Because I Love You More

Indy_2011

By Jennifer Klitzke

I have always been passionate about the Spanish horse—anything with Iberian blood would do. Only I could never afford such a mount.

On a cold January 2012 morning, I was surfing Craigslist.com and light buckskin dun Spanish Mustang named Indian’s Legend (Indy) showed up in the results.

When my eyes first saw him, my heart leapt.

No, I didn’t need another horse, I already had four, but there was something about him.

The owner loved Indy, no doubt. Yet a single mom, working full time, and a full-time student, she was trying to hold her passions together when reality set in. She knew it was time to let Indy go.

Drop-dead gorgeous and the closest thing to Lusitano I’d ever be able to afford, I had to have him.

It took some savvy negotiating to talk my husband into the idea of another horse. It was easy for me to justify. Two of our horses were approaching their thirties, one was a rescue horse strapped with heaves, the other was a non-aerobic gaited horse. Indy would be about the same cost as a gym membership and I’d enjoy him more.

Loading him into the trailer, Indy’s previous owner’s heart was breaking. Her love for him streamed from her eyes as we drove away.

It didn’t take long to realize that Indy was exceptionally intelligent, bold and curious. He needed lots of variety to keep him from getting bored. He wouldn’t be satisfied with miles of 20 meter circles in an arena.

Indy was game for anything we faced. In the last five years he has made many life-long dreams come true in my grandma age. We took up trail riding, which led to trail obstacle challenges, which led to endurance riding. Then we took up stadium jumping which led to cross country and dressage shows, which led to eventing. Then we tried cow sorting followed by becoming a demonstration horse/rider team at the Minnesota Horse Expo. We even rode in a Mary Wanless riding biomechanics clinic. She has been an author I have studied for decades through her books and videos.

In our five years together, Indy earned Spanish Mustang Performance Horse of the Year in 2012 and 2015, 2012 Spanish Mustang Conquistador of Performance Award, and we achieved 2,000 trail miles.

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Mary Wanless Clinic (2012)
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Lots of trail rides (2012-2016)

 

2016 Mosquito Run
Endurance riding (2012-2016)

 

obstacles
Trail obstacles (2012-2016)

 

2014 SMR Performance Horse of the Year Indian's Legend Jumping Stadium
Stadium Jumping (2013-2015)

 

2014 SMR Performance Horse of the Year Indian's Legend Jumping a Water Obstacle
Steepleview Schooling Days (2013-2014)

 

2014 SMR Performance Horse of the Year Indian's Legend Jumping a Log
Cross country (2013-2015)

 

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Dressage Shows (2012-2016)

 

Indians-Legend-Spanish-Mustang-Jennifer-Klitzke-2014-Cross-Country-D&G-Photography
Steepleview Horse Trials (2013-2014)

 

My Spanish Mustang cow clinic
Sorting cows (2013-2016)

 

2016 MN Horse Expo featuring the Spanish Mustang
Minnesota Horse Expo (2015-2016)

 

Spanish Mustang Western Dressage
Western dressage (2017)

Only, I faced a cross road when family crisis interrupted our adventures.

On October 2014, after a family intervention, my Dad was admitted into a Memory Care Unit with Alzheimer’s disease. He was a genius in his own time–only 75 years old. The disease robbed him of his brilliant mind. Mom suffered two strokes trying to take care of him at home. Dad was out of control and Mom was at the end of her rope.

I gave up many weekend of Indy time to be with my Dad and Mom during this crisis. Working full time and caring for my family meant that my intelligent and talented Spanish Mustang’s life was on hold. This weighed heavily on me.

Last summer was hard in many ways. I watched my Dad slip away, and I watched Indy grow bored and frustrated. He longed for the adventurous life we once had—going places every weekend to new experiences.

I squeezed in a couple arena rides each week, but that got boring. Then I added obstacles, cavelettis, and jumps for interest. It helped, but Indy missed the life we once had and so did I, but there wasn’t anything I could do about the crisis my family was in.

In January 2017, my Dad passed away. Even thought I am relieved that he is no longer anguished by that brain devouring disease, I miss him.

Now Mom needs more help that ever. Still working full time, my husband and I help her on weekends through life without Dad to downsize 54 years of memories into a manageable living situation.

I looked ahead at this year’s show schedule. Last year’s best intentions didn’t get us to any shows except for the two virtual shows I recorded from home. This year wasn’t going to be any different.

