Beck Wren brought Ranger into the groundwork portion of the May Joel Conner horsemanship clinic. Here’s what he shared about the experience:
“Ranger didn’t learn very much during the groundwork portion of May’s Joel Conner clinic here at Safe Harbor Stables, but I sure did.
I was nervous, especially on the first day. When we walked into the arena for the first time and I saw the other horses and spectators arrayed around the cavernous space, I balked. Ranger turned toward me with the gentlest, kindest look—one that seemed to say, “It’s OK. I’ll take care of you.”
And he did. God bless a patient horse.
It wasn’t a glamorous start to my horsemanship journey. Over nine total hours of clinic time, across three separate days, I managed to learn only what Joel described during the first five minutes of instruction on day one: a basic hindquarters yield. I suppose we all have to start somewhere.
What I learned most was confidence. About halfway through the final day of the clinic, I realized I was spending most of my energy crafting contingencies to control what might happen if I failed to get the result I wanted: If I asked Ranger to shift his hindquarters and he didn’t do it, what was I going to do next? And then? And then? And then? It was a never-ending chain of diminished focus, and Ranger could definitely feel the split in my intention.
To get him to yield his hindquarters, I needed to let go of the alternatives, stop catastrophizing, and simply walk forward. When I allowed myself to believe Ranger would do as I asked—when I stopped making contingency plans and fully committed—he promptly moved off. That’s no surprise: After nearly two years at SAFE, he’s a well-trained horse!
Ranger was a good horse to teach me this important lesson. He’s had his own struggles with confidence. With the help of volunteer handlers Lexee N, Carrie S, and volunteers in SAFE’s grooming program, Ranger overcame significant herd-bound anxiety and learned to be comfortable in himself (and his handler) without needing his buddies constantly nearby.
Ranger is currently on trial for adoption. I can say with confidence that he’s ready. He took care of me in May, and he’ll take care of his adopter for life.”
