Type A and B

I've always kind of wondered what the heck people were referring to when they spoke of themselves as TYPE A or TYPE B. I mean really, what does that mean?




Over time, I've heard people refer to themselves as TYPE A quite a few times. Funny, I've never heard anyone mention they were TYPE B, is TYPE B bad? Regardless, based on the "type" of people calling themselves type A, I began to think that whatever it was, I probably wasn't one of them.

For example, one boss I had was a huge micro manager. She absolutely drove me crazy, she even had the nerve to go through my inbox on a regular basis to make sure I was doing my work in a timely manner. I often heard her remark about how TYPE A she was. I suppose that need for control put her in the position as MY BOSS and not the other way around.

Another example is a woman I work with now, who must know the goings on of everything. She needs to know when the mail has come, who got mail, when this or that will happen and so on and so forth, she has a self appointed TYPE A personality. Many people in the office don't get her and for that, dislike her, but she means well. I really like her alot, but she can be a bit annoying at times.

I also notice that all of the so-called TYPE A people I've met in my life have been very driven, responsible, hardworking and dependable people. I've never known one to gossip or speak poorly of another. I think TYPE A personalities are a good thing to have, to an extent. It's those who are micro managing, overly controlling, OCD about everything people that drive me a little batty. I also think as far as stress levels go, theirs may be a lot higher than their TYPE B counterparts.

Not really knowing whether I was type A or B, I took a simple test online with this result:

Results of Your Type A Personality Test

Personality Type
Your score = 29



RESULT (my description):

You seem to be far from having a Type A personality. Your attitude to life is more of the "smell the roses" kind. You know how and when to relax. The hostile, aggressive and competitive part of you surfaces rarely. You are easy to be around, and people tend to feel relaxed and comfortable in your presence. It's a very healthy attitude towards life. Just make sure you don't miss important opportunities because of being too cool and relaxed. Picking up a challenge and competing a little bit for your place in the sun can add some spice to your life.

Basically, I couldn't have said it better myself. That above, is me. What are you?

Now if I could re-design my own personality, I would have put myself somewhere more in the middle between type A and type B. The TYPE B'er that I am, I tend to lallygag and miss out on things, I'd have accomplished a lot more in my life by now, I think, if I were a little more insistent on accomplishing things ASAP. I also tend to talk about things as opposed to making them happen. I am always saying that I'm going to get a horse, I want a horse, bla bla bla....has it happened yet? N to the O. I think that if I were a little more type A, I'd be out riding my horse instead of right here blogging about wanting one.

With that said, I had fun taking the test and finding out a little more about myself. Now, when something I do seems a little far fetched or ridiculous, I can just say "oh, that's just my type B personality shining through." I should probably leave that off my resume though.

Over the Weekend

I had my second Dressage Lesson on Sunday morning. It went well and I felt less awkward as a whole. I was able to circle much better and I even learned how to properly collect a dressage horse. I need more practice, but I get the gist of it. Something about using my seat and legs to get the horse to propel from behind and drive the head set...hmmm...it didn't quite work that way for me, so I did sneak in a few half halts and a wee bit of see sawing...shhhhhhhh. There's more to it than that, but I'm still learning; I'm a very green bean with this Dressage business.

Later in the day, I drove all the way out to J's barn. There I met up with two young ladies, Sarah and Kristi. Sarah is an excellent and brave little rider. She's a few years younger than me with the similar riding abilities, yet she has the confidence I sorely lack. Kristi, who is my age, claims that she's been showing and riding horses her entire life, yet to see her with a horse tells a different story.

When I arrived at the barn, Sarah was already out in the indoor arena with a very naughty SID *thankfully it was her and not me* and I was just heading out with a very fat and crabby Gypsy when Kristi pulled up. Kristi is a newbie at J's barn, and she and I had made plans to meet up for some riding time. I wanted to see what her abilities were before she was allowed to start working horses on her own.


