PrintThe day dawned bright and cold with rain in the forecast for late morning. I was glad my section was riding early—I’ll pick low 40s over getting soaked, if I have to pick. The footing was going to be wet no matter what—dew in this case—and at Scarlet Hill Farm in Groton, Mass., the name doesn’t lie: it’s hilly. This year’s experience with the pony has made me more confident riding over all manner of terrain, but I get nervous anyway, especially when I have an audience with an internationally famous equestrian.
I got there early and hand-walked the pony out to audit the last half hour or so of the previous group’s work. There were four or five horses working through the water complex. I stood the pony away from the activity, but faced him in that direction, and let him graze. I could be making this up, but I really think the opportunities he’s had this year to chillax and observe various eventing goings-on have been good for his brain.
Most of the horses in the group looked like they had some mileage—there was an absolutely gorgeous chestnut Thoroughbred type who carried a secure air of been-there, done-that—but they had their challenges in the complex. Green horse leapiness unseated a few riders, and one fell (but, she managed to do so without getting wet and landed on her feet to a chorus of cheers).
I saw Eric do something I thought was interesting as he held the horse for the fallen rider to remount. For whatever reason—the cold, the spill, the activity—the horse was dancing around and making it difficult for the rider to get back on. Eric gave him a couple of quick, hard bumps to the barrel, which got his attention and inspired a much more polite attitude. I’m always one to think that especially in a safety situation, it’s best to go with hard and fast about making a point. It was reassuring to see that reinforced by a rider and trainer far superior to me in knowledge and experience.
Everyone ended on a pretty good note. One mare just would not drop down into the water. Eric used a variety of tactics to try and resolve the issue: he gave her a lead; he let her stand on the edge and hang out to watch other horses jump in; he let her stand in the water and see other horses jump in towards her; he mixed her work up, having her go through the water in a bunch of different ways then re-approach in the troublesome direction.
On this day, though, that particular question wasn’t one the mare was willing to answer. She had never dropped into water before, and Eric said it was better not to force the issue because it was only going to create fear, so she ended by re-riding a route she could complete confidently. We were to hear more about Eric’s philosophy on cross-country schooling later, but this was a good preview.
Then it was our turn. In addition to the chestnut mare, Penny, whom I rode with yesterday, we had a beautiful dark bay Dutch-Thoroughbred-Morgan cross in our group. I didn’t get the full story on this pair, but they seemed a bit tense and nervous.
Eric started us out by telling us to move around, feel out the footing and see what kind of canter we had today. “Forget trotting,” he said. LOL. He reminded us we had to be able to turn, stop and start, and warned us not to do any sharp steering and pull our horses over. I liked that he asked each of us what was on our horses’ feet before we got going.
