Believe In The Process

By Judi DeVore

When I purchased my mare, Believe WS, from WalkAbout Station in Texas as a long two-year-old, I was taking a risk. I was 63, and I could not find a trained horse in my price range. Although I had experience starting horses when I was younger, I was not sure about doing it now at my age. 

Scanning internet videos of horses for sale, I became smitten with a filly and ended up buying her sight unseen. Fortunately, I had a trainer at my barn, Jennifer Weber, who worked through all the nerve-wracking “firsts” for me—first ride, first show, and first trail ride. Although young, Believe WS (affectionately known as Twiggy) was level-headed and straightforward to start, and before long, I was competing with her myself.

From 2019 to 2022, we rose through the levels to earn our USDF Bronze Medal. However, while at a show in 2023, Twiggy became uncooperative and anxious. After the show, I watched my videos and noted she was not traveling evenly behind. My vet confirmed that she had a partial suspensory ligament tear, which ended the 2023 competition season for us.

Fortunately, the tear was mild, but the healing was slow, so we ended up only walking for four months. The vet wanted us to only do straight lines and level surfaces, so trails with hills were out. I was left with riding around the barn property and in the arena. It could have been boring, but I found ways to make it fun and interesting. Even though we were riding in winter when Twiggy tended to be rather frisky, I found her more relaxed each time we rode. 

I worked on extended walk to collected walk, a transition we had difficulty with in tests because Twiggy would always get tense when I picked up the reins, anticipating the next movement. Since there were no transitions to other gaits, she gradually began to keep the same walk rhythm in all the walk transitions. 

We worked on our square halts, and I focused on the feeling of a square halt, so I didn’t have to look. Our halts became spot on.

I walked tests we had worked on before the injury, focusing on my position before and during the various test movements. Once Twiggy was cleared to do lateral movements in the walk, I practiced using the lightest aids possible to initiate each movement and focused on my position in each one. 

Once cleared by the veterinarian, I added ground poles and backing, focusing on the straightness of the steps.

Even after we were able to add trot and canter work, I always started my session with many of the walk exercises we had been doing, and spent the bulk of my ride in the walk. Making her supple and light to the aids at the walk, made all the rest of the work much easier. I interspersed my trot and canter work with several walk breaks, some of which were complete relaxation and stretching, but sometimes doing the planned exercise (half-pass, pirouette, etc) in the walk first, then followed with the trot or canter in the same exercise.

By April 2024, I thought I could try another show, but I wanted to keep it simple and successful. We rode a Second Level Freestyle, since we were only missing one score for our Bronze Freestyle Bar. The ride earned a 70%, and Twiggy easily performed all the movements she had previously found difficult. 

One thing I recognized at this show was how much more relaxed she was performing. In the years leading up to her injury, I had always been pushing to show at the level we were training. I think, as a result, she lacked confidence, which led to tension that was not present at this show. 

We continued to show at Second Level for the remainder of the year. I did not want to campaign her heavily as she was slowly getting stronger, and I didn’t want to push too hard. 

USDF instituted a new Bronze Medal with Distinction, and we only needed two scores at Second Level over 67% to achieve this, so that became our 2024 goal. We were able to accomplish the two scores we needed in two shows. In both tests, Twiggy was really with me and listening to my requests—not anticipating the ask as she had before. I received so many comments about our beautiful partnership, which I appreciated more than the fact we had achieved our goal.

I attribute most of the change in our relationship to the step back in our training, and discovering all the work that could be done in the walk, where there is minimal wear and tear on my horse. It gave us time to start really listening to each other. So, while the injury stopped our competition for a year, I consider it a blessing to recognize the value of taking a breath and slowing down. And, most of all, the value of appreciating and strengthening the bond I have with my wonderful mare.