Gypsy, getting ready to go

Kristi is very very sweet, but she just doesn't seem to know what she's doing with horses.
Clue #1: She couldn't quite figure out how to put Snippy's *the 32 year old QH she rode* halter on. I let that slide, it had been about 4 years since she had last ridden, but still, is this something you ever forget if you've owned and even shown horses???
Clue #2: She didn't clip the cross ties on correctly.
Clue #3: she put the saddle pad on upside down and waaaayyy too far back (she looked somewhat miffed when I fixed it).
Clue #4: She tried putting the bridle on while standing in front of the horse, while he was still in cross ties.
Clue #5: after she was shown how to stand to put the bridle on,and the horse was released from the cross ties and halter, she put the bridle on; only poor Snippy's left ear was caught between the brow band and the cheek strap...hmmmm...

With all of those clues, I decided that Snippy, even though he's an old man, needed to be lunged just a bit before Kristi got on. She gufawed that idea, but one can never be too cautious. Once we were in the arena and Snippy had been lunged, Kristi mounted. She sat just like a stock seat rider, with her right arm hanging straight down (even though Snippy had Rommel reins on), she knew the proper stance, but when it came to actually controlling the horse - pssshhh, all horsemanship went out the window. Though she knew the proper aids, she allowed Snippy to dictate his speed and tailgate the crap out of a VERY crabby Gypsy, despite my several warnings. I spent most of my time avoiding Snippy and Kristi by circling in the center. I should have known better, but I knew Snippy would be fine, he's used to inexperienced riders :(.


Snippy after his workout

The thing that bothers me is that Kristi didn't want to hear my suggestions. I don't know if she was embarrassed to admit that she wasn't very familiar with horses, or if she really thought she was. To me, it's a safety issue. What if I had believed her and put her on a horse like SID, who rears when he's frustrated? Sheesh - humbleness really goes a long way with horses, I don't care if she's a newbie, just don't lie about it....GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE.

My ride on Gypsy was great though, she was super willing and smooth. She is now able to go at a nice jog and speed it up to a ground covering trot on que. I had Sarah hop up on her when I was through, and she got Gypsy into her first COLLECTED and SLOW canter. I couldn't believe my eyes, it was amazing. I love that Sarah!!! With her confidence and sweet, calm personality, she will do alot of good at J's barn. I really hope she sticks around.

Well, that's it for this rambling post...until next time, ciao!!


Gypsy and I after our ride

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

I thought it would be fun to post about some of my favorite horse products. So without further ado....

Shapley's Show Touch up is a wonderous thing for horses with light coloring. We also use it for dark horses, but it's the best for whitening up white legs ~ I must for the show ring!



Hello~! Binder twine....the best for extending cross ties (the binder twine is attached to the wall side) and so much more.


Electrical tape is a wonderful, wonderful unconventional item to have in a barn. I use it to secure trailer wraps (after I wrap the legs with the white quilted wrap then the polo wrap over it, I secure it again with the electrical tape twice around the polo), not too tight though. I also use it for unruly black forelocks in a western pleasure class, and to secure loose pieces of tack. It's very handy!



Suave Conditioners: This is so darn cheap yet so useful. I even use it as a leave in detangler for winter and tangled summer tails too. It works better than anything I've tried and smells oh so good.

And who doesn't love Cowboy Magic? It's light weight and I like it for quick mane/tail grooming.

Quic Silver: My favorite color enhancing shampoo. I use it for my white legged Bobby, but I think the other colors work well too.

How NOT to Cure Hiccups

This isn't horse related, but oh well.

Yesterday I had the hiccups. They were the type of hiccups that start below and punch their way up through the esophagus. They had my diaphragm clenching and my throat raw, they were loud, and they hurt. As is common with me, I knew that a day with one case of the hiccups, transforms into two - three days with several cases of the hiccups. They stay for a while, maybe twenty minutes. Then, they disappear only to return several hours later, usually at the most inopportune time.