Going on two years in Indy’s prime of life, it just wasn’t right for me to horde him for myself.

In the last few years, Indy’s previous owner had graduated from college and married. We have kept in touch since I bought him, and she asked if I ever needed to part with Indy to let her know. I watched how much fun she and her family have had riding their Spanish Mustangs through mature forest around their home year round. It is the life Indy came from. A life he loved and a life I can’t offer him.

I contacted Indy’s previous owner and asked if she would be interested in buying him back. She was thrilled to be reunited with Indy as her very own again.

Saying “goodbye” to the Spanish Mustang who made my dreams come true felt like another death, but I love Indy more than to see him waste away in boredom because of my busy life. I have deep gratitude in my heart for the five years we shared. I want Indy to be happy and in his element.

Nothing brings me greater joy than to see Indy go back to his first home whose owner loves him like I do and for Indy to live the trail horse dream.

Loading Indy into the trailer, my heart broke. My love for him streamed from my eyes as the trailer drove away.

Because I love you more, Indy. Because I love you more.

A Trusted Leader

A trusted leader

By Jennifer Klitzke

“Let the horse know you’re the boss.” Did you grow up with this phrase?

This crude understanding accompanied cues like “kick to go” and “pull to stop.”

Just after purchasing my first horse 27 years ago, a fellow boarder gently asked me, “Who are you going to take lessons from?”

In ignorance I replied, “Why would I need to take lessons when I own a horse!?”

Back then I thought lessons were for horseless people looking for an opportunity to ride—not for horse owners learning how to interact well with their horses.

Then my kindhearted boarder friend invited me to watch a nearby dressage show. We got there just in time to see Kathy Theisen riding a horse named Bullwinkle in an upper level dressage musical freestyle. I get goose bumps just thinking about Kathy and her horse dancing as one to the rhythm of a waltz, skipping along the diagonal in tempe changes and soaring across the arena at an extended trot. She rode with an effortless finesse I had never seen before. This was my introduction to dressage.

That was the moment I realize there was a better way to interact with my horse than “kick to go” and “pull to stop.” No wonder my boarder friend asked me about lessons—no joke, I needed them!

Back then the German method of dressage riding was predominant in my area, so I learned how to drive my horse forward with my seat and legs in a mechanical way of going. While I learned how to become a technically correct dressage rider for the show ring, I didn’t learn much about leadership or why it is important to the horse.

Then after being dumped a few times, I became a very reactive rider. In terms of leadership, I was always on guard for the “what if’s.” Unknowingly, this transmitted insecurity to my horse and a lack of trusted leadership. So I rode in a very controlled environment—mainly in an indoor arena with few distractions.

Then a few years later Dominique Barbier, a French classical dressage trainer, rider and author of Dressage of the New Age began traveling to my region for clinics.  It was the first time I had seen a harmonious human-horse partnership demonstrated with lightness, balance, relaxation, joy, connection, rhythm, impulsion, and engagement. I took my Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding to a few of his clinics. Dominique confronted my reactive riding head on and taught me the importance of riding with a plan and to visualize it for the horse’s sake.

Also during this time, I believed that only dressage riders practiced the art of riding. My arrogance was met head on when I was invited to a Pat Parelli event and introduced to the philosophy of natural horsemanship. I was blown away watching Pat ride his horse alongside a black stallion dancing at liberty alongside him mimicking the movement his mount performed as he rode. I left the event deeply inspired and awestruck with what is possible in a relationship with a horse!

I am humbled to say that if it weren’t for the cowboys I would never have learned how to become a trusted leader with my horse. The cowboys have taught me how a horse thinks and relates with a rider. No matter how many 20 meter circles I do or how technically correct my riding may become, it will not develop a trusted leadership with my horse until I begin to understand how my horse thinks and relates with me as a leader.

In the last five years I became acquainted with the work of Larry Whitesell who combines French classical dressage with natural horsemanship. In fact, I was interested to learn that Dominique Barbier is one of Larry’s dressage mentors.

my Spanish Mustang at the Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer clinic
My Spanish Mustang at the Larry Whitesell and Jennifer Bauer clinic.

I’ve learned the most about trusted leadership from Larry Whitesell as a student at his 3-day and 5-day clinics. His unique riding philosophy is based upon French dressage, years of showing and training gaited horses, and understanding how the horse thinks and relates with its rider. He helps teach riders to understand what the horse’s needs are and meet these needs.

