Expect a Miracle

Today is April 11th. My mother, Louise Loening turned 80 yesterday.  She is growing  gracefully in Kennett Square, PA.
I plan to return to our Idaho home on April 19th after another attempt at the Ram Tap prelim course with Banner.  I also get to compete a very fun Haflinger Pony named Heidi who jumps brilliantly. She is 14 hh, beautiful, sexy and cheerful.  She has a very bushy mane and her tail drags on the ground.  Her owner, Kim Fishman politely resisted my pleas to pull her mane. I've come around to appreciating her shaggy look now.  It's hard to even part it for a bridle.  It's really thick!
My experience at Lone Tree Farm for the last 7 months has been rich and rewarding.  I extend my thanks  to my husband, Steve for his support.  It has been a dream of mine to immerse myself in horse training and that is exactly what happened here.  Connie Arthur, the owner and her manager Dyan Southern taught me so much by example.  The horses here taught me even more.  The job involved lots of catching, leading, handling.  I'm proud of the way they have improved under saddle and on the ground.
I rode an average of 4 to 5 horses per day 6 days per week.  I rode draft crosses, arab crosses, haflingers, tb's, warmbloods and Liam, the Irish Draught stallion.  I jumped most of them in group lessons with Connie.
I fell off my horse Banner 5 times in one 30 day period. Miraculously, I was not hurt.  My regular AM yoga practice must have helped me sustain those falls without injury. So far I have not fallen off any LTF horses but I could.  If you ride, you fall off!  I didn't teach much formally and rather missed that.  I was able to sneak in some teaching with the working student young riders, Mary and Amber. I lunged them and they got stronger.

I learned about turning my shoulders in for shoulder in, letting the jumpers sort themselves out with less help from me, keeping my hands down and different warm up techniques for different horses. I learned that that a young horse cannot sustain a rhythm on a lunge line because he lacks the strength and that one must wash and dry Banners legs after being in water or he could get vasiculitis from scratches.  I learned how slow I go and how fast I need to go at Prelim.  I learned how to drive around LA and SF.  I learned about trailer bearings, air filters and clutch parts.  I learned how to ride with my spine/ back in mind and to be super tall. I learned to walk up hills on foot with good posture.
I learned that I am uncomfortable with surprises and most family visits and that I am the common denominator/ problem and it hurts too much.   I learned that people like my dog Cash but won't be sorry when he leaves.  I learned that I am employable at a horse barn.  I learned the gift of not blaming those around us and accepting everything.  (I got that from Connie and Dyan, thanks ladies)  I learned to set boundaries.
Music....I learned how to sing higher. I learned that the G note is where my chest voice ends and face voice starts and how to practice the transition to make it all sound like the same voice.  I learned to appreciate a good jam session. I learned not to be so afraid of heavy drinkers.  I learned more about harmony, violins, dobros and auto harps. Guitar or banjo riffs are an important key element to create an appealing song.
I made lots of new friends here in the Central Valley of California which in itself is truly the land of milk and honey. What an incredibly habitable climate!  I will miss the Tuolome River and the geese, herons and bobcats that reside here.  I will miss the birds of prey, the flowers, the grass and the footing.
 When I get back to Idaho I plan to rehearse 2 hrs per day each day to work up good musical solo.  I plan to write songs and letters too.  I also get to organize the upcoming jump clinic with Nick Karazissis and get back online with my students.  Of course there is always yoga and connecting with important friends and mentors. I look forward to jamming with musicians there and getting out to see live music.
Thanks for reading this I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Cheers and Happy Spring!

 Mia

PS. Banner and I won the Prelim. Combined Test at Woodside last weekend so we are confident for Ram Tap!