MARK RASHID Clinic in Belgium

by Monique

Well we haven't had a Mark Rashid clinic report for almost a week now, so I thought I'd send you my late report on the clinic we had in Belgium.

Over the years I posted now and then about my horse Djinn and the problems I was having, but for those who don't know or remember us I'll give an introduction.

I met Djinn 4 years ago. She was a 6yo ex-racer in harness, that was sold to a riding school where she didn't fit in. My (old) gelding was boarding with someone who was also in the horse-trading business, and he took over Djinn when I he sold another' horse to that riding school. That's all I know about her past.

She was in a wreck when I first noticed her. Hard to catch, headshy, untouchable, couldn't stand still for a minute. But I love long manes and nobody had succeeded in trimming her mane, which was standard-procedure with every new horse in the barn. And I thought she wasn't a bad color, in fact the same color as my gelding, whom I couldn't ride anymore due to health problems. She was an excellent horse for hacks: quite bombproof in heavy traffic, excellent stamina, comfortable seat...except if you thought about cantering. If you asked for a canter, or she saw other horses canter, she panicked and started bucking, even in the pasture. Lungeing her was very hard: again she panicked, bucked, jerked on the lungeline and performed many high school dressage movements. I tried several instructors, asked professional riders to ride her, but things only got worse, She now panicked when she had to trot, because she presumed that a canter would follow. And sometimes she panicked for no obvious reason. SO I rode her the last time in december 1996, when we came bucking out of the woods, almost under a car. I always felt that besides her mental problem she had also a physical problem, but nobody could confirm that to me. Anyway, after a long search and many different therapies, this year I found someone who could tell me what was wrong and who was able to help her. So by the end of July she was physically OK I thought. We had done about 3 years of groundwork by then, and I thought that maybe the time had come to ride her again.

But she still has lots of bad memories in her head and she showed that regularly. So I thought I could use some help to decide whether she was ready or not. And I did want to do the right thing and not blow our second chance. So after all those wonderful clinic reports on this list I didn't hesitate about taking Djinn to Mark. But not before I went to see Mark in the Netherlands, to be prepared.

The Dutch clinic was mostly a riding clinic, no groundwork except for one young stallion. Linda introduced me and Inge, who was the Belgian clinic host to Mark. One week later he told me he'd already noticed then that I was nervous. Not nevious because I was afraid of riding Djmn again though, but afraid of doing the wrong thing. Anyway it was good to see Mark at work. There were several good riders in the clinic and it was amazing to see how much they improved under Mark's directions. If you would take away his cowboy-gear you would have thought you were in the middle of a fine dressage clinic. So I went back to Belgium, a little less nervous.

We're scheduled third in the morning.

While we're waiting outside the arena, Djinn gets a little nervous in this strange environment after spending a night in a box, whereas she Iives outside all year round.

When it's our turn, Djinn follows me nicely into the makeshift roundpen. After all, after 3 years of groundwork, one does have groundmanners. Mark asks me about Djinn, I tell him the little I know about her history and that I haven't ridden her for 3 years. So what did you do these 3 years? Groundwork, I say, but there are still 'holes' in it. "Show me what you're doing", Mark says. Djinn is at her worst at liberty but the roundpen isn't solid enough to demonstrate that. I show Mark how she swishes her tail when I ask for lateral flexion, which I get, but never with a soft look in her eyes. How she resents being send on a circle, etc etc. He asks me to trot her on the circle, which doesn't go very smoothly, because I know she doesn't like that either.

Mark tells me that probably that is the reason: I quit asking too soon and Djinn has leamed that if she gives me a sour look or throws a fit, I quit asking. Hmm. Food for thought. So Mark tells me to just go on with it. He takes over and shows me how I can lunge her better and more smoothly. I hardly ever 'lunged' her at home, we're used to 'playing circling games' which is somehow different. I have to go with her all the time and bring up my own life to let her go faster (I'm very carefully trying not ever to write the word 'make' because Mark says he never 'makes' a horse do anything and he never uses the word). After some lungeing, I suddenly see a twinkle in his eyes as he pronounces the Dreaded Words: Did you bring your saddle with you?

