Thank you, Bo

I recently have had the extreme honor of leasing Amy’s Prix St. Georges gelding, Bo. I have known Amy and Bo for several years and have seen Amy retrain him after he had spent some time in a program that didn’t work well for him.  I have ridden Bo a handful of times throughout the years and have always been incredibly excited to pop on and play around with some things that I was on the verge of teaching Echo (half passes, changes, etc.).

When I got the ride on Bo, all of the sudden I was terrified! Not of Bo necessarily but of the responsibility of having such an expensive, quality horse. When I took my first lesson with Allison Spivey on Bo, she told me that I was riding like I was afraid I was going to hurt Bo or damage his training somehow. Additionally, Bo is a big, powerful horse and I am not used to that kind of engine! My precious Echo is a superstar in so many ways, but having a “10” extended trot is not one of them. Learning to be comfortable with the bigger moving horse has been a challenge in itself.

Bo has taught me more things than I could write down, but I will try!

• A good rider position is that way for a reason. Your upper body is a powerful tool – USE IT! I found the taller and straighter I sat, lifting my chest while elongating my legs, the better Bo went. I also have taken this improved posture to Echo and Ren with positive results. It is not just about looking pretty- it is effectiveness.
• Don’t hold or beg or nag. The aids should be used to cue the horse to do something, not maintain it. My goal is to be able to ride for 3-4 strides without having to do anything. If I tell a horse that I want him to do a working trot with a good connection from the hind legs to the bridle, then they should do it (provided it is without their level of training) without me having to nag and remind every step. Make every cue count. As Amy once told me in a lesson, “ask like a lady, then kick like a donkey! I have learned to expect the horses to keep the tempo up regardless of what we are doing, and this has translated to really outstanding lateral work on Echo.
• Sit on the inside seat bone in half passes! This is a “duh” one that everyone should know, but I discovered very quickly that if my weight is in the wrong place that Bo will not go sideways. This has helped me in my half passes which Echo, which are new to him.
• PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN! Lifting my hands is a terrible habit of mine. It actually doesn’t help “lift” the horse in the front end, but will actually act as a lever to put the head lower if you are using a double/curb. If I put my hands down where they belong, Bo lifts his shoulders and neck almost immediately.
• Ride the body and the head and neck will follow suit. Sure, sometimes you need to address tension in the jaw or neck but most of the time if I focus on activating Bo’s hind legs and making him more engaged, he gets lighter and softer without any rein aids.
• This goes along with number 2 – let them be brilliant. If I am constantly pushing and kicking and pulling and doing something, how are they going to have the chance to show their natural brilliance? Changing my attitude mentally about this has made a big difference in my riding. I want to put the horses in the best place for them to show how amazing they are and then let them shine.
• Flying changes. Bo was a HUGE help and incredibly patient with my fumbling around learning the changes. I had not done them but a handful of times prior to leasing Bo and he was quick to let me know when I over-aided, when I threw my body at him in the moment of the change, if I didn’t half halt appropriately, if I let him back off, etc. etc. But in his own very kind (and sassy!) way, he taught me a ton about how to properly ride changes on a trained horse. This has helped me hugely now that we are teaching Echo the changes.

Since I initially wrote this blog, Bo has since found his “person” and is happily living with his new Mom. I could never replace the lessons Bo taught me just by being himself and expecting me to be a better rider. Thanks Bo!