The Last Day

This day was very emotional for me. I was exhausted, thrilled, and I think a little shell shocked. As I got to Piper Ridge I looked in the ring where Chance and I had worked so hard. This clinic was more than I ever expected it to be - it was life changing for us. I started out feeling so incompetent and intimidated. I don't know why, but I'm glad I got over it. And it wasn't just me that had accomplishments. I saw growth in everyone. We had become a family, 11 people from different backgrounds, lives and riding styles, some in western saddles & some in english, all there to become better horse people. Each of us had a horse with a unique personality and different issues. Even though I was very caught up in what Chance and had been doing, I saw changes in all of us. Everyone was kind, supportive, hard working and positive. As exhausting and sometimes frustrating as things got not once did I see one person loose faith or give up.

And I haven't even mentioned Greg yet. The 1st day he said he wasn't a teacher, but he was there to help us learn. What I love about how he did this is that he gave us a variety of tools, ideas and methods to learn with, never giving up if we didn't understand. If he got frustrated with us he didn't show it. He would keep explaining in as many ways as it took for us to get it. He also made sure that nobody got left hanging or standing in the background lost.
And he loves what he does, you can see it in his face when we understand, it makes him happy to see us flourish and become better horse people. I am very grateful and lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him. I will be signing up for his clinic again next year.

Things were pretty quiet, low key this day. We all worked on our own things for a while. I did the exercise with the barrels again. It wasn't as intense as the day before, but it didn't need to be. The first time he got pretty caught up in it and I needed to help him by stopping his feet so he could remember the peace. The 2ND time he had it down pat. In fact he started using the corners to get out of work, which made me smile. I guess his work ethic could use some tweaking but I'll just continue to find the balance between work and quiet for us. He has figured out how to think while using his feet and that was the goal.

The last exercise we did was some individual canter work. We had to try to figure out what lead would be easier for each horse after determining where the brace was. This is still a little confusing for me, but it's getting better. Chance is a tough one, but I do know that his left lead is easier.

Then it was time to go home. Everyone packed up and started heading out. I took my time, just soaking in the experience as I put things away. Before I left I gave Greg a big hug and thanked him. He told me how proud he was of what Chance and I accomplished, that the best thing for us would be for me to ride the heck out of him this summer. And that is exactly what I plan to do...I'm going to ride my new partner!!!