So, as the hiccups loudly made their presence known, I grumbled to B *my husband* that I was not happy. I explained that when we woke up in the morning, to expect more of the same squeaking and gasping from my side of the bed. Please note that I'm referring to hiccups.

So, this morning, I rose from bed and began to get ready for work. Let me say that I am not a morning person on work days. It is a painstaking chore waking up knowing that I am off to work for the day. I go about my morning routine slowly, quietly and grumpily. This morning, I was none too pleased when the hiccups began almost the second my feet hit the floor. I slowly ambled about, squeaking and gasping as I went. I showered then, hiccuping and sighing along, I dressed and then headed to the master bathroom to meticulously apply my makeup (note: NOT).

With the bathroom door closed tight behind me, I was lost in, hiccup, thought. I think I was thinking about my upcoming Dressage lesson, actually. Staring at my grumpy, palid face in the mirror...hiccup, I wondered why the heck I had a zit at this a,hiccup,ge. Looking down I....


WAAAAAABAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - in burst B. I lunged around quick as a flash and hurled my brow pencil in his general direction. After yelling some expletives at him, I began crying. Whhhoooo boy, crying?!? B had no sympathy though, laughing hysterically, he asked if he had cured my hiccups...

"I scared them right out of you, didn't I?" he proudly exclaimed.

Infuriated and with bruised ego, I told him that no, he did not. I had just had my last hiccup when he made his appearance....and...well, in all reality, he did cure my hiccups. They were gone and haven't made another appearance yet today. Of course, I can't admit that to him.

Let me just say that even though he cured my hiccups, that was the worst possible method. Never scare your wife as she's grumpily putting on makeup, worrying about a zit and despondently planning her work day early in the morning ON A WORK DAY!

Photo Ops.

These two were being weaned. Their mothers were wild, and the babies were herded into the stall to wait out the night. It's a long story....



For lack of a photographer at the barn, sometimes I resort to photographing myself with the horses.
Say Cheese Bobby!!! (don't look at me, look at Bobby (this is 10:00 at night (mid winter (after hours of slaving in a barn)))).



Beau, SMILE!!!



GYPSY - SMILE for the camera!!!!



Hmmm, these horses look happy to see me, don't they? hmmmm......

It Was a Child's Saddle...

Last weekend, Gypsy and I had a little talk about starting a nice exercise regimen. Needless to say, it ended on a sour note.

Me: Okay Gyps. are you ready to start working out?

Gypsy: I don't know what all the fuss is about. Aside from this gnarly halter, I AM LOOKIN' F. I. N. E. fiiiiine.

Me: I don't know how to say this without ruffling your feathers Gypsy, but you're looking sort of, well, buxom.

Gypsy: Well, I'm blond aren't I?

Me: Yes, you are. Let's trim you up, then you'll be all set to grace the pages of The Morgan Horse or The Morgan Connection.

Gypsy: I'm not going for that bag of tricks. Besides, you're not as slim as you used to be either.

Me: Why, Gypsy. I don't know what you're referring to. I was simply saying it would benefit your health to slim down.

Gypsy: This picture will speak for itself!

Me: That was a child's saddle.....I was just posing on Tia for a moment. I ---uh---uh---that's just mean Gypsy. A low blow!

Gypsy: I don't know how to say this without ruffling your feathers, Jenny, but you're looking sort of F.A.T! (fat girl in a little saddle, fat girl in a liiiiittttle saddle---to the tune of "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" (Chris Farley). Keep this up and I'll start swaying, if you know what I mean!!??!!

Me: That's it, I'm sitting this trot.

First Lesson

I had my first Dressage lesson on Sunday.

