january 5: day 2

meet sailor.

thought themes: balance and movement.

today mary anne was talking with me about some ideas astride sailor. she explained something about our requests for balance from the horse, while directed at the horse's body, really ask for more than the physical - we are asking for their trust, because our request to alter their body's position and balance truly affects their very core being. this is a flight animal, who lives as prey, and their balance and position in space affects their ability to run from danger (and the horse's fear, which as craig translates is "FEAR: false expectations appear real," doesn't always come from the presence of real cougars or lions or actual hunter animals, but can come from the idea that there *might* be something scary to run from).

it's a big deal to think that if i ask for my horse to collect his legs underneath him, to elevate his head and connect with my hands on the reins, should he oblige, he is trusting me with his core and spirit... because in his world, he might want to be ready to run and flee in whatever way he prefers to hold his body - probably out of balance.

and craig's conversation with jodie and i today about that bay horse and how to get his body moving when his brain gets stuck... i learned so much in my brain that i really hope i can learn to carry out with my body and the horse. i'm finding that is not nearly as easy as it looks - integrating the physical conversation with the horse with what i may have just learned in my mind. simple, but not easy!

there are so many new and interesting thoughts swirling around in my brain - countless ideas i'm encountering that i'm trying to absorb and connect with.

really looking forward to digging into the texts i got today: Basic Equitation by Commandant Jean Licart and Understanding Equitation by Jean Saint-Fort Paillard.