Larry says, “Don’t teach the horse what NOT to do. Teach the horse what TO do.” Instead of punishing the horse for making a mistake, redirect the horse to find balance and relaxation and at the same time the horse’s need for security will be satisfied, and the horse will better trust the rider as a reliable leader. This translates into less spooks, bolts, bucks, buddy sourness, and rears. The more a horse trusts the rider to keep it secure, the more the rider can trust the horse on the trail. It’s a win-win training method.

Learning how to become a technically correct rider is an excellent idea. I’m so glad that I didn’t stop to think that’s all there was to riding a horse. I yearned for more: I wanted the relationship Kathy had with Bullwinkle waltzing along the diagonal; the harmonious human-horse partnership Dominique has with horses; and the inspiring connection Pat Parelli has with horses at liberty and while he is riding.

It empowers me to know that my horse counts on me to lead him to balance and relaxation. Thanks to Dominique, I am reminded to visualize a plan for my horse’s sake. Thanks to Larry who taught me how to become a trusted leader for my Spanish Mustang that will help him find balance and relaxation which in turn will help him become a safer and happier mount on and off the trail. Thanks to great teachers such as riding bio-mechanics coach Mary Wanless who have helped me develop a more secure riding position which gives me confidence when my horse gets nervous. And thanks to God for the courage to perseverance and press on to meet whatever lies ahead.

The feeling of balance

The Feeling of Balance

By Jennifer Klitzke

High scoring dressage tests award the horse and rider who demonstrate a culmination of rhythm (with energy and tempo), relaxation (elasticity and suppleness), connection (acceptance of the aids and bit), impulsion (energy and thrust, straightness with alignment and balance), and collection (engagement, self carriage, and lightness of the forehand) as they move through a series of gaits, transitions, and movements precisely on the letter. Gait quality, harmony, and submission are factors in scoring, as well as rider’s position and use of aids as they are applied to ride the horse through the required movements of the test.

From time to time I’ve seen “needs more balance” written on dressage tests I’ve ridden. While I know that balance is a dressage essential, I began to explore the “feeling of balance” as I ride my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend. What does it feel like when my horse is in balance? What does it feel like when my horse is out of balance? As the rider, how can I identify, restore and maintain my horse’s balance?

My Spanish Mustang and Jennifer Klitzke riding at a Mary Wanless Clinic in 2012
My Spanish Mustang and Jennifer Klitzke riding at a Mary Wanless Clinic in 2012 and getting introduced to the A,B,C’s of riding bio-mechanics.

This last Fall two of my favorite traveling clinicians came to town. The first was international bio-mechanics riding coach Mary Wanless, who my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend (Indy) and I had the privilege of riding with in 2012. The second was successful Grand Prix dressage rider Heather Blitz (who is also a long-time student of Mary’s). While Mary’s clinic helped each rider discover the feeling of a balanced riding position, Heather’s clinic offered metaphors to help rider’s get in touch with the feeling of their horse’s balance and offered terrific training tips whenever their horses lost balance.

In regards to the feeling of balance, Heather encouraged riders to imagine a medicine ball inside the horse’s body while they rode and to notice where the weight of it tends to rest. If it feels like it rests in the horse’s chest then the horse tends to be more on the forehand, and if the medicine ball feels as if it is right beneath the rider’s seat, then that indicates the horse is more in balance with the rider. Indy tends to be a medicine ball in the chest kind of guy.

Heather’s “medicine ball” metaphor has helped me so much in the area of rider awareness as it relates to the feeling of balance. This awareness is an essential first step in guiding Indy to reposition his body into better balance. Whenever he feels like his balance is in his chest instead of beneath my seat, or whenever he leans on the bit or rushes in a quicker tempo, I calmly and quietly half half. If that doesn’t work, then I ask him to halt. And if that doesn’t work then I ask him to halt and softly rein back a couple steps until I feel his balance shift from in front of the saddle to under my seat. Then I calmly and gently cue him forward again.

The Feeling of Balance

We practice this at a walk before we proceed to trot, and then canter. The more I remain aware of our balanced, the more balanced steps we have in succession. When we are in sync, it feels like my seat and Indy’s core are connected together like Legos, and we travel together as one unit with power beginning from his hindquarters traveling through his engaged abdomen which lifts his back and withers, and the forward energy flows through my closed hands which push forward towards the bit with a light contact (instead of pulling back).

