West Coast Friendship: Part Six

There's so much that happened with Maura that I can't describe it all. Certain bits stand out more than others, and I can't even guarantee that I'm telling all the events in the right order, because at some point, I stopped writing it all down.

I do remember how quickly things fell into place for me at Magnolia once I was under Maura's guidance. She took a personal interest in all of her riders, and she encouraged us to be at the barn as often as possible--even if we could only afford once-a-week lessons. She loved nothing more than to see her students want to spend time around horses. If we were at the barn, there was always something for us to do. Sometimes, I would simply come and socialize. I formed a relationship with the barn owners, the other riders, the boarders... Someone was always around, and most of them took the time to get to know me, because new faces at Magnolia were few and far between. On other days, I would volunteer to work with the horses in the barn. I did the basics, like feeding and watering, but I also learned some things, like how to manage turnout and how to assess what horse needed what bit and which martingale. Sometimes, if we were lucky, Maura would let us exercise some of the horses. This was always a treat, because the one problem with riding lessons is that students never get to simply hack. But Maura made sure that if we were willing to learn, she was there to teach, both inside the ring and out.

And the more my ground skills improved with the horses, the more my confidence in the arena improved. And the horses responded to that confidence. I remember a particular moment when I was riding a petty mare who refused to pick up her right-lead canter. I had tried asking in every corner; still left-lead. I kept her on a circle and asked again; nothing. Eventually, as we were cantering down the straightaway, in the right direction on the left lead, I took charge. I used my hands, my seat, my legs, my everything, and reinforced it with a tap of the crop on her hindquarters. She gave a start and literally flinched with surprised, and then proceeded to swap her lead in midair.

I could hear Maura laughing from the other side of the ring--not a little chuckle, but full-out, joyful laugh. When she finally caught her breath, she explained, a giggle still bubbling beneath her words, "I don't think that mare's gotten a flying change in years! You literally startled her into a lead change. When you made up your mind like that, I'm pretty sure you scared the crap out of her!" She hesitated and then tacked on, with an apologetic smile, "Sorry for language."

And then I had to laugh along with her. It seemed there was a new lead mare in town.