COMING HOME AGAIN...
WITH A BETTER MENTAL ATTITUDE

Determination is as important as physical strength in training

By Victoria Del Castillo

I could feel the hot tears form at the corners of my eyes. How could he do this to me again? Embarrassed, frustrated, and angry, I resigned myself to call my mother. Oh how I HATED appearing helpless, especially since I was a self-proclaimed know-it-all 14-year-old.

It was early Saturday morning and Mullikin Stu, my smart ass quarter horse, and I had spent the night with my 4-H pal Lisa and Quazaar, her mindful Arabian. We had stayed up late oiling our tack, gossiping, and braiding manes and tails in preparation for the county horse show the following day. It was a highly anticipated show since it was there one qualified for the state level. That night I prayed fervently that Mullikin would meet me half way and just get through the day without any major catastrophe. It's not that he is a flighty, goofy, reckless animal - just the opposite. He is contemplative, lazy to a fault, and possesses a deadly sixth sense: his keen ability to size someone up and know exactly how much he can get away with.

On this particular morning, Mullikin decided he was not going to load up. An hour and a half had passed, in which we had tried every trick known to horse people, including coaxing him with feed, placing a shank around his rump to pull him in, and of course, the ever popular beating the heck out of him (just kidding). All this was to no avail. He simply REFUSED.

No sooner had my mom arrived and slammed the door to her truck, when we all witnessed his sudden change in attitude! His recognition of HER and her determination was unmistakable. She shook her finger at him and said "MULLIKIN" in a deep, angry, foreboding voice and he literally hopped in the trailer!

My mother always has had a presence around the horses that I can only define as a complete confidence that the horse WILL OBEY. There is no question that she is in charge - even with the very fractious and hysterical horses. She doesn't lose her temper with them, but she has a way of looking them in the eye, shanking if necessary, and generally winning if there is a confrontation. I'm afraid I was always thinking negatively. For example, that the horse wouldn't obey me; that he would humiliate me; or that he would get his way. I suspect the horse was looking me in the eye with a calculated defiance, knowing he could outlast my insecure, teenage wishy-washiness.

It's been eleven years since that experience. Yet the significance is all the more apparent now that I am riding young thoroughbreds for my mom. Mullikin was an extreme case, but this example points out the importance of fulfilling one's role as the horses' master. It is all too easy for us to grow lazy in training and allow unacceptable behavior to continue under the guise of "a bad character trait" or "breeding" or moodiness." These excuses are valid sometimes, but not generally. I have, in the past, been tempted to quit rather then confront the problem. I have now taught myself to learn that if there is a confrontation, I must win. Otherwise, the horse knows he can bully me. (Reminds me of my teenage years where I tried to balk but mom generally outbluffed me.)

Growing up, I focused on Mullikin's hunter/jumper abilities and really did not pay much attention to how the thoroughbreds were trained. (Remember, I already knew it all.) But since I have been back helping out this winter, life and some age has humbled my attitude and I have been ripe for learning. In the few months I have been here, I have made several interesting observations about my mother's BACKYARD RACEHORSE philosophy and my personal application of it with my showing background. My fundamental knowledge of horses has not escaped me even though it has been many years since I have been around them on a daily basis. I must credit the 4-H organization for this education and the discipline I learned through their programs which included the basics of hoof care, grooming, horse health, confirmation, diet, equitation, and overall responsibility for the horses' welfare. Learning in a peer group was a lot more fun than listening to my mother.

Mullikin was an easy keep and had good legs and hooves. I rarely checked him for soundness since he never had problems and thus, I never understood the importance of it.

With a not-so-familiar horse, I learned the need to run my hands down the horses legs EVERY TIME I went to ride. If you see any puffiness or swelling, don't ride but review what kind of work you did last time. Could that have been the cause of the stress? A little too much galloping too early? or did he merely hit it while frolicking in the pasture? Is your fence broken anywhere? Process of elimination and common sense will guide you to a conclusion. If you monitor the leg each morning early - before they have moved around too much and the injury is masked - you will notice the healing take place on its own. With some rest and turn-out, you should see the swelling (wind puffs) go down in less than a week. If not, consult a vet.