I was nervous, and though I hate to admit it, too tired from the late night out the day before when I woke up on Sunday morning. I slept in a bit too late, so I quickly dug out my old breeches, polished up my dusty Ariat Paddock boots, grabbed my velvet helmet, and found my half chaps buried underneath a stack of saddle pads in the garage...whew! Once I was all dressed, I printed up directions and with a mild headache and shaky hands, headed out to start my lesson.

When I pulled into the farm's drive, a closed gate greeted me. Hmmm....I was nervous about opening it and driving in, but did it anyway.

I walked into what appeared to an Observation Room. In it was a young girl and boy rolling polo wraps. "Are you looking for T?" the girl asked. I affirmed this and she pointed me through a doorway on the far side of the room. As I opened the doors, I was surprised to see a long dirt alleyway with stalls on either side. There were quite a lot of people bustling about, some were feeding horses, others cleaning tack and stalls. Horses nickered and music played softly. It was a very nice aura, if there is such a thing in an old horse barn. "You must be Jenny!" a friendly woman chirped and I immediately felt comfortable. It appeared that everyone was like family here. And T, the woman who greeted me was to be my instructor.

T led me to my lesson horse, a stereotypically crotchety school gelding. "This is night (Knight), he'll be your horse." T said to me. Night (knight) is a big grey (white now) gelding. Apparently he was trained by T's father and has been at the farm for years. Though he's grumpy about his saddling, he's reliable, predictable and a great learner horse for newbies.

T led Night (Knight) into the arena and had me hop up. The stirrups were shortened (as usual) and the lesson began. Night (Knight) is definitely a lesson horse. He swished his tail angrily each time he was asked to transition, I just love grumpy geldings. Knight was also slow. His trot was slow. His canter was slow. His walk was slow. This is actually good for me because I am more used to forward moving speed demon horses, it gave me something new to work on.

Night (Knight) also turned way too eagerly. T had me working on 10 (or were they 11 or 12) meter circles (which were hard, by the way), and Night (Knight) kept turning way too early on me. That little pooper knew the drill, except I don't think he knows what a 10 meter circle looks like. His were more like 8.5 meter circles...sigh! I'd try and turn him off, but it was almost like his feet were connected to wheels and though I could turn his head, his feet were on a predetermined course and could not be offset. Once the circles looked "good for a first timer," T had us do something Dressagy (ha ha). I was so excited to do this too, we did a side ways move (not quite a half pass I don't think) but only half way across the arena. I cannot remember what they're called though. I was awful, but after a while I was able to get Night (Knight) to cooperate to T's satisfaction. The lesson also included cantering, transitions and leg yielding. It was very challenging, and very much fun! I was elated with it, and cannot wait for more.

During my lesson, there was a gorgeous horse and rider schooling Grand Prix. The rider had trained the horse herself, the horse was a Dutch Warmblood. Be still my beating heart, one day I hope to do that too; perhaps on a Morgan though.

So, to put an end to a very long and rambling post, it was expensive but worth it. I look forward to continuing my lessons at this unique and cool old barn. I hope to have pictures at some point, so stay tuned if you'd like!

My Four Legged Family

Dogs go hand in hand with horses, at least that's what I think. With that being said, I own a yappy-nippy-nervous-house living-lap dog. Actually, I always fancied myself a big dog owner, but since I've had Madigan (my Miniature Pinscher) I can't imagine anything but small(er) dogs in my life. I think I might move to a more "barn friendly" small dog next though, like a Corgi or some kind of muttly or terrier type of a dog.

Back to Madigan. Anyway, even though she's a nervous wreck around new people or places, I still occasionally bring her out to the barn. She enjoys the outdoors, doesn't mind the horses much, but she can't stand being separated from her people, so I can never actually get on and ride with her around. On one occasion, I actually attempted to tie her near the outdoor arena while I lunged Bobby. She barked, whined and made several attempts to go after Bobby as he lazily jogged around me. It was beyond obnoxious.

