Barn Work

I love this time of year. My chore load has transitioned away from foal care. My mares and youngstock are on their hill pasture continuously. The herd meets me at the barn in the morning. And now that the temperatures have dropped and flies are no longer distractions, we are all happier and able to engage more productively.

On a recent edition of Warwick Schiller’s podcast Journey On, I listened to Warwick interviewing Carolyn Resnick, creator of the Water Hole Ritual and author of Naked Liberty. After listening to the podcast, I appreciated Carolyn’s perspective about horses even more than I did before, in part because she shared that she has maintained the perspective of a child throughout her long life. Every time she approaches an equine, she does it with no expectations and lots of observation. She shared a story about her first horse whom she began with at three years old. Strawberry I think was its name, and it was an aged babysitter but also with enough go to keep her interested. He would do anything for her and was as near to perfect as a horse could be for a person her age. Later she met an American Saddlebred stallion whom she was told to stay away from by his handler because he was so mean. She spent time sitting outside his stall, and in time he became less mean and more willing to engage, teaching her that there’s a Strawberry inside every horse. She concluded this part of her story by saying that bringing out the Strawberry in every horse she meets is always her goal. This time of year for me is magical because it’s about continuing the process of bringing out the Strawberry in each of my ponies.

Given Carolyn’s focus on liberty work, I was surprised to hear her say that all the best horsemen she knew had their horses standing tied during the process of developing them. She said it without judgment, and I expected to hear her then say something like, “But I choose to do things differently.” But instead she said that standing tied is indeed an important part of the process. The reason? It’s the only time that equines get to stand around doing nothing with tack on. It’s a chance for them to get used to having things on their bodies without other things going on. It’s a chance for them to get comfortable with that before more is asked of them. Standing tied is a part of this time of year with my ponies. I think it’s an important step in mentally conditioning my ponies for eventual work, a beginning step in instilling a working mindset in them. (For more on working mindset, click here.)

Carolyn and Warwick talked about the dangers of “trainer’s mind.” They mean we can have our own agenda and often forget to see what state of mind and body our equine is in. Another of Warwick’s guests was a very accomplished dressage rider. She has staff at her barn, and people often think they are there to do the ‘barn work’ of brushing, picking feet, leading from place to place, and tacking up. But she said she would rather do all that work and have her staff do the riding because it was doing that ‘barn work’ that let her see where the equine was at mentally and physically so she could set them up for success under saddle when that time came. ‘Barn work’ is very important to me for exactly the reasons this woman stated. Before I can have peace in my day, I need to know that my ponies are well. Meeting them at the barn in the morning, witnessing their behavior and interactions, and handling them briefly provides me the information I need to go forth into my non-pony day. This time of year with its beautiful weather is ideal for long ‘barn work’ sessions that my ponies seem to look forward to as much as I do.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

You can find similar stories in my book The Partnered Pony: What’s Possible, Practical, and Powerful with Small Equines, available by clicking here or on the book cover.