Feature of the Month
Each month we will pick a new "Feature Rider" from the Farm, please check back each month to read about our riders, their horses, & their accomplishments & goals!
June 2011Feature of the Month - Roxane Beyette & Iris
From Roxane:
Picture this…a lone woman sits at a table
alongside the warm-up ring at the Royal Winter Fair in 2010. On her plate is a meal from Alberta. In her glass is a wine from Ontario. And in the air is the smell of horse.
Could it be any more perfect?
It was while sitting there, soaking up the
atmosphere, when I realized I wanted to return to the saddle. I rode for a little bit as a child, but it
was tough work trying to muck out stalls and clean up a horse after a muddy
hack through a forest in Northern Ontario.
It certainly wasn’t as glamorous and exciting as the horse events I
watched on TV or the stories I read in my books. However, sitting in that restaurant, I
recognized my desire to ride again.
Late 2010, I checked out a few stables in the
area. It didn’t take me long to admit
that with LTS I felt at home. I wasn’t
simply a student and I wasn’t some anonymous rider. Although, I do remember thinking that I
needed a better tour…one that included showing me where the washroom was! FYI, I have since found the washroom.
Starting out on Cohen and progressing over to
Jasmin for a little while, Iris and I were eventually introduced…by
accident. The horse I was supposed to
ride had just been sold and Tessa, after looking at Holly and Iris, handed a
sweet, docile, flea-bitten grey mare over to me.
I quickly came to realize that Iris is a
chameleon of a horse. She is content and
quiet in the cross-ties, but once in the ring or near the possibility of food,
and the Grandma of LTS shows her spunk!
The mare that can be so aloof one moment will nicker softly and gently rest
her head on mine after an evening lesson.
The skittish old lady that shies away from those Evil Blue Barrels in
the corner will try to push me around when I’m leading her outside. This horse has more moods than I…and I adore
each of them.
Working with my drill sergeant (and friend),
Joanne, Iris and I have both improved.
My own confidence levels have risen.
Iris has learned to back up. I’m
pushing through those moments when my leg muscles are begging for mercy. Iris is learning how to lunge in the
clockwise direction.
…and I have a sneaky suspicion that Iris actually
likes me. During a spring rain, I
trudged out into the paddock, head down, to catch Iris. I clipped the lead to the halter, which I
immediately noticed was not Iris’s normal accessory, and remarked, “Iris
girl…where are all your freckles?” I
realized then that I caught the wrong horse and, spotting movement in the
corner of my eye, looked up to see Iris walking towards me. We both agreed that we would never speak of
that moment…until now.
Getting back to Joanne, it’s because of her
amazing instructions (she’ll be nice to me now, right?) that I felt I was able
to create a few 2011 goals for myself. I
like goals. They give me a sense of
direction, not to mention accomplishment once I’ve achieved them.
1.
Quarter or part boarding by October
2011. I’m happy to report that March was
my first month of quarter boarding with Iris.
She needed some TLC and I needed a horse that was steady.
2.
Successfully clearing 2’ jumps by the end of
December 2011…on a horse. A friend of
mine recommended I add that last part on just to make sure there was no
confusion on anyone’s part.
3.
4 consecutive lessons without hearing Joanne
say “Heel’s down!”
On, Friday, May 13 *insert ominous music
here*, I decided to do a free ride. Here
is an excerpt from the email I sent Joanne later that day…
“I know you said to buddy up with someone on
my first trail ride but today, I just couldn't resist seeing what it was all
about. Ummm ... that ain't exactly a flat trail! I learned a few
things along that trail :
1. Not only is Iris afraid of EBB's (Evil Blue Barrels), but also NBT's (Nasty
Black Tires).
2. I'm going to slap a bumper sticker on Iris's butt that reads "I brake
for dandelions."
3. I learned how to canter ... whether I wanted to or not. Presuming
a three-beat is a canter. She was doing it up the hills.
4. Two-point comes in handy when going up a hill.
5. I learned how to gracefully fall from a horse without breaking a bone or my
cell phone. My left foot slipped from the stirrup during an uphill
canter. Right foot decided to do the same. I fell off to the left
and somehow landed on my right butt cheek. I'm guessing I did 2.5 twists
in the pike position. Horse and rider are fine. :-) Shame I
fell off, though. I made it over all the hills to the far back field
before circling back and it was on one of the hills returning to the stable
where I accidently dismounted.
6. I learned how use a hay wagon to remount.”
What I didn’t put in the email was that I
informed Iris that I had left the stable on a horse and I was going to return
on a horse. Jersey was coming up the
trail, being led by 3 or 4 women (little guy was probably loving that
attention!) and I was strongly considering swapping horses with them. However, as #6 indicates, I managed to regain
my seat and return to the barn.
In all seriousness, I’m glad that I found
LTS. I’m thrilled that Joanne finds that
perfect balance to coach, instruct, support and cheer me. And, perhaps most importantly, I’m so pleased
that because of “everything happens for a reason”, Iris and I were introduced.
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Past Features of the Month:
