“Prior and proper preparation prevents p*** poor performance.” “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” Pat’s words run through my head a lot now as I am 7 months from the London 2012 Paralympics. The goal is the be the best my horse and I can be for 6 minutes in the arena in front of five of the best judges in the world. With time counting down, you’re darn right I’m working towards being prepared and finding “perfect”… well, that’s a hard one for me. It’s not that I don’t want perfection, it’s that I can get so particular that it has to be perfect!. I know how to practice and I know what is correct, and then you have to also do what is best for your horse’s Horsenality.
What I must remind myself is that the words “perfect” “practice” and “proper preparation” do not mean that I need to drill my patterns and make what I want to do seem like hell for my horses. I tend to get into a mode where my mindset is “Go, go and more go! The more I do, the better it will be!” I’ve learned that’s a great way to make my horses dread the arena. Perfect practice doesn’t mean working at it for a longer period of time; it’s applying the knowledge we have learned, using the correct technique, with good timing, balance and feel, and adding what Linda says: keep it “short, sweet and successful.”
My horses keep teaching me to quit sooner, do less with higher quality, quit, and allow for Marination.
This has been the case with Paris, as I feel like I’ve been putting lots of miles on her; I’m riding more, but not always riding smarter. For example, I have been having challenges with one of our competition classes. To be honest, this test makes me sick to my stomach. It makes me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing and pushes me out of my comfort zone. I’m not normally a nervous rider but this one class has got me all nutty! I try my best not to cause my emotions to affect Paris, but the more I think about it the more I bother her. The walk pirouettes have been hard for Paris, as she gets very tense; in addition, we have three halts in which we need to show complete immobility. When I do the pirouettes, Paris gets tense and then she doesn’t want to stop moving her feet, which causes bad halts. It’s a terrible cycle . Linda helped me isolate and break down the pirouette – moving the shoulder, neck reining, dropping the reins, shortening the stride, using my stick in zone 4. The idea was to help Paris stop the pattern I had created by practicing it over and over with tension.
Paris and I working on our harmony.
We entered four shows: two national and two international. Each time I rode the dressage test, I forgot about the big picture and the score. I focused on helping Paris be okay with individual elements of the test. I focused on the walk pirouettes, I didn’t ride them technically perfect, but I did ride them in a way that prevents Paris from going into her tense state. The more we did this, the more I was able to ask for the pirouette to become more technically sound. It was incredible, because once she started to be okay with the pirouettes, the halts started to get better on their own. By the last international show, we got 7s for our Pirouettes and halts that were immobile!
The really exciting piece of news for this month was that Maile made her debut back in the show ring with one of my teammates, Ashley Gowenlock. I brought Maile with us to West Palm, where we had our international competitions, so I could keep working with her on fitness. For those of you that didn’t know, back in 2010 she injured her hock and I thought she would never be sound enough to ride again. My plan for her was retirement and to breed her; however, she didn’t take when we bred last year. So she went back into training. Ashley was competing on Fergi; however, between the two shows, Fergi ended up with a abscess and couldn’t compete in the second international show. Ashley needed a horse to ride and I thought Maile would be a good fit. It was incredible seeing Maile do what she does best. Ashley just had to put her seat belt on and Maile showed her how it was done!!
It was everything I could do not to be a blubbering fool on the sidelines. Even though it wasn’t me on her, I was so proud of Maile and how confident she still was thanks to the Parelli program. Even after all the competitions she has been to and her travels to Beijing, she was confident and loved being in that show ring! Maile is my role model for how I want all my horses to act when they see the competition arena. Now, there were a few moments where the communication between she and Ashley wasn’t exactly “two or more individuals sharing and understanding an idea” – Maile is fine tuned to how I would ride, and Ashley has cerebral palsy and bounces in her body and arms a bit more then I do. Maile was convinced that all this extra movement meant Piaffe and Canter, and of course she did her best to oblige! However my RBI just needed a little time and figured out exactly what Ashley was asking her – by Day 3, they scored a fantastic 75.333% in their Freestyle.
The show was a success for Paris and I as well, as we ended up winning 5 of our 6 classes and I had lots of people ask just how long it took me to teach my horse to do all those neat things on the ground…. “It must have taken a long time. Was she specially trained for you?” they would ask! Thank you, Parelli… I love it when my horses and I motivate other to ask questions.
