Dye “the last unicorn” black, and you have Mahina, with her long elegant legs and big doe eyes. I (Lily) had the opportunity to bring Mahina into the groundwork portion of the August Joel Conner clinic, and over the course of our three days together became even more certain that, like the last unicorn, Mahina sure is special.
My focus throughout the weekend was helping Mahina to let down. Her high headset and telescopic neck may be trademarks of her breed, but are not in any way permanent physical traits. When she is relaxed and carrying herself with more balance, that long line of neck planes out, and from a distance you’d be hard pressed to tell her apart from any ole quarter horse. Currently, Mahina’s primary way of distributing her weight is over her front end, with her head acting as a kind of cantilever. As we worked her hindquarters, Mahina began to step up under herself, and her neck started to drop. During periods of rest, she would experiment with dropping her head down, and standing with her hind beneath her.
Though she allows us to halter her with little hesitation these days, remnants of her head-shy past are evident in her groundwork. A flag up by her poll elicits an evasion response, that high neck whipping around. As a flag in her blindspot represents a rider some day, it is important to help Mahina work through this spot, learning that she can move her feet away from what is bothering her. Her understanding of the flag or tarp as something that is not a threat will not happen overnight, but with each session I hope to grant her a bit more comprehension of what it doesn’t mean — as well as what it does.
Working with Mahina on re-balancing herself and becoming more comfortable with outside stimuli helps to better prepare her for her future as a riding horse. It was a real pleasure to get the chance to help this beautiful mare find a bit more confidence in herself through balancing her movement, and I am, as always, grateful for the opportunities to work alongside the horses of SAFE under the tutelage of Joel Conner.
