Pete and Comments

Me and The Big K and Talking about the Talking.

Hey guys, I have saved some of the comments I wanted to talk about. But Nagonmom's thoughts got me in story mode so I did that instead.

I used video for years and still will to watch a horse move. At this point in my life I have a pretty good idea where I am in the saddle and how it's affecting my horse.

It did get me thinking I need to tune up on my awareness of where each of my horse's feet is. I should be feeling the stride length change in the back before the scrambling begins in the front.

I still want to talk about this some more though. Manana.


nagonmom says-I found myself wondering what a video from the side view would show. My horse was "falling apart" at the canter a few months ago (plus I was thinking "Oh expletive!" You probably skip that part) so my description is not as detailed.

My daughter was watching, then she rode him, no issue BUT she maintained a more consistent rein contact. She said he looked like he was lost and needed more input to balance himself. Still light with her hands, just requesting slightly more collection. Has anyone with experience watched, just to get another view? Might help.



I pulled into The Big K's and parked my car by the arena. I sat for a minute and stared at the barn.

Here it was. Video day.

I had competed the week before and now it was time to pay the piper, face the firing squad, go down with the ship. Video day.

I ignored my tight and nervous stomach and did my favorite breathing exercises. Slow inhale, hold, slow exhale, hold.

My heart beat slowed and I put my show face on.

Video day.

"Are you coming?" K leaned out his front door and grinned at me as I crawled up the stairs.

Normally one of his rare smiles could make a bad day better, but today I could swear he was baring his teeth.

We settled in the living room and he popped in the video.

My run started just as K plopped into his chair.

"Too much hand, sit back, sit back......" K muttered as my reining pattern unfolded on the TV screen.

"Whoa! Here we go!" He shouted.

I cringed.

K stopped the video.

Sonita and I were frozen in our lead-change-gone-bad, a giant leap into space complete with pinned ears and a violent kick out, there for all the world to see.

The savage look on my face was matched by the fury in Sonita's.

K contemplated for a moment and then reversed the tape. Then he forwarded it again. Reverse. Forward. Reverse. Forward.

I wanted to take the remote and jam it down his throat.

He stopped the video again.

"What were you thinking?"

"Something like, Oh shit....." I replied.

K frowned, he wasn't a fan of swearing.

"Look where your weight is," he told me.

I made myself look.

There I was, practically standing in my inside stirrup, completely blocking Sonita's shoulder with one leg while I spurred her with the other.

"Huh," I said.

"Huh," he said.

Frame by excruciating frame we travelled through my runs for the entire show. He delighted in running the really, really bad parts over and over.

"Where's your hand?

"Where in the world were you looking?

"What lead were you actually wanting there?

"Now that's Sonita's fault, why did you let her have that one?"

Finally it was over. Exhausted and demoralized I wondered if K would mind if I used one of his hoses to pipe carbon monoxide straight into my car. There was no point in going home. I might as well die in front of the tack room.

I took the video and drug myself to the door.

"You were solid on your cow," K told me.

"You straightened out before your second lead change.

"You're rundowns were straight and you looked up all the way through.

"Your confidence was high enough for you to kick your horse back into the bridle in front of God, the judge and anybody else who was watching. Good for you.

"You looked like you belonged out there."

As I clumped down the stairs I lifted my head and straightened my shoulders. The sky was blue and the wind was mild.

I was eager to get home. Sonita and I had work to do.