Mr. Sandman and Mr. Masquerade, two very different partners, but “the times they are a changing”. There’s nothing more constant in life than “change”, so even though I often don’t want things to change, they do, and when that happens, no matter, good, bad, or indifferent, and often easier said than done, it’s often a difficult transition to make and even more difficult to write about. But with this in mind, it became apparent recently, when thinking about Sandman and our partnership, for us to really progress in a much bigger way, I really needed to acknowledge and appreciate this well earned “changing of the guard”.
For years now, out of my loyalty to Masquerade as my #1 Boy, I’ve been quietly reluctant to replace him in my mind and so as I think this thru, some of that reluctance I believe has now spilled over into my riding with Sandman. I know horses sense this stuff and if so, his confidence and in turn my confidence as well is impacted (as I compare and contrast everything) and then all of that consternation is reflected in our riding, which is a lot to unpack and more about me than it is about him.
Either way, for years now, I’ve not been able to really let go of Masquerade and fully embrace Sandman as a dependable and trustworthy partner, so instead of “really” celebrating our victories, I would often catch myself in retrospect thinking, waiting, and expecting another shoe to drop. One example of this is that I’ve been showcasing Masquerade for years now on both my cover photo and profile picture, and even though I post about Sandman’s accomplishments, I’ve been underneath all that not able to fully embrace the real progress we’ve made over these last few years. Changing the hierarchy of these profile pictures is a symbolic gesture but a step I can take as I shift my emphasis, so I’m riding with intentionality and I’m hoping, he senses and feels that renewed emphasis and confidence as well.
For those who’ve been following our posts, in 2019, we brought Sandman home, thinking he could pick up the baton from Masquerade as he rolled into retirement. At that time, Sandman was a young off the track racehorse with bad feet who could only go very fast counter clockwise for a few minutes and now after a few years of steps forward, backward, and sideways, he’s really begun to blossom as an endurance horse and last year we finished 3rd in our region at our weight class for mileage. We’ve made some significant strides, but I think for us to take the necessary next really big steps forward, I need to throw ALL of my energy and enthusiasm and most importantly my “real” trust as well his way, and for both of us, that change in attitude, intentionality, and confidence on my part may be what we both need and I know it sounds so simple, but it may be exactly what the Doctor ordered and what we both need to get us over this next set of speed bumps we have in front of us.
This year we had big plans that got sidelined for injuries first to him and then to me but after a few months of PT for me and a few weeks off here and there for him with some new glue on shoes, a new fitness/PT regiment for me and some significant changes in riding gear, new shoes, orthotics, knee braces and electrolyte protocol for us both and for him a different saddle we’ve got a new configuration of stuff that seems to work. While we made those changes over the last 4 months, we kept riding as best we could and along the way and as we were making these changes, he made some real progress in a couple of other key areas as well. For example, he’s gaining more confidence out on the trail now and he’s no longer reluctant to take the lead or leave other horses at any point in a ride, this was best evidenced on a swelteringly hot 17 mile training ride last weekend, where he led and he followed at different points, with very little drama and he without reluctance and even with some gusto, when I asked, he willingly left the other horses behind and we rode ahead for 6 miles alone and on pace and then when I slowed him down to let the others catch us, we joined up again, without drama, and then at the end of the ride I left the group again and rode ahead and we finished alone. These seem like small steps but they are actually quite important as they signify an overall change in his confidence and our trust in one another. Another example of an important skill we’ve mastered over these last few months is “night riding” as we’ve now completed two relatively drama free night rides, the first was a 75 mile ride, doing the last 25 miles in the dark and the second was a 30 mile ride which resulted in him being awarded Best Condition in that ride.
We have a few more challenges yet to work thru, but every ride now is a step forward and intentionally set up to accomplish some small baby step (or reinforce earlier learning from a prior ride) toward the larger goals. He still in not super confident in a crowded situation with other horses bumping him and will often shy in a big way from horses whose mannerisms come from higher up in the pecking order, and he still is not comfortable crossing bridges and water is not yet his friend, so these are three areas we need to work on but in general, these are all doable bumps in the road as small incremental advances. His capacity to remember stuff is incredible and it seems, once he masters a skill he doesn’t forget it and often thru his mannerisms, he will reteach me that he already knows how to do such and such and that leaves me now playing catch up. He’s a good boy and super inquisitive, smart, and friendly and he’s constantly nuzzling Lori and I for butt rubs and treats which makes him a great friend and training partner. He’s more than earned the ‘profile picture” and he knows we’ve got his back now, so I think his confidence and our trust in one another will continue to grow and along the way, we just gotta stay in the moment, be “present” and enjoy the ride we’re riding and smile often 🙂 . From Promise Ranch, Lori Lucian, Masquerade, Diamond, Sandman, and Shadow. Enjoy the ride!! 😊