Learning To Waltz

It's an amazing feeling when everything clicks. It's like all the stars align and when it's all over and done with you feel so happy that you practically float. These moments don't happen very often, maybe that's we apprieciate them so much more when they do. In riding, these moments are even rarer. Ask any equestrian, trainer, rider, horse owner, the thing I find myself bogging down over is that since starting on this journey, these moments are happening more often then not. It's an incredible feeling, being so in sync with another being, you barely think something and already you are doing it. I experienced a ride like this today, it was one of the few times it has happened when I haven't being riding my own horses. The horse I was riding was a client's horse, 6 years old, greener then green broke, lazy, and quick as a whip. I've been working with her for just over a month and a half. She's inclined to want to discuss things, and every ride we have at least one disscussion, usually more. Now, on a side note, please understand that in using the term, discussion, I do not mean beating the horse into submission, I do not mean kicking, or yelling, screaming, anything. I simply mean it as it seems, two individuals communicating over a certain topic, both offering their opinion, and then coming to a compromise. Usually with this horse it's the "I want to stop, now!" topic. I will start out by saying "Okay, let's trot four times around the arena" and we will start usually getting around once or maybe twice, before the discussion comes up. "I want to stop, now!" "Come on please, let's go." "Now." "Not yet." "Now?" "One more round." "Okay." I mean it when I say this horse is all about the compromise.
Today, however, our ride was about learning how to dance. The steps taught for hundreds of years, passed down from generation to generation, where transforming from short, out of sequence, choppy movements into a finely tuned and choerographed routine. Today we where both equal in teaching and learning. Like the first lessons in anything there where a few missteps here and there, but the all worked into a light, reflexive piece of symentry. Two Bodies, one mind. The walls of insecurities, worries and mistrust fell all around us, and when the dust cleared we where there, both students, both teachers, waltzing.