A Pint (or 70) of Guinness

I know you looked at that title and thought, "is she an alcoholic?"

Don't worry. Guinness is a horse. :)

My past two lessons, I have had the privilege of being able to ride one of the barn's superstars. Owned by the co-owner of the barn, Guinness is showing at a 3rd or 4th Training level. And when you are offered the chance to ride a horse like that, you do NOT say no.

I'm sure that G is a warm blood, but what kind, I'm not sure. He's very tall, probably about 17 or 18 hands, dark brown/almost black. And he's a total gentleman and sweetheart. On our first night, he started licking my arm, like a dog. It was hysterical. And he has a way of tilting his head like he's telling you a joke that you're going to burst into giggles over. Besides his great personality, G is an incredible mover. Smooth and quick, his strides eat up the ground, never choppy, never jostling. It's easy to get lost in the moment with him.

I have been taking lessons consecutively for a year and some change now. I am considerably better than I used to be, but I am not at that level in Dressage. I still have trouble keeping my body from pitching forward when I change gaits, and getting a horse to stay on the bit still eludes me at times. Clinton is not thrilled when I mess up on him, but he still continues to trot or canter on. With Guinness, there is no room for error. The slightest wrong movement, and G stops. He will not trot or canter unless your hands are connected with his mouth, your legs applying the correct pressure. While it can be frustrating (Wednesday's lessons consisted of a lot of stopping), it has been a way to see what I need to work on, and what a real Dressage horse needs in a rider.

Another thing I'm hoping my time with G will teach me is to be more confident. One of the worst issues I have riding a new horse is doubt. I doubt that I can control such a horse. I doubt that I will stay on. When my instructor asks me to canter on a new horse, I always feel my stomach hit my feet. And I'm sure the horse feels it too. With G, there is no room for fear. While he thinks he's cantering slowly, you feel like you are zooming around the ring. The first time I tried to canter, it was a mess. G needs you to hold the reins tight, and your seat has to be deep and back. You pitch forward, and he stops. You loosen the reins even a tiny bit, he stops. Quickly. To top it all, he always gives a little kick when he starts his canter. Very minor, but if you don't expect it, it's different.

But Saturday, when I rode him for the second time, while it took me a while to get going, I felt very comfortable at the canter. He was feeling his oats, and we were flying, but he felt so good, and I felt that I was right there with him. Clinton isn't nearly as big or fast, so the lingering canter fears I have with him? If I can do it on G, Clinton will be a piece of cake. And I'm sure he'll appreciate my seat and hands more.

I have really enjoyed my time on G. I may get one more chance to ride him, and I will eat up every second. I love Clinton, don't get me wrong, but riding Guinness is teaching me how to ride Clinton better. My hope is that once I'm riding him again, I will be more comfortable, more confident, and more able.

So I have to give a lot of thanks to G, and to Mary (my instructor) for letting me ride him. Because Clinton is going to see a better rider next week, I hope. And because I think I grew into my Dressage boots just a little bit more. :)

Peace, love and reins...DG