If you’re thinking from how the last blog ended, someone is going to come into my life and save me by offering me a quick, simple solution to my problems…you’d be wrong…
What I did receive was guidance from a great teacher that would give me “breadcrumbs” to follow on my new quest in search of answers to Talon’s behavior and a better way to work with him…
This teacher was Kim Walnes.
Kim Walnes is an Eventing Legend, but she is so much more than that. Her approach to working with horses and riders was so vastly different from what I had been surrounded by in my daily life. The authenticity and kindness of her very being is palpable.
The first time I met Kim was at the Hoosier Horse Fair with Dart; I had just adopted Talon this time. Kim is someone I would describe as light-years ahead of most in the wisdom department (certainly light-years ahead of me!). Learning from someone like this is like getting “seeds” planted in your mind–something that has to grow as you have your own experiences rather than something you can instantly grasp and understand. In other words, my perspective at that time was very limited while Kim’s perspective was VERY expansive. It would take time and experience for me to start more fully understanding all she had to share.
I’ve never lived near Kim, so she wasn’t someone I could work with on a regular basis (this was way before PIVO and Zoom!!!), but ever since learning from her at the Hoosier Horse Fair I felt a desire to work with her again. Kim’s voice had a strange way of staying in my head, and I would find it speaking up during some of my challenges with Talon. Her voice is part of what gave me the courage to walk away from the people and training style I knew.
So, after walking away from my normal circle, feeling alone and without support, I decided to reach out to Kim to see if she would be willing to come for a clinic…
Kim agreed to come, and the clinic filled instantly with my own clients! I was so excited to be able to work with Kim again, and I was excited my own clients would be able to work with her too.
I was once again filled with hope as I eagerly anticipated working with Kim again…
I pretty quickly realized I wouldn't be getting “training” advice on Talon’s ditch problem during the clinic. Kim is all about solid basics, and well…let’s just say our basics weren’t solid!
The “basics” with Kim start even before groundwork and riding…
Kim started our lesson by observing Talon and seeing how he felt about the equipment I was using–just as she had the first time I met her with Dart. This time she had a bag full of different bits and allowed Talon to give her feedback on which one he preferred…this was something new! I really wasn’t sure how she was determining his feedback, but I was super intrigued. She explained she was reading his subtle-body-language as well as feeling him through the bit, so I tried watching more closely. She found the one she felt he liked best and let me feel him through the bit too. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be feeling, but I did notice he seemed less mouthy. So, with Talon’s input we decided to use that bit for the clinic. My previous experience with choosing bits had been more about how much “control” they give you over the horse–I hadn’t been considering how Talon felt about them.
Then she moved on to my saddle…
I had two EXPENSIVE custom saddles for Talon, a Dressage saddle and a Jumping saddle. I didn’t really know anything about saddle fit at the time, but I got these saddles because they were what everyone else was using in my Eventing circle.
Kim didn’t like the way these saddles fit and explained why. I was instantly feeling frustrated to have two custom saddles that didn’t fit my horse, but after letting my frustration settle, I realized I should have actually learned more about saddle fit before purchasing them instead of just going with what everyone else is doing and blindly assuming that must mean it’s best. So, I mentally added studying saddle-fit to my homework after the clinic.
We tried other saddles we had around the farm and used various pads as shims and were able to get a fit she felt Talon would be happy with for the clinic. She also noticed Talon being girthy and sensitive to touch; she suggested in addition to a better fitting saddle I should consider he might have ulcers. More homework…study ulcers in horses.
When Kim was satisfied with Talon’s equipment she told me to go ahead and mount Talon. As she was watching me mount, she asked me to stop…I was thinking, “Oh geez, I don’t even know how to mount a horse properly…this is super embarrassing!” She explained I should try to keep my weight more centered over the saddle as I mount to avoid pulling the saddle into Talon’s withers and to try to lower myself as gently as possible onto him. She also suggested a taller mounting block might help. So, I found a taller block and practiced mounting while keeping my weight centered over the saddle and being more gentle as I lowered myself onto him.
In Kim’s way with horses EVERYTHING is done mindfully and empathetically. I felt my heart sink as I began realizing how little I actually knew and how unaware and apathetic I had been towards Talon’s wellbeing. I had soooo much I needed to learn and change…and I hadn’t even started riding yet…
Once I was mounted, Kim started by “running the loop.” I was already familiar with the “position loop” from when Dart and I had worked with her. When “running the loop” Kim guided me through my body, piece by piece, starting at the bottom and working all the way up to the top–helping me learn to FEEL when I was balanced and aligned in the saddle.
This time the experience was different from when I had first learned this exercise on Dart. Once we had been through the entire loop and Kim felt I was aligned and balanced she asked me to check in with how my body felt. I closed my eyes and checked in with my body…probably the first time I had really checked in with how my body felt in a long time…
What I felt was PAIN.
This wasn’t really the answer I wanted to give Kim, so internally I was contemplating being “tough” and saying, “Feels great!” or to be honest and tell her how bad my back was hurting…
Thankfully, I opted for giving her the honest, vulnerable feeling answer…
When I told Kim I was feeling pain in my back, she just said, “We need to listen to that.” So, she had me get off of Talon and started doing some exercises with me on the ground. The first thing she did was some kind of bodywork. I had zero experience with bodywork at this time, but she mentioned “The Alexander Technique” and “Feldenkrais,” so I made a mental note to research these after the clinic. She also had me do some basic movements with my body and to my surprise there were parts of my body that should be able to move that I just couldn’t move…I was in my early twenties at this time, so this was a real wake-up call!
Kim also said my pain would affect Talon. At this stage, I perceived this statement as my pain would affect my riding physically which would physically affect Talon–this is true–but in time I would realize my pain affected us both on multiple levels.
While I was on the ground, Kim had me practice some basic riding movements on my own two feet…things like turning and basic transitions. While I was doing them she would keep reminding me to pay attention to how it felt in my body and she would have me make adjustments if I was “falling on my forehand” or “leaning in” through turns. It was all very playful and reminded me of how I used to practice Dressage tests as a child before I had a horse of my own–I’d set up dressage letters and then go through the tests on my own two feet.
Once I got back on Talon, we practiced these same basic movements with him. Amazingly, the feeling of doing them on his back was exactly the same as it had felt doing them on my own two feet. When I put the “feeling” I had developed on my own two feet into my body Talon just did the movement with me, and when I adjusted my balance the same way I had done on the ground I could feel him adjust his balance too–it felt like magic! In what had seemed like a “silly” exercise at first, Kim had given me a completely new way to approach my riding.
Kim also mentioned Talon seemed to be giving some indicators of pain too and it would be a good idea to explore where those might be coming from. She also mentioned when Dressage is done well, it is therapeutic to the horse–like physical therapy or yoga. This was a new perspective for me; Dressage had just been part of competitions to me up until this point.
This clinic sent me on a trajectory to explore the physical issues affecting me and Talon…
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