I Don't Know What I Don't Know

We were able to ride Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The temperatures were quite warm but we toughed it out, the good little horsemen that we are. Sunday we rode along the canal to a feedlot a couple of miles away. The cows are the ultimate scary object. Put them next to a canal and you have the ingredients for an exciting ride. Dusty is the brave one although we each got to take a turn at leading. Once by the cows we had a big open field to do some loping. We even loped side-by-side for awhile without them racing each other.

Saturday's ride was out to the development. We did the loop backwards from our normal direction. This is the aqueduct bridge we cross.



There were some atv riders out there and they were jumping off the bridge. We were on the bridge when one crawled out of the water and jumped from the bank of the canal into the water. The splash caused the horses to do a "standing shy" because the noise came right from under them.

They cleared a new area at the development and it's a graded, big, flat area. We practiced loping and even tried loping circles together and had a little success with that. We can tell the horses are getting in pretty good condition because they did sweat, but it was never dripping off of them, and there was just the slightest breeze. It had to be close to 100 degrees. Well, they're in good condition, that is, if sweating is an indicator of physical conditioning. By the time we get home the only damp spot is under the saddle pad.

Friday evening's session was out back with the cones and rails. Jessie did some really nice loping through the cones. She's slowing down so we can make a little sharper turn and she's anticipating a lead change and quickly drops to a trot for a step as she changes. Flying changes are just around the corner (from the "famous last words" department).


The Feedlot

We had been toying with the idea of going to a horse show. The Paint organization puts it on. They had a green WP class and a green trail class. Instead of taking the horses, after our ride on Sunday we headed over there to scout the class. We think we could have at least not embarrassed ourselves. I'm still unsure if I want to do the whole show scene. Maybe it's my experience with dog shows, but I'm just not comfortable around shows. You see a lot of hinky stuff. One guy was fencing his horse to stop in the 200 foot arena. Okay, I understand you want to train, but the show is over fella, it's 3 in the afternoon, easily over 100 degrees, the footing is not conducive to sliding, do you really need to run this horse down 10-15 times?



It was nice to see the course and we have most of the obstacles in our practice area, except for the bridge. There is another one in August so we'll see how we (Ranae and I) feel about it by then.


How many? Well, we count their feet and divide by four.

Coming up this Saturday we have a lesson scheduled with Matt Sheridan. After the workshop the girls said they wanted to take a couple of lessons and I said I would join them. Each of them have something they want to work on. Sometimes I just have the overwhelming feeling that I don't know what I don't know. The only thing I really want to work on is loping. It's an hour lesson. Can you do that for an hour? Is there something else I should toss in there? Any suggestions would be helpful.

I changed out my mecate reins for split reins. I had made these reins when I had my first horse, Tex. There were a lot of miles on these reins. They even had the little magic marker marks where the center was. Geesh. Who gets nostalgic over a set of reins? It felt funny not riding in them, but sooner or later I knew I would have to change, particularly if I ever want to ride one-handed.


Taking a Break

Matt Sheridan - The Final Day

As tired as I was from Saturday's riding I found myself awake at 3 in the morning mentally reviewing the stuff we had done. Thankfully, it didn't take long and I fell right back to sleep. We got to the ranch a little after 7 and fed and mucked the pens. The pens were small, maybe 14x14, but Jessie made it her home. It looked like she had laid down. She had cleaned up her alfalfa (we had fed extra) and she was drinking water.

It was another beautiful morning in Tehachapi, little warmer than Saturday and a perfect day for riding. Although I've lived in Bakersfield most of my life, I never really explored much of Tehachapi. The rolling hills offer scenic beauty and the higher elevation keeps the temperatures cooler than the valley floor. This is really beautiful country and it's only an hour away.

After taking care of the horses we hooked up the trailer so it would be ready to go at the end of the day, and had breakfast. Matt held a Cowboy Church session after breakfast and then it was off to the arena.

We spent some time reviewing positions #1, #2, and #3. Then we learned #4 which is a pivot on the haunches. Jessie was getting the hang of most of this as my timing and touch got more consistent. It is still not automatic as far as my hand and leg positions go. (We went out Tuesday night to review and work on them and we all had to help each other to get them right. Good thing there were three of us there.) I may try using my spurs this weekend to see if I get a better response to some of my leg cues.