My evolution into an adequate exercise rider has required me to modify my seat and hands. In showing, I always was concerned with the angle my toe was in relation to my knee; if my wrists flowed into the reins in a loose line; making my seat erect; and staying on the current diagonal. Those concerns were a luxury considering that I am now riding in an orange grove with a two-year old who doesn't even know what a straight line is. The key has been to ride defensively. For me that entails the following:

1) Complete leg contact with the horse, one foot a bit forward and the other a bit back (in case he ducks, props or whirls)

2) Rear tucked under with heels down absorbing shock (for rearing and bucking, and maintaining a balanced seat)

3) Hands in constant contact with the mouth (otherwise known as being "on the bit"). By tightening the reins and "taking a hold" you are giving him the sign that it is time to work and run into the bit.

Riding caps were more decorative than anything else in the show ring. I hated that mom made me wear the "dorky-type" with the chin strap. Now I won't hop on a horse without one. Even though I feel my seat is solid, you never know when a shadow is going to jump out and cause your horse to wipe you off on a tree or some other unexpected shying. Which brings us to what I feel is the rider's most useful tool: mental attitude.

If I am really honest with myself, I recognize that I have changed very little from when I was fourteen. I am still incredibly lazy, moody and selfish. I have just learned how to ACT like a mature adult and cover up those traits with some acceptable behavior. This is key in mastering your emotions and the training of your horse. No matter how rotten I feel, I must remember that this horse is a blank slate. He does not have an "opinion" yet. How I treat him largely determines how he perceives humans and his willingness to work with us. People think that a thoroughbred just naturally knows how to run in a race. Not so! He may be born with the ability to run but the supreme confidence and soundness of mind to perform in a race and trust his rider rests on these early experiences. We want to teach him and go forward boldly and the rider must use positive imagery throughout the exercise. As you are riding, watch him in your minds eye, moving freely without trepidation.

Yet there are times when no matter how prepared you are, you find yourself in the middle of a free fall not knowing exactly what happened except that you're on your way to earth's surface FAST. But forget about what you can't control and think about the other times when you are riding and you let your mind wander to your plans for the day - work, hunger pains, etc. BRING YOURSELF BACK to the task at hand! You are training a young impressionable animal that needs guidance and focused direction. For me, I think of little kindergartners who need constant attention and reinforcement of the positive choices they make and punishment for behavior that is unacceptable. Other times I imagine I am at a horse show and am being judged on how I steer my horse forward with encouragement and gentle urging yet still defensive in my seat.

Finally, it is vital to allow a horse to be a horse first and THEN ask it for speed and business, just as you wouldn't have a child work an adult job. We must not expect too much from our babies until they are more mature.

Horses love to frolic, graze and socialize. It's a sin against nature that some trainers keep them locked in a stall 23 1/2 hours a day - for weeks, months, even years at a time. We must never lose sight of the basic needs of a horse. If we do, we stand to lose more than just trips to the winner's circle. We lose the essence of the horse - the free spirit and natural desire to perform for their rider. The increasing use of substances to "enhance" a horse's God-given talent will only contribute to breaking him down in the future. Racing records have not been broken since the the turn of the century except where the surface condition of the track has been changed, further proving that these "advances" in treatment have not made for a better racehorse.

I have witnessed my mother train over a hundred race horses using her common sense methods and I feel strongly that these methods give horses a chance at a quality life after their racing days are over. The love of the animal supersedes any desire to artificially modify his behavior.

I now enjoy riding the future race horses even though they challenge me both physically and mentally.

Mullikin, presently an aging curmudgeon who ponies our babies, reluctantly allows novice riders on his back now and then, still giving them a run for their money. He has been known to plant his feet and not budge if his rider does not ask him in a "convincing" manner. The legacy lives on in me and instead of Mom having to make her presence known when the rider hollers for help, I stride up, shake my finger, lower my voice an octave, and grumble "MULLIKIN!" To my pleasant surprise, he looks at me out of the corner of his eye, heaves a big sigh and obediently acquiesces. And I smile to myself.

I know I've come a long way towards having the MENTAL DETERMINATION necessary to master a young horse's mind. I continue to learn and stretch my capacity to develop the personal best in every one of my equine students. Maybe STAR PREDICTION (the one I'm riding now) will be the next big horse for us!

Victoria Del Castillo

I had asked Victoria to write something with her insight since she was basically a 4-H pleasure horse rider while growing up. It was a joy to see that she has observed a lot by just being around. You see, horse racing CAN be a family endeavor! editor