Chase slowly turned from being the center of my frustration to being my best friend, soul mate, partner, whatever you want to call it. He was my comfort from home away from home when I was home-sick, my playmate when I was bored, and an endless source of learning opportunity. We were only level 2 students, but something had happened, something had changed between us. And the strength of our bond was beginning to show.
In November, Farrah had us film our level 2 online. It was a big step-Chase and I hadn't ever filmed anything satisfactory to send in, and I was proud of our progress. You can watch the video we sent in (a year later, oops) here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wocvZlOozVs
We passed with a level 2+. Farrah also had me film my level 2 freestyle, on an arabian I had been playing with named Silver Chief. You can watch that video here- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-BXoFMPRaA. I passed my freestyle audition with a level 2++.
Chase was a big key in my horsemanship progress because he is my polar opposite. I had to begin to learn to think in ways I hadn't even tried before. I had to learn to slow down, and listen. I had to learn to still be provacative mentally. I had to learn to be creative in my horsemanship-up until then, all I had been doing was running him around in circles, which is one of the reasons our partnership didn't work well. I owe that horse a lot of credit. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be nearly as skilled as I am today.
About halfway through our internship, Farrah came to me and said that we should try backing him for the first time. Now, before all you horse people go nuts on me on that one (rightfully so), take note that we weren't starting him under saddle. The goal was to get me up on his back for about ten minutes at a time, two or three days at a time, and he would either be at a walk or eating grain or hay during. We trotted a little, but it was extremely limited. Rinse and repeat once every few months so that when he was mature enough to actually start under saddle and ride regularly, having a rider wouldn't be anything new or scary for him. I would be on my own when we actually started learning how to work together as rider and mount, so this was one of the keys that kept us both safe.
Needless to say, I was extremely nervous. I had never been on a youngster's back before, and the one image that came to mind was him exploding and bucking me off, causing possible serious injuries. But Farrah was patient and confident, and Chase and I had built the trust in each other we needed for this exact moment. There was no bucking or bolting, and Farrah knew and taught me to look for the signs of when to back off and when to progress. It was a quiet procedure including treats and me being draped over his back by my stomach, learning to keep my legs together for safety (and learning the necessity of ab muscles for colt starting), and Farrah leading us every step of the way.
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