Matt set up three rails on the ground about 2 ½’ - 3’ apart and we did some trot-overs. Jessie was rushing a bit so he suggested I collect her before she got to the poles and that helped. In the trail classes you get deductions for the horse "ticking" the poles so it is important they pick their feet up.. He moved the poles to about 6’ apart and removed one and we did the same exercise at a lope. This was the first time I had loped Jessie all weekend and she felt really good. Her speed was nice (Matt said this would help her speed control), she was still a little “leany” in the corners (a chronic problem), and she took the rails pretty well. I would have liked to try it in the other direction, but I was happy with this.

Ranae got to work the gate and Dusty did okay. It’s hard opening a gate correctly. I think I have most of this on video but the audio is terrible and it takes Ranae a bit of time to get through it all. ;>)

We worked in the trail course for awhile. He put as much water in the water obstacle as he could and we all went through it. The horses had given up their union card by this time.

Then it was time for….more food! Matt had a trail ride scheduled for the afternoon. It was a great way to counter-balance the teaching and intensity of the arena. He was going to take us to a place he called the “moon rock”. We tacked up around 2pm and headed out through the trails of Matt’s ranch. Jessie had an “all hands on deck” attitude as we winded through the sagebrush and junipers. The wind was blowing and she could feel monsters around every corner. I picked up on her face a couple of times to slow her down and that seemed to help.


Matt and Renee (with an 'E') Take the Lead

Susan, Melanie, and Ranae Against the Tehachapi Mountains
We worked our way through a few small hills. Jessie was walking out at a pretty good pace. We got past all the houses and there was a steep hill. Matt had said it would get rocky in places. Jessie is barefoot, but she has good strong feet and I hoped they would stand up to this trail. The first uphill pull was tough. Jessie wanted to race up it and, as Matt explained it, she was trying to pull herself up the hill with her front end instead of pushing up with her hind end. Again, bridling her up slowed her down, helped get her back end under her, and the exertion of the climb quieted her mind.

When we "trail ride" at home it is most often along a road next to a canal or field crop or a trail along the river. There’s not a lot of up-and-down or off-roading. It's all flat. So, when we got to the remnants of an old mine and Matt said “There is an abandoned well over here. Let’s go look at it” and he veered off the side of the hill through the brush, I have to say my eyes got kind of big.

“Where in the H-E-double hockey sticks is he taking us?” was my first reaction. Then I remembered all the experiences and the places he had ridden and thought “Now this WAS the way to go on a trail ride”. Let the horses handle the uneven terrain. There is also a trust when I’m with a teacher that he's not going to ask us to do something he hasn't done before. Matt instills that kind of confidence.


A View From the Top

Susan, Matt, and Melanie
On Charlie, Mocha, & Cindy

We explored the well, which was dry (there’s a drought in California) and headed on back up to the trail and up the mountain. The temperatures were perfect, but the wind was blowing pretty hard in spots. My hat blew off even though it was scrunched down on my head. We started at an elevation of around 4,000 feet and at the highest point we reached 5,077 feet. (Renee had a GPS unit on her wrist.) We ascended a couple of more steep inclines with intermittent breaks for the horses to catch their breath. The horses were handling the elevation pretty good. No one was in any distress or even breathing hard. The views were beautiful. Matt mentioned that there were bears in the area, but we only saw a few rabbits and a horny toad. We took this picture up at the top.


Moon Rock
The picture doesn't do it justice.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Traveling back down hill was uneventful. Jessie negotiated the trail and the rocks. She wasn't rushing down any of them and she wasn't crowding any of the other horses. Her feet were a chipped in a few places. I filed off the rough spots when we got back to Bakersfield and she was a little tender on her feet for a few days, but she is back to normal now. It was a two and a half hour trail ride and a perfect way to end the weekend.

I had mentioned to Matt that Jessie pulled back when she was in the front position of the trailer. In the back position she is okay, but in the front position she just can not wait to get out of the trailer. He said he would help and asked me to show him what was going on. With everyone standing around watching, when I asked Jessie to get in she just got up in my space. Matt took over and showed me a more effective way to “ask” and then, once in the trailer, how to keep her nose in the corner while I moved the slant or did whatever I needed to do. When we got home she thought about rushing out, but I got her to put her nose in the corner and when she relaxed, she quietly backed “straight” out of the trailer.

Matt does four clinics a year at his ranch. He is available for clinics in other areas and I think he said that all he needs is 10 people at $225 a head and an arena to work in. This clinic was $300 and all three of us from Bakersfield thought it was worth every penny. Matt is quite likeable and very entertaining, but the thing I like the most was his willingness to share his knowledge. He tells you specifically what to do, how to do it, and stays on you until you get it. He reads a horse (and probably rider too) extremely well and really should have people beating down his doors to get in one of his clinics. (They may be. With the limited number of students he takes, he could be full up). The hospitality and family atmosphere made me feel like I was going to a cousin’s house for a weekend. He also gives lessons which I think we are going to try and take advantage of if time is available this summer.

