MARK RASHID in Beaver, OR

By Jeanette Sanwald

Hi all. I have been so busy since I got back from the clinic. I'm still sorting out my thoughts and trying things here at home. It is working with my old girl and we are getting some very nice trotting (her trot is very rough as Mark pointed out - I already was aware of this!!!)

Well, I got to audit the first two days and ride the last two. I think it was a great way to do this, I could watch, listen and practice before I got out there! The only trouble I had with this is the night before my first ride, I got very little sleep! My mind wouldn't shut down because I kept thinking about how wonderful it was going to be to "get to ride" at this clinic with this wonderful, kind person!

I got Sally and myself ready by doing some Tia Chi exercises in the stall about 20 minutes before my turn. Her tack was by the gate and I lead her out while he was still answering questions from the auditors. We were calm (or so I thought, because later Mark noted that I had been nervous when I came in ~ he was right) I have been worried about Sally's back. She is "not going to see 20 again" according to the third vet (the first two said she was only about 11 or 12 two years ago) She is mildly swaybacked and after reading that article about saddle fit in the July issue of Equus and having soreness after the last 3 rides (each between 6 and 8 hours, two weeks apart). I was scared that I might have damaged her back more. I had changed her feeding program after finding out she was older than I thought and she started putting on weight. I had used a built-up pad (I ride western) and have an OLD saddle. It had worked fine until she put on weight. I changed pads and made an extra pad to raise the saddle off her withers. It was cut to the shape of the saddle skirt out of an old neoprene pad. It seemed to make Sally more comfy when riding but I wasn't sure if I had done the right thing or if Mark would tell me the saddle would have to go.

Mark always asked about you and your horse, so I told him I was not a very good rider and that I wanted to learn to be there for her. We have it great on the ground but I lose her on the trail rides if another horse takes off.

She has a lot of braces and has been very buddy sour. He checked her back first for soreness and didn't find any. Next he put the saddle on and checked it. He said he was very surprised, but it fit her swayback pretty good. (Mark said several times that about 90% of all saddles do not fit any horse!) Then he said that what I had done with the padding was great and that I was very conscientious which really made me feel relieved! Of course he retracted the part about Sally being "swaybacked" and reassured Sally that her back was only "slightly compromised"! He then demonstrated why you should always ride a western saddle with a back cinch. With the back cinch undone, he pushed on the saddle horn and the saddle tipped up about four inches in back putting all the pressure on the front part of the tree. With the back cinch on it didn't tip up therefore keeping the tree on the back where it belongs.

Now that Sally was saddled, it was time to mount up. He told everyone to go about things as you usually do at home so he can observe. I was going to mount from the ground but changed my mind. I didn't want to put anymore stress on her back than I had too and the mounting block was over against the fence about 20 feet away As usual, I just walked over there to get it and didn't hang on to Sally. She followed me about 4 feet behind and Mark asked if this "40 year old horse was always this wild?" Of course I giggled. (I giggle a lot)! I mounted and we moved off at a walk. He asked if she stops and I said sometimes so that is where we started. He stood close (so he could show me the tries) after we got a stooooopppp and asked if she backed I said sometimes. He had me ask for a back and I was watching her for the slightest try and would release when I saw a flick or twitch of a muscle. He said that I had been watching those two days! In other words, I was catching most of Sally's tries. I say most because he told me that her moving the bit in her mouth was also a try and the break at the poll was a try and few others that I was missing. He showed me the box where I should hold my hands and to shorten my reins. We worked on the stop and back several times. He told me I could try a stop when I was ready and Sally stopped before I did anything. I looked at Mark and said, "She heard you say stop!" He said, "No she didn't. She stopped when you rolled your hips back." I was so surprised and I must have gotten something in my eyes because they started to water! Her backs got so soft and my eyes were watering again. It must have been something in the air!!

Next on my list of things to learn was that I needed to look up, not at Sally's head. Her head was most likely going to stay attached to her body and if not I would hear a gasp from the auditors and a thud! I wanted to learn to transition to a trot because I have so much trouble with that. Mark told me to try with the lightest cue I could. I kissed and she took off fast! Mark said that maybe that wasn't light enough and to try a softer kiss. By the way I had never used leg cues because I wasn't sure how. Last winter I took a few "riding lessons" and was told to use legs. Poor Sally after the third lesson, RAN from me when I went into the field to get her. No more lessons after that and no more leg cues!

The softer kiss worked but I tightened up and came forward. We then got a mechanics explanation about heels down to keep the center of gravity in the stomach instead of the head! I was not aware that it was as big a problem as it was. I was aware of it in the extreme cases but didn't know I was doing a ballerina impression EVERY time. Well, we got a little smoother a couple of times and that is where we stopped. By golly, those darned eyes started watering again! I was realizing how hard I was making it for Sally all this time. When she was trying to do the right thing, I was over-cueing and throwing her way off-balance!!

Day two was quite different! I think Mark is a good judge of character because he hit upon my sense of humor! We started out with him saying that every time I looked at Sally's head I would owe him a dime! I thought he was very intuitive, I am not a gambler and do not like losing money! Well, I figured that this would be easy and I might only lose about 50 cents! HA HA HA HA!! That man can catch every little thing!

I was in about 12 dollars worth when he said if I could go once around without looking at her head, he would owe me 10 cents! I think I finally got about 30 cents back. I let Sally cut the comers so the once around was a shorter distance. I did a cute little downward sweep with my eyes and I even tried starring at him. He caught me every time!! We had a tot of fun with this and finally I got a little better when I realized that I was REALLY looking down that much WOW! I finally started catching myself. That is when he added the "heels down" to the game! He asked me what the ante should be and I said 50 cents (a bigger incentive to try harder!). It worked because I didn't lose that much more. He said I was beginning to catch myself and make the corrections on my own. Whew!

Then we started doing upward transitions to the trot and I was finally getting the hang of it. I got some really good ones and her rough trot smoothed out quite a bit, He kept reassuring me that it wasn't all my fault. Sally has a very rough trot being that she is a 40 year old horse! Sally and I had an almost perfect transition with my not even kissing, I just thought about trotting and she did. I kept my heels down, remembered to breathe and stayed in the saddle! That is where we stopped and that bad air came back as I dismounted! My tears were blurring my vision and running down my face. He gave me a hug and told me that I had come a long way in these two days and that I did a very good job! He also told me that he would accept my hug back as payment for the money I owed him!!

This man is so sensitive to the people he is working with. He joked and kidded me a lot and yet with another gal who had a fear problem he was so gentle, caring and compassionate. He joked with her too when he knew she needed a laugh to ease her tension, but he was there for her and her horse when she was having trouble. It was so beautiful to watch.

I have been able to carry over here at home and Sally doesn't mind arena work now. We are getting a lot better at these transitions and next we will try the canter. Today, I even went from a trot to a stop in only four steps! It used to take half way around the arena because she was head tossing and pulling at the reins.

I am hoping and praying that Mark will come back again because I want to take my youngster to him!

No, thank you, Mark!