August 2017 6 MONTHLY RIDE WITH Glendale Equestrian Club By Robert Piekow This month’s ride finds the Club back in Prescott for our annual pilgrimage to Groom Creek Horse Camp... always a fun event for our riding club. This year’s ride and campout was well attended in spite of the record heat in the valley. It’s always a little cooler in the mountains above Prescott. Good riding conditions made for some great rides starting on Thursday for some of the early arrivals. Riding on Friday through the pines was very enjoyable. We rode to the creek, and some decided to do a little barefootin’ to cool off the toes. Later on that same cowboy (Bill) must have gotten hotter because he then decided to do a full body immersion in the Hassayampa creek. All in good fun. Saturday morning’s gathering of equestrians set off for Spruce Mountain Lookout as their goal. Off and upward they went with our trusty trail boss in the lead. Some four hours later we saw these riders returning to camp having accomplished their goal of conquering the mountain. Due to the extreme heat in the valley the club decide to forego riding  on Sunday in lieu of a second ride on Saturday. This allowed for plenty of riding and gave us the opportunity to return home with our horses early Sunday before the temperatures became too uncomfortable for our animals. Saturday afternoon and evening were filled with pre-dinner socializing and a fundraising poker ride card game. The highlight of the evening was dinner featuring our amazing chef Bill on the grill with great steaks cooked to order, all supplemented with tasty side dishes provided by our club members. Hats off to all that participated. We couldn’t do this without you, and a special thanks to ride leader Lonnie and chef Bill. Happy Trails. By Buddy Uldrikson Have you ever been bored, then did something stupid? Ate something you shouldn’t. Said something you regretted. Childishly acted out? Well guess what? Horses are no different than humans. When they get bored they can be stubborn and/or naughty. So I try to keep things interesting and unpredictable for those I train so they never feel like they’re simply enduring the same old drills. I always try to challenge them with new tasks, and to do the same exercises with less help from me. I watch and wait, ready to assist whenever he needs me. This approach lets him know I believe he’s capable of doing the job. If he seems unsure, my confidence builds his. These exercises in self-sufficiency hopefully inspire him and develop assurance for future unfamiliar experiences. A ride last week on an older, quite sensitive horse is a perfect case in point. He hasn’t been ridden much over the years, though the time I’ve spent with him in the past few months has slowly developed a bond of trust between us. I rode him into the desert for the first time and just outside the gate sat three big rocks at the base of a cactus. Cactus in Arizona are plentiful but rocks are new and different and scary! Instead of turning away, or over instructing him, I decided to allow him to explore on his own. I pointed him in the direction of the demon and asked him to slowly move forward. Though he wasn’t willing to walk straight into danger, he was as curious as he was frightened so he slowly weaved forward, ready to bolt the moment that monster came at him. I quietly sat with reins slack. After investigating from one side I prodded him to turn and look from his other eye. He shuffled his feet, turned, and cautiously explored from the opposite vantage point. As I kept out of his way, in no time he found the courage to get close enough to smell those big grey blobs. And wha’dya know? They never came after him. To codify his confidence, I turned him on his hindquarters, walked off a ways, then turned again and faced him straight toward the rocks, letting him lead as I kept a loose rein. And that old guy walked straight to those boulders, sniffed them a bit, then even stuck his head down into a hole between the rocks and the cactus. “Those guys ain’t nuthin’!” he seemed to say. So feeling like that confidence-building session was complete, we went on with our business of collecting cows. Our job was to move them into a corral which required moving them through a gate. Accomplishing that was going to require me to hold a very specific position or they’d miss the gate or scatter. And wouldn’t you know, that meant walking right by those ol’ rocks. But my guy passed by like he never even noticed them. So what’s the lesson? Help your horse learn. Encourage confidence. Give him space to explore and discover, supporting him along the way. Reward small steps forward. Keep him interested by offering new, unfamiliar challenges. Then over time the two of your will be an undaunted duo. Buddy Uldrikson Training at Rancho Rio Bonita Visit our web site www.buddyuldriksonhorsemanship.com Inspiring CONFIDENCE