Eclipse goes to school

The morning we took Eclipse to the trainer, I was bursting with excitement. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn with one of the best trainers on the east coast, and I could not wait to get started. However, I was also apprehensive about this transition period for him. He had just gotten settled into his new home at Gaston Farm, and now I was moving him again.

 I wanted him to be trained to lie down so I could mount him independently from the ground, but I realized that there was so much more that Eclipse could be taught besides just this. He was an amazing horse that was so willing to learn, but there was always room for growth and improvement.   He had already shown an understanding of my needs, a capacity to quickly adapt to new situations, and a desire to undertake new challenges. We were going to be together for years to come, so Eclipse needed to be trained to his fullest potential, and I needed to be as independent as possible with him. Sending him to school was the best option for not only for him, but for me as well.

Thursday morning arrived, the day he was scheduled to go to school.  Dayna, Mom and a friend from the barn loaded him on to the trailer (it was a good thing Eclipse was headed for school because he was a tad stubborn getting on the trailer.)  However, we conquered the task and headed off on our next great adventure.

As we pulled into the long driveway headed to the training barn, anxiety engulfed me and the endless “what if’s” started to flood my brain:  What if the trainer didn't think we were a good match? What if Eclipse was unable to learn the tasks placed before him?  What if the trainer didn't think I was capable of handling such a massive horse? So many questions exploded in my mind, but there was nothing I could do but pray and trust in God’s great plan.  I stepped out of the car and walked toward the trailer to unload Eclipse when a friendly voice greeted me.

“ Hey, I’m Chuck.”  A tall cowboy in a black hat stood at the edge of the trailer and offered me a firm hand shake and a comforting smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” I answered. “ I’m Mary and this is my horse, Eclipse!”

 “He’s real pretty,” he said as he helped guide Eclipse out of the trailer and down to the barn. I so desperately wanted Chuck’s approval because Eclipse and I were already so bonded it would break my heart if he didn't pass the trainer’s test. We spent time discussing more in-depth my unique situation and how best to go about the process of schooling him. I met everyone at the barn, including his beautiful wife, Suzanne, an experienced Dressage coach, and their precious infant son, a future horseman in the making. Each person we met was so encouraging and so supportive that a peace filled my heart, and I knew Eclipse was in the right place.

Chuck wanted to spend the next day evaluating Eclipse on his own, and we were not scheduled to have our first lesson until the next Saturday. It was time to say goodbye for a few days and let Eclipse get acclimated to his new surroundings, so I kissed him on his velvety nose and told myself not to look back as I headed to the car. I was reassured by everyone at the barn that he would be well taken care of as I thanked them, smiled, and drove away.

 The days that followed seemed to creep by, but finally, finally,   it was time for our first lesson.  As we headed out to the arena, Mom eagerly asked Chuck his thoughts on Eclipse.

“Do you think he is the right horse for her? Do you think he will be able to learn everything we need him too? Do you think he will keep her safe? Do you think we made the right choice?”

Her questions seemed endless, as she was as concerned as I that he give Eclipse his stamp of approval. Chuck just listened patiently and said it was a little early to tell. He had only just started to work with him and knew he had some holes that need to be filled in, but didn't see why Eclipse would not be able to learn everything asked of him.  To start off, Mom and I would just be watching as Chuck explained the training process and took him through a series of exercises.  We would have our turn to ride and do groundwork after Eclipse learned a basic foundation and after we had learned the fundamentals we needed to be able to understand how to naturally and confidently handle him.  

The first lesson, Chuck worked on desensitizing Eclipse to various objects and sounds as well as slowing down his gaits. First, he rubbed him with the training stick to get him used to unfamiliar objects touching him until Eclipse relaxed and was ready for the next step.  Next, he walked him through the various stages of training, with each step building on the success of the last exercise. Chuck used his body language to direct the horse,  staying calm and collected, never getting upset or angry if Eclipse did not do something he asked. He would simply repeat the exercise until he got the answer he was looking for. He carefully watched Eclipse to gauge his reaction by his body language as well. I learned to watch for a blink of his eyes, licking and chewing, and a cocking of his back foot to signal submissiveness and relaxation.  A switching tail and bobbing head were cues that the horse was not respecting the trainer or what was asked of him.   Every time he successfully completed a task, Chuck let him rest and “taste the icing,” a phrase he used to describe the moment when the horse was rewarded for his success. I sat watching with amazement, feeling as if I were truly in the presence of a horse whisperer.

 Chuck had a natural and serene gift for working with horses.   He explained from the very beginning that he never pushed a horse to complete a task for which he would not get a “yes” answer, and his methodology made perfect sense as I watched the trust that Eclipse had quickly developed for Chuck and the connection they had already cultivated. The body language between horse and trainer showed me that they were in sync with each other, as if I were watching a dance between two well-matched partners.  I couldn't wait to watch this process unfold, realizing in this first lesson that Chuck would be able to take Eclipse far beyond what I had dreamed possible.

 All the way home, I silently thanked God for His continuous blessings, for He was sending a host of angels to watch over me along this beautiful journey. In the process, I was not only building my confidence with my horse, but was developing lasting friendships with God-given angels that were quickly beginning to feel like family. I was also learning that I was not alone in this voyage called life.

