Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: Figure It Out
“It is the idea that the preparation is there and the proverbial leg is on, but when you don’t see how this is going to work out, you don’t just pull up and quit or flail so badly that you rock the balance. You sure might want to, but that’s not how it works.”
Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on figuring out the problem at hand — whether it be a jump or a problematic horse
In my world, what happens with horses is never relegated to the land of horses. It all tracks across, well… everything.
So as I was cooking along at a solid 450 meters a minute to fence three on cross country this weekend, I got about six strides out and saw nothing — no distance to ride to. That was odd for Artie (Reunion Tour) and me. We had a solid canter, good line to the fence, and our usual unwavering collective confidence. But by three strides out there still was nothing and it was too late to half halt. The distance just wasn’t there. So I did what any self-respecting eventer would do and sat up, closed my leg, and looped the reins. At one stride out, the jump judge raised an eyebrow as I went, “Well… figure it out.”
Artie (Reunion Tour) being his usual confident self out on XC at the Genesee Valley Hunt Horse Trials this past weekend. Photo by Lily Drew.
He did. He flicked an ear on me and realizing that I wasn’t going to pick him to a distance, he read the question, and chose what I wouldn’t have — the longer spot, rotating his shoulders more to give him more reach. His choice, not mine, but it was absolutely fine. Was it ideal? No. But it was totally OK.
We saw every other distance on course and had a confident, super fun round. But for that one, I needed a little bit of trust in my horse and faith that he’d rely on all the preparation, training, and good jumps of the past to figure out how to get to the other side safely.
Conveniently, he seems to quite love his job. Photo by Lily Drew.
The “figure it out” and leg on and loop the reins is one of my standards. At home, I might turn an approach into a circle six strides out if I see nothing — no point rocking confidence for no reason. But if it matters, that leg is on, the safe, sat-up position acquired, and the faith that it’ll work out one way or another is there. Of course there’s the chance that asking the horse to figure it out doesn’t pan out and we miss, but if I have to test gravity, at least from that position I should head up and out of the way, not get rolled under.
*Important aside: there’s nothing wrong with staying safe, knowing your horse and pulling up or out of a line and re-approaching or retiring to fight another day. That’s not the point here. Great, carry on.
Might have gotten a smidge tight here, but he made easy work of it. Photo by Lily Drew.
That same “figure it out” concept works for pretty much the rest of my life. It is the idea that the preparation is there and the proverbial leg is on, but when you don’t see how this is going to work out, you don’t just pull up and quit or flail so badly that you rock the balance. You sure might want to, but that’s not how it works.
This happy, tired kid would have been easy to give up on with all his quirks and requirements, but he’s been steadily figuring it out for the past year, getting better at each outing. Photo by author.
Some folks might call this faith — faith that the “figure it out” will work out. But since my leanings are more secular, I probably pay more attention to the preparation/deductive reasoning side, and the “try not to flail” side. And then, relying on experience and preparation, I simply hope that something gives and we don’t sink or fall.
So when Magic (Mr. Magico) dug in and harnessed up his angry side at the last two shows, I had to sit back and take a look at the response. I withdrew from the last competition after dressage, because although I can jump him like that, I don’t need to. I spouted some frustrated words about giving up (not mad at him, just frustrated at the situation) and tried to figure out what career he needed that never left home. Basically, I didn’t see a distance when it mattered and was planning to pull out of my line.
Angry Magic (Mr. Magico) is at least still fancy. Photo by Lily Drew.
The ride home is always one full of perspective, so no, I’m not giving up. Figure it out for the (hopeful, maybe?) win. I scheduled a gastroscope for the following week to see if ulcers are a likely cause of Magic’s anger issues at shows. And on top of that, I mentally have scheduled another vet visit to get some rads of his hocks and hind ankles and see where he’s at and what he needs. And from there, I’ll tick away at the issues and pivot his job and my goals accordingly.
Magic remembering that he liked cross country once he hit the water at Larkin two weeks ago. Photo by Alex Zhang Photography.
I could do it all at once, do the above and throw in feed changes, tack changes, add massage, Chiro, acupuncture, make calls to former racing connections with questions and, hell, maybe grasp at straws and call an animal communicator. But that would be flailing. And as far as I can tell, flailing never helped me get to the other side of anything safely and happily. Might as well stick to the things I know work: a healthy mix of reason and keeping leg on.
I’m no less likely to give up on the jump than I am on a horse in the barn, but sometimes it sucks to realize that it is a choice. Knowing that there’s almost always a way to “figure it out” takes the excuses out of it. The question simply becomes, do I want to try and for how long and how hard?
Accurate visual description of how we all felt on dressage day this past weekend. Thanks to Kristen Drew for the continuous anti-green head fly support. Photo by Lily Drew.
And I’m sitting here reminding myself of this fact as life and business have started to sound like a cliché country song. Thank goodness my partner is still here, because other than that if it seems like you could madlib it into a country song, it is happening… and all at once.
The ___(noun)___ broke
The _____(noun)____ died
The _____(critical human job at a barn)____quit.
There is not enough ____(noun)____
Sleep has been upended by _____noun or verb_____
____(person)____ needs to be paid
Sometimes keeping leg on and figuring it out means hauling with a borrowed truck (thanks, Meg!) to the expert farrier nearby with your remaining dog and trying to figure it out (in time for this weekend’s clinic and show). Photo by author.
I could flail – but that is never successful and is just lots of energy I don’t have in all directions. Or I could keep leg on, sit up and hope that the “figure it out” gets us to the other side in one piece.
I’ll put stock in the preparation that has been done, keep forward momentum, and see what gives. There are new horses to advertise and deals on long-term horses to be made. And in the meantime, I’ll both keep ticking away at figuring out Magic and will give Artie a whole bunch of cookies for saving my ass on that one fence (and just for being a stellar young event horse across the board).
So go ride folks, and if things get tough and you’re not sure how it’ll work out, sit up, leg on, and “figure it out.”
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