Paris winning her Freestyle.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Lauren, I completely fell in love with Maile when I read about the tough time you two had in Beijing all those years ago, how sick she got, and how you were told you might lose her, and how she made it into the ring all the same and performed for you, winning you a medal, when more seasoned combinations didn’t even make it in there because of the life-size cut-out pandas and dragons which, to your stunning mare, were just another Friendly Game… I, too, am lucky because I have a horse in a million. He is an ex-racehorse, now 30 years old, blind and toothless and made of the same stern stuff as Maile. No other horse will ever fill take his place in my heart. Please will you hug Maile for me and tell her that she has a dedicated fan?
So glad to hear about Maile back in the show ring. I am sure you are very proud of her with Ashley.
Best wishes to the entire team.
I love reading about your successes, progress, and the processes you go through. I especially love that you were kind enough to share Maile with your friend. What a great heart you have.
Thanks for sharing and encouraging us!
Lauren,
You never cease to amaze me with your accomplishments. When I get stuck with my horsemanship goals I think of your accomplishments and that helps me get it together. I met you in Reno and will always have the GREATEST respect for you. You are so real. Nice attribute!
Reading all these blogs motivated me a lot and make me a better instructor. For me is also a other way to go through the Parelli program and lots of times finding things you forgot or who explain it in a other way. Good luck Lauren.
Lauren, thank you so much for continuing to share your journey. My daughter (age 12) and I have been following your progress for a few years now, and you have taught us so much!
This story seems to be more about your own humanality than anything else, and looking at your page on Parelli Connect, we can’t find your humanality. One of my challenges now is how to motivate *myself* to give my horse the right kind of support at the right time – - and it’s a huge challenge. Your story here seems to address the same issue. Is that what Partnership really means?
As long as you are writing posts, we’ll be reading them.
Always love your blogs Lauren, very thought provoking. And good reminders to do what’s right for our horses even when we have goals, even though they might not be quite as lofty as yours – and yet, no less difficult. You’ll be great in London, I have no doubt, and show the world horses can also be motivated and willing to play in the big arenas!
Lauren I echo the above. May I say publicly that although the games will be here in the UK and I am very proudly British, when it is time for the equestrians I will not be backing the UK but those that I am part of….the Parellians!!! And you have so got my vote x
Way to go Lauren. You look so good sitting a horse.
Nicely written Lauren! Thanks for sharing. Nothing to the level that you are competing but 2 weeks ago, I had to get my mare, Ellie ready for her first, public exhibition at Horse Expo Pomona with Pat and Linda. In classic Parelli style, we had a whopping 7-days notice that we were needed for this event. I took the same route as what you are describing, making sure that things were understood and without tension in my preparation and during the show…it made such a difference – Ellie was a superstar! I don’t know if you remember her, but you helped me with her at liberty in front your office at Pat’s barn in 2009…the one that took 150 circles before she would carry her body nicely and without brace at liberty…she has come a long way since then! Wishing you the best of luck in your preparation for London! By the way, beautiful photo of you and Paris freestyle at the end of your blog – wow!
Lauren, It’s been awesome following your journey and reading your updates on Parelli connect. Tori is doing a great job in keeping us up to date on all the daily progress. Looking forward to read more in the next 6 months. No matter how the Olympics go, you are an inspiration to us all. Your honesty in sharing the bumps in the road is humbling! All my very best wishes!
Thank you for sharing Lauren! As always, you and your team are much inspiration.
Hey Lauren – I’m not one to be reduced to tears readily but that story of how proud you felt with Maile was so so heartwarming to read! You are an inspiration to me and if I can be half as good with my whole body in tact (!) then I will be one happy girl:)
Congratulations, Lauren!! Thanks again for another inspirational blog!
One hoof at a time, something I’ve just begun to realize – so as usual with Parelli your post arrives at the perfect time. Thank you for the inspiration – again. It is wonderful to feel this connection through Parelli with you – someone in the top echelons of riding – and to be able to draw on your knowledge for the benefit of “just” the ordinary (Ron Pyne*** taught me the problem of “just” so it is in scare quotes).
Lauren, Thank you so much for keeping us informed and inspired.
I am entering a Toastmasters speech contest within my Toastmasters. I am using Lauren Barwick as one of the examples of a person who has achieved a great deal through horse back riding. The name of my speech is The Healing Power of the Horse.
Hey Karen – what a FANTASTIC title for a speach!! I wonder if you might get someone to record it and then maybe post it as a youtube video so we could all gain the benefit of your wisdom?
You are such an inspiration! You keep us motivated Lauren! We love your stories!