If you would like to learn more about Matt Sheridan, visit the Matt Sheridan website here.

Thanks Matt. Thanks Jennifer.

Matt Sheridan Clinic - Saturday

About 3:30 in the morning I woke up. I couldn't go back to sleep. I was going over the exercises in my head and reviewing yesterday afternoon's session. I had come to the clinic basically because Ranae had gotten it as an anniversary present. From my perspective Jessie and I were having a good ol' time working the the Downunder DVD's and trail riding. I hadn't really thought I was stuck in a rut, but maybe I was. One of the things Downunder teaches is "exaggerate the teach and refine as you go" and I came to the realization that I wasn't really refining anything. Slowly I came to the conclusion that a) I was not asking enough of her and b) I was not asking enough of myself in helping her to progress.

Now in fairness to me, I just don't know how much a horse can really do. Even though I watch a lot of good riders, I never thought the stuff they do was within our grasp. I mean, I can watch Tiger Woods shape a ball around a tree, negotiate a bunker, and land on the green, but all I'll be able to do is take aim and hope the ball goes straight (and that is not usually enough to make it go straight). Anyway, thoughts about where my horsemanship needed to go rattled around in my head until I fell back asleep.

We got to Matt's place around 7:30 am and fed the horses and mucked their stalls before having breakfast. It was in the 60's and a little breezy. Perfect weather for riding. Matt setup some cones and laid some posts down and we reviewed a bit from yesterday, then worked on weaving the cones at a walk and trot. We then worked on backing through the cones which were set up in a straight line and we had to weave between them.

Matt's very experienced in trail classes and I gathered he judged many of them. Melanie and Renee show in those classes so a lot of what he was teaching us was how to approach the obstacles as if we were doing a class. It's very exacting and we moved through the obstacles one step at a time. This was very helpful in helping me consciously direct Jessie's body parts.

We side-passed over a rail set up in a "V" pattern and he gave us some tips on how to approach and where to put our horse so we could negotiate the angle without ticking the rail.



Next was the tire drag. He showed us how to introduce the tire to our horses and then we each got to drag the tire around the arena which was great fun. He also had a couple of us track the tire (like tracking a cow) as he dragged it around and we were trying to get Jessie to rate her speed to his changing speed. She actually stepped in the tire and it tripped her up. I have a lot of confidence in her ability to keep her balance based on some of the stuff she's encountered out on the trail so this didn't worry me. When we approached the tire again she was much more careful about the speed changes.

He then introduced a 40" ball and we took turns getting to push that around. Everybody did pretty good at that. He showed us some roping tips and then it was time for lunch.

After lunch Matt brought out a bunch of different bits and bridles and gave us his philosophy on the various pieces of hardware. This kind of stuff is still like reading Chinese to me, but I'm sure it will start to gel somewhere down the road. Matt says he likes to progress from the snaffle to a Billy Allen bit. We may give that a try.


Water Obstacle


Walk Over Around a Corner


Wooden Bridge


After lunch we went outside the arena in a trail/obstacle course he had set up. He had a water hole (still a work in progress, but more than adequate), a wood bridge, some rails on the ground in a quarter circle, a ditch, another step over obstacle, and a "U" shaped backup. There were a couple of obstacles in there we didn't use like a cavaletti(?sp), and an elevated step over. We worked each of these for most of the afternoon and then we went back in the arena to play some horse soccer.

Horse soccer was pretty crazy. Renee with her half Arab was right in there getting after the ball. Her horse was pretty dominant and Jessie was a bit intimidated but, I kept her in there and she held up fairly well. I was yanking on her mouth pretty good though and felt bad about it afterwords. Matt said horses generally forgive you for tugging on them if you have a purpose or a job and chasing the ball was the "job".

I think we played for about 40 minutes or so and then it was time to put the horses up and have dinner. One of the things that was nice about the clinic is that Matt had a little 3"x5" piece of paper with about 10 things he wanted to get done. We worked our way through them, but if someone had a problem or got stuck somewhere we just stopped and fixed it. It was low key yet we still covered quite a lot.