Undercover angels

Even though we were still new to each other, Eclipse and I felt like a match made in heaven, as if we had been in each other’s lives from the very start. He was such a special horse-- one with wisdom, kindness, and beauty, not just on the outside, but encased in his heart as well. He was everything I had prayed God would bless me with, and I knew we were going to be companions for life.

 I started wondering how I could become as independent as possible with Eclipse, even though there were certain tasks I knew I would always need assistance with. I had a goal and that was to care for my beautiful boy on my own as best I could, because I was “his girl." It was his job to protect me, and my job to protect him; I just needed someone to help me make some accommodations.

From the moment I first sat on his back, he moved with extreme caution, adjusting his gait to ensure my balance and safety at any move I made in the saddle. When Dayna, Mom and I went on a trail rides, I mounted from a special  block that was specifically built for me, with hand rails on each side so that I could walk up and mount independently. However, while on the trail, we knew if I were to ever fall off of Eclipse, it would be difficult to get back into the saddle. Dayna and Mom had practiced lifting me back into the saddle, but Eclipse was tall, standing at 15.2 hands, and they both had bad backs.Our trial attempts had not been successful.

 Dayna first had the idea that perhaps we could teach Eclipse to lie down so I could mount him from the ground. There would be no hesitations about going on trail rides if we had a way to safely get me back into the saddle. I thought it sounded like a perfect solution, but I had my doubts that it could actually be done. We started talking about it to some of the other boarders at the barn, and they were all in agreement with our idea. To our surprise, one of the men knew the perfect trainer, a true horse whisperer who happened to be a good friend of his and was located just 10 minutes down the road.  He offered to go and talk to the trainer, explain my situation, and see if he could help us.

 A few weeks went by and I heard no more about Eclipse going to the trainer. I put the idea to the back of my mind, trying not to think about it, figuring the trainer was hesitant to take on my special situation. Several days later, my mom picked me up from work, and as we were heading to the barn, she smiled and said, “I just can’t keep a secret any more… I was going to surprise you, but I am just too excited!” 

“What???” I said with eagerness, wondering what could possibly be so exciting that my mom couldn’t hold it in.

 “I talked to Chuck Green, the trainer, today about Eclipse learning to lie down, and he wants to meet with us, see Eclipse and decide if this is something he thinks will work for you. He has a waiting list right now, so I am going to call back in thirty days to see when Eclipse can get in with him.”

 I was beaming with excitement and could hardly wait to start this journey. This was our ticket to independence and freedom, a chance for our bond to grow even stronger. I became an annoyance to my mother as I nagged at her constantly with my daily questions of “Is it time to call Chuck yet? Is it time to call Chuck yet?” 

“Not yet.  Just be patient!” she would say, “It will be time soon!”

 One night after leaving the barn, we decided to order dinner from one of my favorite local restaurants, a home style diner called The Front Porch, a place that had the best fried chicken and BBQ in town. While we were waiting on our order to be prepared, we popped into a nearby grocery store to grab a few things. We were dirty and tired, still in our riding attire, but figured no one would see us this late on a Sunday evening. I was walking up each aisle, tossing my favorite junk food into the basket, when a gentleman approached and asked if we had been riding. He also had horses and wanted to talk about what disciplines we rode and the types of horses we had, and I was filling him in on my plans with Eclipse. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a lady slowly following us up and down the aisle, intently listening to our conversation and looking as if she wanted to talk to me. As I parted ways with the gentlemen, the lady stopped me and said, “Excuse me. I could not help but overhear that you ride horses… have you ever heard of a trainer named Chuck Green at Equuleus Acres Equestrian Center?”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” I smiled. “I am trying to get my horse in with him and have been waiting for the next available slot.”

As we talked more in depth, she told me that she helped Chuck with feedings at his barn and also as an equine photographer.  I was explaining my circumstances in detail, what we were trying to accomplish, when she politely interrupted me and said, “Wait a minute-- you are the girl we have been hearing about! We’ve been waiting to meet you and your horse.” She said that Chuck had never worked with a disabled rider before but felt like he could help me obtain my goals. They had been talking about what needed to be done and the best way to approach the training, and even though we would all be learning how to tackle this together, Chuck was up for the challenge. He knew horses and knew the proper way to get a horse to respond to their rider’s needs and wishes, and  there was not a horse to be found that Chuck could not train. She left saying she couldn’t wait to tell him that we’d met and to call that week, because she was eager for me to get in with him as soon as possible.

 I left the grocery store that night with chills, stunned that we had "happened" to run into this close connection to the trainer. I turned to my mom and said, “That was a God moment right there. That was not just a coincidence.” I had never been in that grocery store in the five years I had been in South Carolina, yet the one time I decided to shop there, my world was changed in ways I could have never seen coming. I knew God was speaking to us, encouraging me to pursue the training as part of His plan for me and Eclipse.

 Reassured that this was the right step, I couldn’t wait to call Chuck the next morning.  Another small miracle was revealed when he said there was an opening and that I could bring Eclipse that week to begin his training.

God’s timing never fails and His guiding light always shines through--we just have to be willing to open our eyes and see it.