Starting to gain Ebony's trust on the ground

I knew the best place to start was on the ground. Before leaving Tuesday afternoon, I asked Jamie if she would like to learn a bit about how to gain Ebony's trust on the ground. She agreed enthusiastically, which made me happy. I know Jamie wants to do right by this horse. I asked her what happened when they tried to catch her, and she said it usually ended in chasing her into a corner. I was determined not to let that happen over the next two days. 

Jamie and Cheyenne and Ebony and me mountainside

When I first arrived at the barn, I observed Ebony for a few minutes and noticed that she had a pasture buddy, Sage. So my first thought was we could transfer Sage's trust in the human to Ebony. Jamie and I approached the round corral slowly and waited for the horses to get interested in us. The only one who ignored us was Ebony. However, Sage came right up to the gate which looked like a clear invitation to me. I told Jamie to catch Sage first, which she did easily.

Then I asked Jamie to lead Sage over to Ebony in a very relaxed roundabout way. Within about 5 minutes, Ebony was close enough to Jamie for her to put the rope around her neck and than place the halter on her. When I asked Jamie how different that was from the usual, she had a big grin on her face and said that was way easier, "no drama". Success!

We brought both Sage and Ebony over to the barn area where there is a small paddock within which we could play. We started with making sure Ebony was OK with the carrot stick. She was skeptical at first, but soon we were able to rub her all over with it. In fact, over the next two days, it was easier for her to accept the carrot stick than the human hand. So however she was abused, it was at least in some part with direct human contact. 

Than we were able to throw the savvy string over her back six times on each side. Finally, she did not understand how to play the "hide your hinny" game, so I taught her how to do that. She had no understanding at all of what she was being asked to do, so I needed to use a soft phase four, but within three asks, all she needed was a soft phase two. Smart girl! If only I could be in Utah and Texas at the same time...


So now it was time to get her saddled. Everything I did, I pretended I was on Valium, soft, slow, but not sneaky. I used lots of friendly game interspersed throughout the saddling. I wanted her to get more used to my hands. She stayed on her guard, but her head dropped lower and lower as I saddled her slowly, one layer of gear at a time. 

Sueanne on Tia and Sue on Raven

Today, Sueanne would be riding Tia, Jamie would be on Cheyenne and Sue was joining us again on her other horse, Raven. It turned out to be a good group. Cheyenne has huge energy which made Ebony nervous, so I soon made sure we were either two horses ahead of Cheyenne or behind Cheyenne. 


My ride thought was, stay out of her way, and hold her back as little as possible. In order to do that, I had her stay either 2nd or 3rd, so I could stay out of her mouth as much as possible, so she could just follow the pace of the horse in front of her. 


And when we stopped for breaks, she found it very hard to stay still. So instead of trying to hold her still, I let her roam, just making sure we were safe by avoiding the stray cactus that sprinkles the mountainside or rocks so she would not bruise her feet unnecessarily. Eventually, she would decide it was better to eat grass than wander. 

By the time we were an hour into the ride, she was noticeably more relaxed, blowing often. I rubbed her for every positive thing she did, like slowing herself down to look over an obstacle, hopping over branches and logs calmly, and especially when she choose to eat grass when we took breaks. 

The only time she was not smooth to ride was when I asked for the canter; it felt choppy, not nearly as smooth as Tia's canter the day before. I instinctively knew this was mental and emotional, not physical. She was just too scattered to have a relaxed canter.  So each time I asked for the canter, I really tried to be relaxed myself, and her canter did get a bit better with each try.

Compared to the day before, we had already made great progress. She was not nearly as impulsive. In fact, we all felt relaxed enough to gallop up a hill about 2/3's of the way through the ride. What a thrill! These horses are so sure footed. 


All in all, a really good first full day for me with Ebony.

Do your thinking at night...

Ebony stand long enough to get a pic

After having ridden Ebony Tuesday afternoon, it was time for me to do some thinking that night.  Here is what I was mulling over: she does not trust humans, in fact, just touching her made her bracey; the fact that she trusted us enough to just stand next to her is a tribute to Sueanne.

She does not trust the guidance of the human in an open space, but she is very good at following a trail.  She feels more comfortable with the human in the saddle than on the ground, but that isn’t saying much. She is very hard to catch, even in a round corral.

How this horse was abused, we will never know, but it is so hard not to be angry about it. Clearly she was “broken” to the saddle with virtually no ground preparation so she could be sold. No care was taken with her mental and emotional states. She has been traded from human to human because no one has figured out what to do with her. With clear differences, it feels so much like where Walker and I started.

Ebony gets lots of stroking after our ride

And the biggest difference is, this horse has far more native talent than Walker, which makes the story up to this point even more agonizing. Thank God this horse found her way to Sueanne.

Than my thoughts start to follow a different path. What an amazing horse. This horse is very fearful of humans, yet she tolerates us to hang around and get on her back. She gaits extremely well, even without respect for the human. She is impulsive instead of having impulsion, but there has not been one major train wreck on her in the months Sueanne has had her.

Now I am thinking, what if we can get respect and impulsion, how would this horse perform? Magnificently. She would make a champion trail horse, a true partner. She could be that horse-man combination that Pat always talks about.

So thinking with the end in mind, I had a plan sketched out in my mind for the next day.  

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.

Day one in Park City

Self portrait of an occasional biker

Snow falling early on my ride

Creekside Trail

This is my fourth year coming to Park City, Utah to ride with Sueanne Clark and her wonderful Paso Finos. This year, I am in the best shape I have been in a long time. I have lost about 18 pounds and at least a couple of dress sizes since December, and I have been working my core with Pilates for Dressage. I have never felt so fluid and connected in the saddle when I ride Walker and even Maverick despite the fact that he is green.

Ben and Randy headed out early for Wyoming for their two-day fly fishing excursion. The day in Park City was cold and wet, so horseback riding was not an option. Instead, I decided to bike ride all over the countryside, as there are lots of paved bike/jogging paths throughout the area.

The day started really snowy and cold. Thank goodness Tracy at our B&B (The Trace) had ski gloves for me to borrow, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten very far. The woman who rented me the bike and helmet asked, “Would you like snowshoes with that? ;)”. Every time I took out my phone to video or take pix, my hands turned into pink popsicles.

Turns out, that bike ride was really great for my hamstrings, which are still on the mend from getting torn/strained about 6 weeks back. I may have to find someone to borrow a bike from when I get back to Houston to help my rehab along. A couple of rides a week for a few weeks would probably get them all the way back.

As I started out, it was snowing, and a fine layer was dusted all over the countryside. Because of the cold, I stopped at a Starbucks and got a hot chocolate about halfway through my ride. I have never had one, and maybe it was the cold, but it sure tasted good! It warmed me all the way to my toes.

With about an hour of riding left, the clouds had cleared and the sun came out. What an amazing change. I saw robins and bluebirds all over the place. All told, I was out for about 4 hours. I got a bite to eat, then went into a western wear shop along Main St. I have never seen such an eclectic and unique collection of cowboy boots anywhere. It was like eye candy for a cowgirl.

The hats hanging over the racks of boots caught my eye, and once I tried one on, I knew I had to have it. All I had to figure out was which hatband and which stampede string to get along with it. I’ll never have to worry about getting the Texas sun on my face or neck as long as I am wearing it. Plus, it fits my head like a glove. It will be the perfect memento of my week there.

Finally I decided to see a movie, Something Borrowed, cute chick flick.  The shower when I got back to The Trace felt really good!