Inside though, Madigan is the best little girl anyone could ask for. She knows lots of tricks, listens very well and is even litter trained. B and I have gotten to the point that she's like our daughter. We both talk to her like she's a person and sometimes I think of her AS a person. Every once in a while, I'll look at her and think

"Wait. You're a dog?! How did this happen?" (oh the shame of admitting that)

I guess there's really no point to this post. I just wanted to mention the main GIRL in my life. She's my baby and I can't imagine my life without her. She will be 5 this year.

Oh, but they grow so fast!

Check This

I PITY the Fools who don't check this out!

I'd like to mention Horse and Wildlife Gifts and the blog that accompanies the store. I mention these sites for several reasons though. (To be completely honest, 'cause that's what I am), I was contacted by the proprietor of both. She kindly offered to do a write up of my blog if I mentioned her store on it. First off, I wondered who in the world would want anything of theirs on my blog? Then, I checked out the blog. HOW COOL and what a great idea. Basically, the blog showcases different horse related blogs. Through the blog I noticed several other blogs that I already follow and found a few new ones to add to my reader list. The author does a great job of highlighting each blog; I am truly honored to be a part of it!


After checking out the blog, I began to peruse the store website. I am not a huge online shopper (E-Bay exempted, because I hate paying shipping), but when I saw that the store ships for free for orders over $99.00, I felt genuine intrigue at the store's offerings. That's when I saw it. Ohhh did I ever see it. Now, before I tell you what it is that I saw, I am going to TRY and give a brief description of my thing with BLING. I am truly an Elvis Presley-esque, Gaudy little sparkly-shiny-it's so pretty, overkill with the sparkle queen at heart. I have learned though, that less is more (Que applause). With that being said, perhaps the reason I love Western Pleasure in the HORSE SHOW world, is because we can wear bling, and people just EAT IT UP! I can't really afford to have a custom made outfit for showing, so I'm always on the look out for accessories to add to my store bought show outfits. But TAKE A LOOK AT THIS! scroll along, there are many! I just absolutely must have one of these (if I ever get my fanny back into the show ring, that is). I would love one of those buckles paired with a simple show shirt and some nice plain (ultra suede) chaps. Maybe for my next birthday.....in July, please, B? ? ? Mom? ? ?

Horse and Wildlife Gifts offers plenty more too. I scrolled around and found some really nice leather halters, etched crystal (I also love crystal - I'm an old woman at heart I guess), tons of art work and plenty of other really cute things. Do I sound too much like a used car salesman? I'm really not trying to, I just think it's great to help fellow horse lovers out. In doing this, we promote other horse related blogs, a horse lover's business (the store) and each other! I hope you enjoy this great find!!

More Than Circles

I'm becoming more and more interested in the versatility of the Morgan Horse as of late. I know Morgans can do it all, I just know it. For goodness sakes, there are gaited Morgans even! It's been difficult to find much out there on Morgans that are used in outside disciplines such as eventing, hunter/jumper, cutting/reining/team penning, endurance, etceteraetceteraetcetera....

They are out there though, this I know. I've checked out websites like this:( CLICK ) that direct to Sport Morgan Farms. These all seem to focus mainly on Dressage.

Here's a video of a Morgan Stallion Cutting.


I know Morgans aren't equipped with the big honkin' stock horse derrieres, but they can still work it (maybe not as well, but well enough). Not only that, but you don't see Stock horses doing this....

Here's a Morgan reining at Morgan Nationals. I know nothing about reining, but I do know that stock breeds spin faster and whatever else. I like this guy though, he seems like he does pretty darn good. Especially because I don't think there are too many Morgans out there reining.



Annnnd, here's a hunter/jumper video to round this video post out.



One more thing (HERE). Exciting, no?

Sunday Rides

Last Sunday I rode Bob. I really haven't ridden any one particular horse much as I decided last year (after a very stressful, expensive and NOT FUN horse show or 2) that I would not show again until I had my own horse; here I go rambling again...anyway, I rode Bob (why is it so hard for me to just say one sentence without a three paragraph explanation????

