Yesterday, Grotty was once again taking the second lesson slot, so Baggy needed to be active for the fourth day in a row, at 6.00am! Unlike Monday and Tuesday, that were hot and sunny and left Baggy with very peculiarly designed sunburn, Wednesday was chilly and raining quite hard. When Grotty Groom and Calum went to get the Boys in so that they could dry off, they were not quite as relaxed as the previous two nights. Freda Fretter was worried about the change of routine, and as Baggy was regretting the choice of food the night before, she had to shoot to the loo. Grotty told Calum to wait for her, as Wesley would get rather upset if Joey left him. Calum had other ideas. By the time Baggy got back, he was leading Wesley in and Joey was having a total temper tantrum in the paddock. Sigh! Grotty waited with Wesley for Calum to get the head-collar and bring in a cold, grumpy Joey. They settled in their stables,
and dried off enough for Grotty to tack up. Grotty took Wesley into the school. The laid-back, calm, relaxed horse of the previous two days, was no more! He called and called Joey and was so wired, that he felt like he might go pop. Against her better judgement, Clever Bird made Grotty mount him. Hormonal Hannah wasn't happy with her. Baggy was absolutely terrified. Becky (our lovely trainer) said she was just popping into the house for a minute. Calum was trying to calm Joey, who was losing the plot in his stable! The other ladies, almost as one, stood up to go and "do things", like make cups of tea. Wesley whinnied so hard, that Baggy was being vibrated out of the saddle; her life flashed before her eyes as she felt him decide to spin to the gate; Grotty stopped him. Clever Bird explained that Grotty was riding a different horse today and could one of them keep an eye on Baggy for a while? They did. Becky came back and instantly saw the state that Baggy and Wesley were in. Wesley walked and called. Baggy got more and more scared.
Becky focussed Baggy giving clear instructions to Grotty, but by now Freda and Hannah were in charge and the situation was not improving. Then Grotty heard, "When you feel like it, halt Wesley, undo your air jacket and dismount". Baggy instantly relaxed and Wesley's energy dropped a little. Grotty jumped off,
Both took a big deep breath and relaxed a little more. Becky came in to the manege and showed Wesley and Grotty how to take charge of the situation, "in hand". Hormonal Hannah took over Baggy who could only think that, "Grotty had failed, and after the brilliance and fun of the previous two days it was a disaster". She made Baggy cry, which Becky subtly ignored as she explained the benefits of using in hand work when a situation has become potentially dangerous, as she walked Wesley round, demonstrating the technique, as Grotty followed and tried to make Baggy concentrate. Then it was her turn.
It took a while and a serious amount of concentration, but eventually Grotty was calm enough for Wesley to trust that she was okay to be with, and perhaps he didn't need to call to his brother every couple of minutes.
"When you're ready, take him to the mounting block and remount". "Oh okay, maybe it wouldn't be such a disaster then", thought Grotty as Baggy's heart rate shot back up. "Don't worry, I'll stay with you". Clearly Baggy's bottom lip had shot back under her teeth!
But within a couple of minutes, Grotty and Wessles were back on track and Becky went back to her microphone.
Becky told Grotty to pull him up and praise him. The relief on both their faces!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!! Different Grotty, different horse; both Baggy and Wesley were now relaxed and ready to work. Grotty had the confidence to reassure Wesley that he was okay with her and did not need to keep worrying about Joey, the audience, the birds, the gliders, or anything apart from what he was doing! Big relieved grins all round. And so much support from the other "students" that meant so much.
New way of riding. New way of thinking. New way of responding to potentially dangerous situations. New way of training Grotty and Wessles. The first steps in a long journey, but a journey towards an even closer bond between the pair. Soooooooo happy. Wesley is no longer a jack-knifing jelly fish as Grotty now knows how to "steer" him correctly, so that he has to hold himself together; now to learn the method properly and to put it into practice for ever more!
Grotty took an exhausted and emotional Baggy and Wesley back to his stable and his brother (who hadn't been eaten by a monster), and met Calum who congratulated her. Baggy burst into tears - of relief! Cal made her a cup of tea. Horses settled, they went off to watch the next lessons by which time it had stopped drizzling.
Cal was on in the late morning. Now Joey was going to have to leave Wesley in his stable, but Wesley had company, so Grotty decided to try not to worry. He was fine. He called Joey lots, but did nothing daft. Joey called back once, then got on with it! Bless him.
Becky decided to teach Joey how to "glide" i.e. to extend his front legs instead of planting them in short little steps.
Cal took over. Joey is such a good lad, he wants to learn even though he finds it a little difficult, as its so opposite to the "stunt riding" schooling that Cal and he have had previously.
Baggy was so proud of them both. Especially when they took everything they had learnt into a beautifully forward-going trot, with Joey's little face asking, "WTF is happening here? I don't do this fancy stuff!" But clearly he does, as does Cal!
The sun came out on them both and suddenly it was very warm again, but Cal too has been inspired to learn this new way of riding and schooling too. Watch out world! Joey is no longer a wonky steam roller, he is a flexible, forward going superstar, and Cal now believes (as he should), that he can ride! Yee-hahs all round.
The afternoon workshop, where everyone's lessons are discussed from the videos that Becky shoots, was a revelation to Clever Bird! Baggy knows what Grotty was sitting on at the start of her lesson - Wesley, the highly-strung, solid-backed, nervous horse who feels like an unexploded bomb. She knows how Baggy was feeling - sick, tearful and terrified! What she saw in the video was a horse calling, with a relaxed-looking in control rider on his back! WTF? No wonder when Grotty says to her friends out riding, "I am on an unexploded bomb", they sometimes look at her as if she's an idiot, unless they (like Calum) has seen what Wesley can do! Thankfully, Becky who has never seen Wesley's over-reactive spooks, could see exactly what Wesley "felt" like and how Baggy was feeling!!!!!!!!! So, although at the time, it felt like a disaster, Clever Bird is delighted that Wesley felt as he did, and that Grotty now has a resolution! A very simple demonstration from Becky to Clever Bird about the effect, or rather lack of it, that Grotty has on the reins when Wesley does freak out, was also mind-blowing! That alone would have been worth every penny spent on the training!
All-in-all, it has been a truly inspiring "holiday", where they didn't just learn a load of stuff that will give Wesley, Joey, Calum and Grotty a boost, but where they've all made some lovely new two and four-legged friends!
The Boys loaded well. Travelled well. And couldn't wait to charge around their paddocks once they got back to home........
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