Yeah, it's there right behind the audience, I say, and in no time lots of helping hands bring me all my gear. I tell Mark that saddling will be a problem, so we go step by step. First the saddlepad. Tail swishes. On and off, on and off... Tail swishes a bit less. Then the (english) saddle without pad or girth. Tail swishes. Wouldn't have expected it the other way. Then Mark puts the end of the leadrope around Djinn's cinch area and puts pressure on it to imitate the cinching. Djinn reacts heavily. Still, she doesn't try to run away or to bite. After a while, her reaction eases and we go on slowly, until she has the complete saddle on and I start tightening the girth. I'm quite nervous and Mark tells a joke to calm me down. And that's exactly what I think, gee, he's telling a joke to make me relax, I must be in real trouble! I don't even know what the joke is about. Then Mark lets Djinn trot again, with the saddle on. Mark thinks she's not worse with the saddle, so the saddle isn't bothering her. I suspect Mark of wanting to canter Djinn, because sometimes they go real fast and I can see Djinn prepare for a minor buck (but only 10% of what she would do at home, we're always at our best in a strange environment ..) I ask him why he's asking for a canter, if she doesn't feel comfortable with that Mark says he's not asking for a canter at all, but Djinn is trying

very hard to canter. Hmm, missed that one. Mark says we did enough for today. You did a good job, he says. Aaaaah, sounds like 'you're only messing around' in my ears, his way of comforting a participant when things don't go smoothly.. ;-)

So we leave the arena, relieved but then again not, and some people from the audience are following me, telling me what a lovely horse Djinn is, but they wouldn't dare to ride her. Huh, just what I needed ;-))

Djinn has been turned loose in the other arena for an hour, so she could get rid of some energy after 2 days in a stall. When it's our turn again, Mark asks me what we want to do today. Same as yesterday but a little bit more.

First we lunge her and let her trot. Mark thinks she's doing better than yesterday, more relaxed. So we start saddling again, first the saddlepad, then the saddle, then both, then step by step tightening of the cinch. I feel that things are starting to get serious and I get clumsy all over. So Mark starts talking to the audience and asks them where they come from. He wonders why there are so many Dutch people in the audience as he was in Holland the weekend before. I know most of them from a dutch-speaking horselist, so I answer: "to see me get bucked off!" The audience objects loudly. Can't I joke as well? I have to trot Djinn around again, with the saddle. Some turns to the left and the right, and then those eyes start twinkling again and he asks: Did you bring your bridle with you? No, I say. For a moment it looks like Mark is surprised and thinks I want to back out. But then I tell him that I want to ride Djinn with the ropehalter. "Did you ride her in the ropehalter before?", he asks. No, I keep silent about the collection of bits I tried (none of them harsh however) and answer that Djinn is used to the ropehalter, that it works well for us, that I want to start from scratch etc. etc. But it's all the same to Mark, as long as we are comfortable with it. And then I didn't even dare to say that at least, I wouldn't be jerking on the bit if the going gets tough!

Mark waits patiently while I try to tie the leadrope into reins. Eventually we're there, I'm wondering about the result but Marks says I knotted them like a real cowboy :-)! I walk Djinn around a little bit more, have some last-minute doubts like 'why didn't I pick bungee jumping for a hobby' and 'why not just buy some good horse there are hundreds of them' and then the moment of truth is there. I ask for a chair because I don't want to cause any discomfort for Djinn by pulling my weight up. We practiced at home with standing still near a mounting block. She stands perfectly still, the audience gets real quiet. I'm wondering about which foot to put in the stirrup, I take a deep breath and the next moment I'm in the saddle. Djinn stands still for a short while, the chair is removed and we go on our first walk, just wandering around. I try to concentrate on my breathing, but sometimes forget to breathe in the process ;-) I feel that I'm not very well balanced, oh well, it's been already 5 months since I got my first decent riding lesson in 30 years at a centered riding clinic with a borrowed horse and I haven't had much opportunity to practice. I've certainly lost that centered feeling...So while we are wandering around, it doesn't take long before Djinn is standing with her nose over the rails of the roundpen. I try to make her go backwards, but Mark tells me not to, we'll work on that tomorrow. So I ask her to move out to the left and Mark asks me to focus on different points while we are moving. I feel I have to use a lot of inside rein to direct her, due to my lack of balance, and sometimes Djinn wants to go to the right when I want to go to the left. Mark tells me not to fight with her, if she wants to go right, let her go right, make a circle and start over from where you were, now in the proper direction. Something like 'meet her halfway', don't impose on your horse but taking into consideration what she wants too. So we practice a little bit more in the roundpen, and again Mark says let's call it a day. I dismount, we get an applause, I feel very strange inside, empty. l thank Mark, he says laughing: you're my hero!