So, I rode Bob (he he) and it was mostly awesome. It was so nice to get on a familiar back and to just kind of ramble around. Bob is 13 now, so he pretty much knows his job. He sets his head just fine and can transition from hunt to western and back again with ease (gotta' love those Morgans). Anyway, I chose to ride hunt because it's a bit easier. We piddled around, worked on an extended trot, cantered both directions and did a few figure eights. I didn't try to force a perfect head set, but let him kind of go at a slight upward and forward angle. He wasn't star gazing or anything, he was just a little more upheaded, it was fun and he was happy (made me happy).

Towards the end of the ride, J showed up (UGHGHUGHGHGHGH). J cannot stand it if a horse isn't set up for show at all times. She believes that if you give a horse an inch while at home, they'll take a mile in the show ring. I think that is true if the horse is taking advantage, but Bobby wasn't....we were just having a nice controlled hack (in circles, lol).

Below is the gist of our conversation:

"Hi, J" I cheerily say.

"Where are your spurs? He can set his head better than that!" She responds. (according to J, spurs are a very important component in a nice head set).

"I know he can." I reply.

"No sh!t - can't you EVER say anything nice" (I am thinking). I gather him easily into a tighter frame and we proceed to work at a nice show ring worthy trot.

"He was really good today, I (tell her all we did, see above). His figure eight was awesome. He picked up both leads right away." I said.

"Well, B (17 year old boy) rode him western on Friday and he was really good. He had his head set perfectly...crab crab insult insult crab crabbidy crab...." J responded.(I trained Bob to go Western, mind you. We have won almost every class we've entered). This is J's way of making me feel like he only did well because B rode him Friday (trust me on this one); luckily I don't get competitive over these things.

END CONVO

Those conversations are very typical between J and I. If it's not one thing (like above) it's another. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, not long ago, every ride was serious for me. Winning at the shows was the goal . Now I want to enjoy riding, and you know, I want the horse to not HATE being ridden too...though, I don't expect any horse particularly enjoys it :). I have felt very sad about horses lately. Something I absolutely loved and lived for has become just a chore. At some point, I got it in my head that the only type of riding for me was show riding. Well, it just hit me last weekend that I hate showing! It's not fun anymore, it's very expensive, it's stressful, cliquey and I honestly don't think most horses enjoy it either. I hope that one day, with the right trainer and horse, I will be back at it, but for now, it's DRESSAGE , trail riding, bee-bopping around the farm having fun with horses again TIME!! J's not going to like this side of me too much, but she'll get over it. After all, I work for free!

A Lesson a Day

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend. Do NOT talk about "western pleasure" outfits to people (especially men) who have no idea that Western Pleasure is something you do at a horse show and not in a bedroom.

To set up this story, B (my other half) and I decided to hang out with some of his coworkers on Saturday night. This included a BBQ and then hitting the bars afterward. Among the people at the BBQ were 2 other ladies and 4 guys...this is relevant. So, one of the girls in the group, I came to discover, is just about to graduate from Veterinary School (go MSU) as an Equine Vet. Imagine the joy I felt upon realizing I had another live person to discuss horses with! I was also somewhat tipsy - Whooo boy! I was definitely giddy for the opportunity to talk "shop" and so as the whole group of us gathered around to eat, I began to discuss the proper attire for the Country Style bar we were planning on going to (I've never been to a Western style bar before).

Me: "Ha haaaaa haa haaa (excessive hand gestures) - bla bla blaaaaa - bla bla horse bla bla bla, ramble ramble ramble - I could wear my western pleasure outfit to the bar." (record scratching sound as the room becomes silent).

EVERY GUY IN THE ROOM(except B who knows what I'm talking about): "WHA? Whoaaaaaaaa HA HA HA HA - what does your western pleasure outfit look like? (high fiving B).

