Relationships at Serendipity

Bob Nervig and I had a photo shoot a while back and I wanted to share the results. Bob and Don Pecos are developing into quite a team, as these photos show.

We have all transitioned over to the Polish marathon vehicle that Michael Scott so graciously lent us. But, I surmise that Bob's first carriage love will always be the gig.

It is my greatest pleasure to teach carriage driving to individuals and watch them develop a relationship with the horses of Serendipity. Bob and Pecos are the proof.

Bob's wife Kathy produces gorgeous scrapbooks. These photos are meant to be included in one for Bob on his carriage driving adventures. I can't wait to see her artwork when it's finished.

Kind Regards,

Michelle Blackler

Serendipity

www.hossbiz.com

Serendipity is an Accidental Sagacity Corporation company.

Serendipity Strategies for Carriage Driving Obstacles

Accidental Sagacity for The Day

1. Know Your Course

2. Know Your Horse

3. Love Your Horse

That is oversimplification, I know, but it's true.

This photo of The Major General and I at the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic in Urbandale, IA, shows something important that I harp on about all the time. Carriage driving clients of mine will say, "Michelle! You are dropping your shoulder!"

Yes, slightly. And notice that Major is slightly dropping his shoulder to mirror me. It is incredibly hard to drive a cones course on a hillside in the gig without dropping your shoulder, but this is what happens. This is why we placed fourth or fifth or whatever.

Second thing I say that sounds like a broken record: Look where you are going so your horse knows where he's going. I know he has blinkers on, but they KNOW. See, Major knows where he's going, he's looking at exactly what I'm looking at. He mirrors me.

Mirroring is a topic that too few people are aware of in their relationship when training horses. It can elevate you from a competent horseman to a remarkable one. It takes a study of body awareness both of the person and the horse. It takes commitment to the process both physically, mentally and emotionally. I constantly work to achieve the level of brilliance that my horses attain. The mirror works both ways.

A photo is worth so many words...

A Kid and the Ultimate Carriage Driving Machine

There really is nothing like driving a finely tuned, super charged horse.

I hitched Pecos yesterday for a fun birthday lesson for one of my clients. She and Pecos have a chemistry that is awesome. She feeds off his power and speed. He senses her verve and fearlessness. Her mother and I often stand there regarding them with our hearts in our mouths, but they stick like glue, the Daring Duo. Did I mention this kiddo is 9?

So she and Don Pecos are careening around the cones course I set up to train Ace with earlier: complex angles, tight, tight turns. Her first attempt she clocks 1:13 with several cones down. I am telling her to, "Slow down! Slow DOWN! SLOW DOWN!" Her mother remarks with that should-I-be-concerned-tone, that it looked the gig was on one wheel some of the time. We discuss an alternate route through the cones, and I tell her to go a little more s-l-o-w-l-y so she can be precise. Her next time is 1:09, one penalty. Yep. Tweleve sets of cones over 40m x 80m. In sand.

Well, I had to see if this course really was that fast. If you read Wednesday's blog, you know how I feel about cones. I am not going to tell you what my time was. I am going to tell you that I am a very fine instructor. I am going to tell you I have very talented clients. Very talented, 9 year old clients. And a very fast, finely tuned, super charged bad boy prince charming, Don Pecos.

Have a serendipitous weekend!

Training Special Horses at Serendipity

One of the many pleasures of training horses for the Serendipity curriculum is the moment when the horse reaches the stage where he believes he's a show horse. The weeks of conditioning take away the sound of his hooves, his step is a spring, his neck sculpts into a crest, he raises his eyelids and looks widely at you. He knows he is special.

Ace has got to that stage. His extension is still a little wobbly, but he is working his heart out on it. The transition from baby sitter to ballet dancer doesn't happen overnight, and it is a credit to his breeding and disposition that he has got so far, so fast.

The longer I know Ace, the more he reminds me of his dam, Whitmorr Topaz. He shares her love of carriage driving obstacle courses: fast, fast trot, downshift, spin, more fast trot, turn, turn turn, go, go, go, stop, fast, turn, faster, turn, fastest trot, yeah! Topaz gave me three impeccable horses-Ace, Major and Don Pecos. They can all spin the gig 360 degrees at a working trot without moving the inside wheel. They love it, too.

Perhaps they enjoy it because the whip is having a ball, you might tell me. Yes, I agree to a certain extent. However, the fact remains that I hate cones courses. I do not enjoy them. And yet I trained all the above horses, and more, who do love cones courses. Maybe it's Morgans. Maybe it's Topaz's offspring. Who knows really.

One thing is for sure, they know they're special. You can see it when they move.