Trail riding without the Halter!

Our 1st time on the trails with just a neck rope.

Yesterday my partner and I hit the trails with Willow and Pixie. It was the perfect fall day and the ride was awesome. In fact everything was going so well that I decided to take off the halter for the last part of the ride. After we made it down the very big hill I took off Pixie's halter. Well okay I first checked with my other half to see if we had a clicker with us. I wasn't going to trail ride at liberty and not have a clicker. Safety! After getting my clicker the halter came off and off we went. Okay maybe she had to eat a little grass before we could start walking, lol. I will admit when we came to our 1st downhill section I was a bit nervous. I had no reason to be as she was perfect as she slowly went down the hill. This was a dream come true for me and now I know the possibilities are endless. However as with every big milestone I discovered lots about myself and my riding.

Here is some of the things I learned:
1) I have control issues (okay, okay I knew this before, but it really comes to light on the open trail with nothing on the horses head.)
2) Control issues = micromanaging
3) I didn't realize just how much the idea of reins made me feel safe.

So yes, it was very obvious to me just how much I seek control when riding the trails and how much mental reassurance the reins give me. In the beginning every time I wanted to change direction I immediately picked up the neck rope instead of asking with my seat and legs first. Funny I would do this since I have ridden at liberty in the arena more times than I can count. But habits are ingrained in us!  I found myself once again trying to steer with the neck rope when we reached a spot where we had to cross the gravel road to get back to the grass (she likes walking in the grass) however we had to avoid ditch too. But I caught myself and put it down, and said ok Pixie I trust you to not put us in the ditch. And guess what we made it around the ditch, lol. As I knew we would,but as stated before I have control issues.  The first time she broke into a trot to catch up with Willow I once again went straight to the neck rope to try and slow her down. Oh wait that isn't her cue to stop when we ride at liberty. Ha...she did slow down but did not stop. Okay, let me try the actual cue...I took a deep breath and relaxed and she stopped immediately. Good girl for listening when I actually used the right cue! Good girl for making me use the right cue!

I found that when we got closer to having to cross the road to get back home I was nervous. Why? I don't know. As I told my partner I knew she wasn't going to run away with me, but for some reason having reins gave me a certain level of comfort. And I never realized just how much my mind relied on those reins. Maybe because I knew there was no room for error or not listening when it came to crossing a road where the speed limit is 65. It was crucial she listen. We approached, she stopped and waited for traffic, and then we crossed on cue. She was perfect. It was important that I made sure I used the right cues! By the time we made it back to the driveway to the ranch I was super relaxed and had figured out how to use the correct cues, lol.

 It was nice having my partner there to remind me to put down the neck rope. That the whole point of me riding at liberty was to not have reins of any shape or form, lol. Oh yeah... I guess that is the point huh. Funny how the minute you step out of your comfort zone you forget how to do things like ride with your seat and legs. Or as my partner reminded me giving up the last ounce of control is something I struggle with.

Here is the thing. It isn't or shouldn't be about control, it should be about a partnership. Seeking this partnership with Pixie is my ultimate goal, but to get there I have to learn how to give up the control and let the partnership happen. I am still learning about myself and how to become a better partner to Pixie. The feeling of riding at liberty on the trails was the ultimate high for me. It was something I never thought I would be able to do.  (On that note, please don't go out and try to ride at liberty on the trails without the proper training in place.)

The moment we started walking on the trail without the halter, I remembered back to when I was standing in the round pen in tears with Pixie thinking I am never going to find a way to connect with this mare. Yet I did, and here we were riding at liberty on the open trail :)