CLUELESS ME: "Ohhh, gosh, I have the whole gamut. I've got the big silver belt buckle, black ultra suede chaps, a rhinestone shirt and a cowboy hat..."

EVERY GUY IN THE ROOM: "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA CHAPS, Like Assless Chaps? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, that's too much information; TMI, TMI..."

STILL CLUELESS ME: "Well, I guess they're assless. Yep, ha ha, I guess it's a pretty ridiculous outfit to wear to the bar. Ha ha, I just thought it would be hilarious. But yep, it's my show outfit. Although I really should get a new one. They're kind of expensive though....yammer yammer yammer, bla bla bla, ramble ramble ramble "- - -crickets chirping.

THE SOON TO BE VET: "Here, this is western pleasure, you idiots!" She holds a picture pulled up on her computer of a nice Saddlebred and his rider in a western pleasure class at a HORSE SHOW up for all to see.

THE NOW AWARE ME: "OHHHHHHHHH, OH NO! You thought I was talking about something else...." DOT DOT DOT.

The rest of the evening I found myself laughing and cringing about that incident. It never occurred to me that Western Pleasure or any other kind of pleasure class at a horse show would sound different to someone who didn't know horses, those PERVERTS!!!



DURRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

New Beginnings

After my last post, I began my search for a GOOD Dressage instructor. What I thought would be relatively easy and fun turned out to be frustrating and difficult. It is HARD to find horse farms, let alone something specific like Dressage.



I was just about to give up, but bloggers Rachel, Jocelyn and Tammy left some encouraging comments that motivated me to get off my behind and do this!


I have a lesson scheduled for Sunday April 18th at what appears to be an absolutely lovely farm. I am very excited and can't wait to post more about it!!

A Confusing Sport

I've only really had one riding instructor my entire life. I have had short stints at other facilities, but long term it's been J. She's a Morgan trainer through and through. She has the ability to train a winning Morgan show horse, especially in Western and Hunter pleasure. But I don't think I'm learning much from her anymore. My rides consist of me fumbling around, and J occasionally barking some confusing orders.

"turn his head to the inside and use your legs to keep him on the wall!" She'll bark.
"Do not use your outside rein, he needs other ques to keep him on the rail; use your leg, but do not apply constant pressure or he'll grow immune to it..."

As I try to guide the horse to the rail without using the outside rein (we're riding western) it dawns on me what she's trying to tell me. OKAY - is this how you train a horse to use leg yields??? WHAT???!!! Okay, it makes sense to me that in western pleasure you want your horse to respond to your leg as opposed to two handing and pulling him/her to the rail constantly. This was NOT easy as the horse didn't know leg yields yet. We spent alot of time in the center of the ring circling in tiny rings. It did work though, and I felt the horse bending and responding in a way I never before had. It was awesome!

The thing is, I've never heard this before. I've had problems with two other horses - one of which was a problem I created - ahem, Bobby! As I've mentioned before, riding Bobby western in the show ring means a horse who blows off the rail and a frustrated, embarrassed (clueless) rider (ME). I used the outside rein to keep him on the rail during training! Why didn't J explain this new trick to me long ago? Even though I felt elated at learning it, I also felt angry. It dawned on me that all those years of lessons (equitation centered) I was being taught to look pretty on a horse. I learned how to set a head all right and to transition like a champ, but to really really train and ride? I feel so clueless.

J is an amazing trainer - she is great for Junior exhibitors and those wanting to get into the show world. I just don't know if she's an amazing instructor for those wanting to move past the monotonous circles of the show ring. I don't have a great desire to train young horses, I don't care to ride greenies or wild ones. I just want the ability to ride well and confident that I'm not ruining a horse with my bungled training techniques. I honestly don't know if there are Morgan trainers out there who can do this...they all seem very "show ring" centered.

I am thinking about taking Dressage lessons, just so that I can learn some great fundamentals that I can build upon. Any suggestions?