Day one of riding with Sueanne Clark and her Paso Finos

Sueanne and Sage during our half way break

sSSue and her horse Montana with Mim in the background

Sueanne's Jillaroo, Jamie

My first day riding with Sueanne came warm and windy. It was funny to hear everyone complain about the wind. In Texas, we are just used to it, but I was glad to have the stampede string for my new hat.

Sueanne asked me whom I would like to ride, and since I had never ridden Tia, that decision was an easy one to make. We were joined by friends of Sueanne’s: Mim, the former professional volleyball player and now coach, Dave, who Sueanne has known almost since moving to the Park City area, Sue another professional athlete, downhill ski racing in her case, and Jamie, one of Sueanne’s jillaroos.

Tia is one of Sueanne’s most reliable Pasos, however, she did warn me that she had a history of taking off with some people. When she said it, we looked at each other and she laughed, realizing that probably would not happen with me with her.

And it didn’t. I don’t think I have ever been on a smoother canter in my life. Paso Finos are gaited horses, but they are perfectly capable of cantering and galloping as the week would prove. She did a lovely paso corto and paso largo, but her canter was like riding water skis on a smooth lake. I absolutely felt glued to her.

Sue noticed how nicely Tia and I were moving together, and we struck up a conversation about her horse Montana. Sue rescued Montana from a large herd of Pasos. She was the low horse in the herd, so she was shooed from food and was terribly underweight.

Ebony gets some mosey time after our ride

Sue has had multiple serious injuries from her competitive skiing, so that is why she decided to go to Paso Finos for her riding. With their gaits, they are so smooth, it doesn’t jar her back the way posting a trot would do.

Sue has done a wonderful job of getting Montana physically in shape, but she was still struggling with issues in the saddle. Sue asked about what she could do to help Montana attain better gaits (Paso and Largo), and we talked about the proper position she should be in for Montana, very much like a dressage position. With just a few adjustments to Sue’s posture and “feel”, they both started to move much better. We also talked about riding her in a less severe bit, or no bit at all, so Sue could better communicate with Montana when she was doing what Sue wanted.

Based on what Sue told me about Montana, she sounded like a RBI (Right Brained Introvert), so we also chatted about how RBI’s learn best. An RBI’s mantra might be, “Please take care of me, and I will bring you the world”. The good news is that Sue already had the instinct for what Montana needed without having specific knowledge about it. Sue was very excited to hear that Montana would be the most willing horse partner she might ever have if approached appropriately.

All the while chatting with Sue, Tia is such a good mount, I really got to work towards perfecting my riding position. By the time we stopped for a break and to turn back to the barn, I felt totally comfortable and relaxed in the saddle.  Even Sueanne remarked at how much my riding had improved over the last year. Thank you Pilates for Dressage! I don’t miss the carrying the extra pounds.

During the break, Sue asked if I would like to ride Montana, and did that put a giant smile on my face! I enthusiastically said yes, so we hopped off, checked all of our equipment, made the proper adjustments, and off we went.

It is hard to describe what it is like to have the privilege and responsibility to ride someone else’s horse. I take it very seriously, just the way I have when I play with other people’s horses on the ground. Montana doesn’t have the brio of some the other horses, but what she doesn’t have in brio she more than makes up for in willingness.

Sue wanted to see if I could get her a bit more collected, so I told her I would play with that, giving her as much release as I could given the bit I had to work with.

I really focused on my seat position, belly button towards the spine, hips open, shoulders down, chest up. I mostly rode her with just a little contact and a California roll, so I could scratch her withers when she rounded up beneath me. As soon as she rounded, I would release pressure from the bit and tell her what a good girl she was.

Within just a couple of minutes, we had a beautiful 18-20 mile per hour largo going, just cruising along. Montana started to bend in the neck instead of the pole, and I could feel her come up underneath me. She had a lovely energy, relaxed and energetic all at the same time. I told Sue I thought she had a real gem on her hands. With time, she would make her a perfect trail partner.

We stopped again, and now Sueanne wanted me to try and ride Ebony, her newest Paso. Ebony is a beautiful jet black mare, but when you get close to her, you see she is peppered with white roan hairs. Sueanne told me that Ebony had been severely abused by humans. When she got her last year, people couldn’t even touch her without her running off.

Sueanne had obviously made great strides with Ebony, but she still has a long list of “issues” stemming from the abuse. Sueanne has made great strides in getting her rideable, but she still could not trust her guests to ride her, as she was still too unpredictable on the trail.

Jamie had been riding Ebony, so Sue got back on Montana, and Jamie rode Tia the rest of the way home.

Ebony may be small (not quite 14 hands), but she rides like a horse twice her size. She has huge brio, but clearly did not trust me on her back. She had a big case of the druthers. She got antsy if she could not be in the lead, but would spook at random things she saw on the trail. I sensed that she was probably an interesting combination of RBI and LBE, but with the abuse, it would probably take months to really peel back the layers of wrongs that had been done to her to see the real horse.

So, what was I to do? I knew the worst thing I could do was hold her back, but I did not want her galloping with me back to the barn either. So I did my best to give her what she wanted, stay with the horses at the front, but not go by them. I got really relaxed in the saddle, as though I had just taken a 10 mg. Valium. I allowed my hips to flow with her. And I got out of her mouth every chance I could, which wasn’t often as much of a forward-aholic as she is.

After about 10 minutes, she blew! She had not done that the entire ride prior to that moment, and we had been on the trail about 2 hours at this point. Small victory! Then she blew again three or four times. At this point, we were at a slow Paso, so I gave her all the rein. She sped up, so I collected my reins again, and blew my breath out. She slowed back down, and I gave her the reins again.
We played with this for a short piece of road that transitioned us from one trail to another. Once we were on the trail again, she sped up to the Largo, and I went with it. We must have been doing 25 miles per hour at the Largo, easily. She did not slow down until we got much closer to the barn and Sueanne came up in front.

What a ride! I had no idea anyone was watching us, but when we were done, Jamie and Sueanne both remarked how much calmer she looked with me in the saddle. Me? My heart took several minutes to go back to normal, because it felt pretty crazy to me. But having watched video of myself, crazy and sometimes out of control never looks as bad as it feels. 

Then something happened when I hopped out of the saddle. She turned to me and tried to use me for a rubbing post. So I knew there was a brave, emotionally stable horse in there somewhere. I could not wait to ride her again, and play some more.

Fortunately, Sueanne suggested I ride her the next two days. Lucky me…!

So, I rode three totally different and wonderful horses all in one outing. Maybe the closest to heaven a horsewoman can get.

And for all of you out there who have your doubts about gaited horses, PLEASE go out to Utah and ride with Sueanne. You will never again doubt why people love them so much. If I had my own place, I would definitely own a Paso Fino and I would get Sueanne to help me find the perfect one.