride but had he been lame, then the plans for the day adjust. He and I work the best together and that seems to have finally gotten into both of our heads.