I think it was after lunch that Ranae had mentioned the Julie Goodnight program and the stuff Dusty pulls one her. Matt asked if he still did it and Ranae said yes. After a little discussion Matt asked if he could see what she was talking about. This problem has haunted Ranae for quite some time and she'll try anything to fix it, so she got Dusty going in a circle and, sure enough he started to act up. I was in the middle of the arena and Ranae and Matt were on the near side where the "cutting dummy" is setup. Now all this happens in about twenty seconds, if that. Dusty starts humping up and it throws Ranae off balance. I've seen this before. Matt is about 20 feet away and I'm about double that. I see Ranae fumble for the reins. I wonder if Matt has a way to help her out. I know Dusty will likely go until he dumps her (like I said, I've seen this before). I see Ranae grab both reins and I know her brain has stopped. I yell, "ONE REIN! ONE REIN!" It's enough for her to gain control and then Matt was right there to keep them working and really make Dusty work for trying to dump her.




Matt has a different take on the one-rein stop and he had explained earlier in the day some of his reasons why he doesn't like to use it. I got teased a little bit for yelling "one-rein", but 28 years of marriage tells me when she needs a little help and it got the job done.



After a great dinner we got to watch Matt's acting chops as an extra in the TV movie, Deadman's Revenge, staring, in his comeback role, Bruce Dern. Matt had a lot of great stories about the actors and life on the set. I think it was about 10 pm when we finally got back to the hotel. We jotted down a few notes, took a shower and went to bed.

Feed the Body - Feed the Brain

If you want to improve your horsemanship, go to a Matt Sheridan clinic. Don't go because of the food. No one would blame you if you did, but at least pretend your "real" purpose is to improve your horsemanship. Matt and his wife Jennifer took great care of us. We got dinner Friday night (Morrocan Chicken and cous cous), breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Tri-tip, baked potatos and beans) on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday. We did not go hungry.

(I took a lot of pictures with my cheapo camera, so some of them aren't as clear as I would like. I do have about an hour of video. I just put the camera on a post and turned it on. Not sure what all is on it, but there has to be some good stuff. The wind makes the audio tough to hear. We'll see if I can make something good out of it.)

Matt's a lot of fun. He was well aware that most of my knowledge is Clinton Anderson based and I got a fair amount of ribbing for it, but it also opened doors to many conversations on the different training approaches. The whole of my horse behavior knowledge was born in the summer of 2005 when RFD started airing their horse shows. I didn't get my first horse, Tex, until December of '05, so one of my goals was to get some hands on experience to expand my horsemanship. I went with the intention of keeping my mouth shut and my ears open to try and get as much information as I could. Matt's experience is expansive and the great thing is he is willing to share EVERYTHING. It's like trying to drink out of a fire hose. It is tough to take it all in. Too bad we can't do one of those Vulcan mind meld things. So how was the clinic structured? Well, let's get stuck in it, mate:

Friday
I had to work in the morning to help the person who would fill in for me at the store. I got up early and gave Jessie a clip and a bath, cleaned the pens, and Ranae drove me to work. The trailer was hooked up and ready and she would load the horses and pick me up on the way out of town. We got to Matt's ranch about 3PM (times may be off, I don't wear a watch), unloaded, got the horses settled in their pens. The weather was perfect - mid 70's and a little breezy (It's almost always breezy in Tehachapi. That's why they have the wind farms there). Matt gave us a tour and a talk about what was scheduled for the weekend. He had talked to each of us beforehand to determine what we wanted to work on and had an exercise or situation set up for just about everyone. He only takes five riders and we all got a lot of one-on-one attention. So there was Ranae and Dusty, Me and Jessie, Susan (our neighbor) and Charlie, Melanie and her horse Cindy, and Renee (yeah, two Renees) and Star. Melanie and Renee are long time students of Matt's and they were very nice and patient with our inexperience. We had a fun group.


Our working arena in picturesque Tehachapi

Around 4 PM we saddled up and went in the arena to go through Matt's basic horsemanship maneuvers. We learned his three basic positions that he conveniently numbers #1, #2, and #3. Everything essentially begins with a circle. It was quite a change for me because he had me holding my hands higher and using a much shorter rein than I had been using. I heard "Hold those reins a little higher, John" and "Shorten up that rein for me, John" quite often that afternoon. He was very patient and slowly I got the hang of it. Position Three is a shoulder out move and was a little more difficult for us to grasp. He put three cones down and we serpentined them using the basic positions. At a trot it was essential to use #3 to negotiate the cones without knocking them over. That was a tough one for us. (As a matter of fact, back at the hotel room Ranae and I put down some plastic cups and walked through them several times trying to get the timing right.)

We worked in the arena for a couple of hours, put the horses up and had a great dinner. Back at the hotel, Ranae and I tried to review as much as we could in the hopes it would have a better chance of sticking.

More to Come...