I am so excited that Spring is right around the corner so that I can begin working these concepts in good footing. Indy and I have made the best of it in the snow on the weekends. Below is a short video of a recent ride. I video record one ride a week as a means to help me see what I feel. This helps me learn. I share this with you in the event any of it helps you in your training of your Spanish Mustang.

Enjoy the journey!

Video: My Spanish Mustang at Trot with Commentary

Spanish Mustang: Improving Canter

my spanish mustang canter

While riding yesterday I remembered two tips I learned while riding at a Mary Wanless clinic for canter. Thing “back-back-back” as you ride the canter and also think of dribbling a basketball with your seat. When the horse in the air, think… of your seat as a suction cup with each stride to hold the horse there a little longer. Together, these tips are really helping Indy slow his canter and be more balance and engaged from behind.

Riding with Mary Wanless

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By Jennifer Klitzke

My favorite super hero came to life when international bio-mechanics author Mary Wanless traveled to my State November 2012 to coach riders into an effective riding position. I have been a decades-long book student since she published “The Natural Rider.” This book helped me find balance and relaxation through Mary’s unique metaphors which helped me overcome riding fears sustained after a few bad falls. I was elated to take my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend (Indy) to this clinic.

I quickly realized that book study and hands-on learning can bring about entirely different results. While I had grasped some aspects of Mary’s riding bio-mechanics, there were a few that I had misinterpreted in regards to riding position. Was I ever glad that Mary’s keen eye picked up on them immediately as she addressed them in our sessions.

Mary began by helping me establish a solid riding position. While most dressage instruction I’ve received over the last 20 years has taught me to ride with the longest stirrup length possible, keep my heels down with weight in them, keep my weight back, and thighs light against the saddle, Mary took the opposite approach. She shortened my stirrups so that my knees were like the point of an arrowhead and my thighs were at 90-degree angles. Instead of keeping my weight back, Mary asked me to press forward as if I am resisting a push at my sternum. Also involved are the engagement of the core muscles of my midsection which felt like I was lowering my center of gravity and expanding my inner anatomy forward, sideways, and back to fill up all sides while breathing deep into my stomach.

Mary noticed that my seat bones were getting propped up by my seat muscles. She asked me to relax these muscles in order to lower my seat bones in contact with the saddle. Then she asked for me to increase my seat coverage along the saddle. When my seat bones are nearer to the saddle it aids in my communication with my horse. Mary also asked me to pull the bulk of my thigh flesh behind my thigh and snug my thighs along the saddle where I hold 80% of my weight (only 20% of my weight on my seat). This allows my seat bones to remain close to the saddle without creating pressure points on my horse’s back. Riding in this position feels a little bit like kneeling even though I was vertically aligned: shoulder, hip, and heel.

After my riding position was established, we practiced this position at a walk, trot and canter. Mary coached me in becoming aware of my energy and directing focused energy downward to my bikini line (not that I wear one) and discharging this focused energy forward through a small hose to the place on the horse’s neck just under my hands. My hands maintain a light contact with the reins, and I imagine pushing my fists towards my horse’s neck. That’s where I aim to push the wrinkles out of my horse’s neck. This helps our energy travel from the hindquarters through the back to the bit.

When traveling in a rising trot, the balls of my feet only hold 20% of my weight and 80% of my weight remains in my thighs. Riding this way takes a lot of isokinetic effort, yet it produces great results: stillness and balance in the rider and balance in the horse, (plus burns more calories)!

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Words do not describe how much it meant to me to ride with Mary and have her set me on the right course with her hands-on riding bio-mechanics. She is an articulate, polished, highly observant and educated instructor. She quickly assessed we were at and immediately provided understandable corrections that build on each other in metaphors that were easy to remember. In two days I felt that I had grasped A, B, and C of Mary’s riding bio-mechanics and hope she comes back to my State again so that I can learn more of her alphabet.

It was an honor to ride for someone who has helped me overcome my riding fear and has re-inspired me to ride dressage after a 15 year break. The 2012 Mary Wanless riding bio-mechanics clinic was a lifelong dream come true!

For more about Mary Wanless, visit www.mary-wanless.com

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mary Wanless Biomechanics Clinic