I don't feel like a hero though I'm not a brave person, but I trust Djinn.

I knew she would do the right thing if only I did the right thing too. Guess

I just don't trust myself enough for always doing the right thing.

But then, there was someone like Mark to help me with it.

After 1 hour in the Monday morning traffic jam and the second participant gone home, there's no time left to give Djinn some exercise. There are only a few familiar faces left in the audience.

The roundpen has disappeared so we have the whole arena to work in. Mark asks me to lead Djinn around for a few minutes. I let her check out all the comers, because the last time we were in an indoor arena, she panicked for no obvious reason and ran around like crazy for about 20 minutes. Mark thinks that it's not necessary to lunge her. She looks relaxed, so we go through the saddling ritual. When I want to tighten the girth, I notice I've attached the girth to the wrong side. I want to change that but Mark tells me not to and see how Djinn reacts when I tighten the girth from the right side. Djinn swings her head violently to the left. See, Mark says, it's not the cinching that causes discomfort, it's just a bad habit. Hmm, why didn't I think of that myself. I get in the saddle again, and Mark tells me we'll work on halts and backing.

I ask Djinn to stop by sitting deeper in the saddle, breathing out and putting some fingerpressure on the reins, like I was taught at the centered riding clinic. Djinn slows down but keeps on walking. Mark tells me to release much sooner. If Djinn continues to walk, ask again. If she doesn't stop after the 3rd time, tip her nose and go on a circle and ask again. When she's on that circle, she stops rather quickly. If it was a nice stop, she may go straight ahead again, if not, I have to ask her to back. I couldn't back her when I first got her and it never went very smoothly. I put a light pressure on the reins and have to release at that famous 'try'. I miss quite a few times in the beginning, but Mark points them out to me and I'm starting to get the feeling. But sometimes I release when there's no try. Mark says not to worry about that, better a release too much than too little. So we work on stopping and backing. Sometimes Djinn anticipates and backs immediately one step after stopping. But when we get a nice stop, she can walk forward again.

I feel the 'old' Djinn is still there when out of bad habits, I use my legs

on one occasion to make her go forward after stopping. I feel her react to that, her whole body tensing up. You did too much with your legs, Mark says. Yeah, I know. So I try concentrating on (not) using my legs, breathing, focussing, sitting balanced, the tries, the momentums. As Mark already pointed out in Holland, horses don't move at a constant speed but walk a few steps slower, then a few steps faster and so on. So if you ask for a stop when the horse is already slowing down, you'll get a much nicer and easier stop. Not so obvious to feel, but with Marks help I get the feel of it. So when Marks asks me to stop at a particular point, Djinn stops before I even asked. Thats a nice stop, Mark says. But I didn't even ask! No, but you were thinking of it, weren't you? So when you start feeling for your horse, your horse will start feeling for you. And wow, that feels great! Backing goes much smoother already, but 1 step at e time. I ask Mark how I'll have to ask for several steps later. Just ask and release, and ask again before the movement stops.

So I say ask-release, ask-release, ask-release? And while I'm saying that, Djinn goes back 3 steps! That way we've gotten close to the rail. Mark tells me to take a step forward, because Djinn is concerned about being too close to the rail and bumping in on it. I was feeling that too and worrying about the same thing. Quite a progress: we're worrying about the same thing now instead about each other! It's a real pleasure to ride Djinn that way, discovering how hard she is trying for me, how she's waiting for me to direct her. Marks asks me if I' m haviing fun. And also: how long since you last rode her? Naively, I answer: 3 years. Looks to me like you rode her only yesterday! ;-)) Well, our session is over, and Mark tells me how to go on in the next months. Ride her in a small arena first, get the stops real good, then move on to a larger arena and again get those stops real good before I ask for a trot.

Djinn is still the same old horse, with all those bad memories in her pretty head. She has always heavily protested against the injustice that she felt, the tries that weren't recognized, the pressure that was upped unnecessarily. I'm glad I met such a horse, that didn't shut down but took the effort to tell me what was going wrong.

I know I still have a long way to go before we can canter into the sunset,

but I know now that there is a way. Mark didn't show me some techniques, some tricks but a way to communicate with my horse. And I remembered something I read in one of Gail Ivey's Chuck stories, something that Tom Dorrance said: "some folks want to get the bucks out of their horse. I think I'd rather leave them inside, and not bring them out."

Only now I fully understand the meaning of this.

Thanks Mark.

Monique