It didn't take me long to realize that Harley had some very serious issues. He seemed very confused and fearful, and almost desperate to get back to his stall. I began to suspect that his stall was the only place he felt safe. This, of course, presented a problem. He was better just riding him around the ranch, but in the ring he was tense, nervous, and even angry at times. I knew we needed help, and a very special trainer who could deal with Harley's anger and fear, without making him worse.
About 2 months after I got Harley, a new trainer arrived at the barn: Jane Armour, a former three-day event rider, and trainer from Scotland who had come to the U.S. on a "Trainer of Trainers" visa. Jane was offering conformation evaluations, so I made an appointment for her to check out Harley, and for us to check out Jane. Five minutes into the evaluation, I knew I wanted to train with her. What makes Jane so great? In addition to her outstanding background in classical dressage, she just plain gets horses. And their owners.
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| Jane and her 26 year old horse, Woodstock |
Jane evaluated Harley, and pointed out his strengths and weaknesses. She told me that he would notice everything, and she was absolutely right. He even notices when new flowers bloom, or branches have been trimmed on trees. She also told me that he is short-coupled, and that it would be difficult for him to get his hind legs under him, but not impossible, and that he would be a wonderful horse for me.
On September 3, 2009, we had our first lesson. Calling it "not great" is putting it mildly. Harley charged ahead when walking or trotting, could not relax, threw his head in the air, swerved unexpectedly away from the rail and tried to run back to the gate. Jane was totally calm, telling me not to fight him, and then, to my amazement, she complimented Harley, telling me that she loved that he had the confidence to do that. Never in a million years would I have been able to find anything positive in that lesson, but Jane did. I went home that night feeling hopeful. But we had our work cut out for us. Harley is a strong soul who stands up for himself and resists any kind of aggressive or forced training. Gentleness and patience were the only methods that would work with him. Fortunately, that is how Jane works.
Jane uses the classical dressage training scale: Relaxation, Rhythm, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection. These steps must be taken in order, beginning with relaxation. No successive step can be accomplished until the previous step is mastered, for example, a horse can not achieve rhythm in its gait unless it is relaxed, nor can a horse achieve straightness without first having impulsion. Harley is a perfect example of how each of the six steps, taken in order, really work.
Jane uses the classical dressage training scale: Relaxation, Rhythm, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection. These steps must be taken in order, beginning with relaxation. No successive step can be accomplished until the previous step is mastered, for example, a horse can not achieve rhythm in its gait unless it is relaxed, nor can a horse achieve straightness without first having impulsion. Harley is a perfect example of how each of the six steps, taken in order, really work.
