Guy McLean: Ride the Horse You’re on

Personal preferences and differing likes and dislikes are all a major part of life, and if we are able to have it exactly the way we want things, we can pick and choose till our heart’s content, but sometimes, as the old song lyrics sing ‘Love the one you’re with’, with horses, we just need to learn to ‘Ride the Horse you’re on’.

This month’s article will focus on three of my youngsters, all by my resident ASH Stallion, ‘Excee Dreaming of Abbey’, and they are the future of my liberty performances here in Australia, destined to perform beside their dear dad Dreamer. As with all of my great liberty horses in the past, a consummate ridden horse preparation is a major part of the process for me, and although there are certain movements and capabilities I am looking for, I am very aware of allowing them to showcase their own individual brilliance and not try and put them in a box of my choosing. 

Sure, just like everyone else who has ever ridden a wide variety of horses, I myself have that vision of the perfect horse in my mind, and although my superstars across my career, like Nugget, Spinabbey, Showgirl and Dreamer, have all set the bar very high, I sincerely feel that comparing one to another, is fraught with failure, as we all can only be the best that ‘WE’ can be and trying to be someone else, can often leave us feeling as less than we deserve to feel.

As the youngest of five boys in a family of eight, I am now very glad that I can never remember a time, as a child, when my parents said to me, “why can’t you be more like your brother?” but instead, there was a strong feeling that being the best version of myself was enough for them and I am always grateful for that. However, a few years ago, at my Dad’s 80th birthday, as part of his speech, he told all of us in attendance (including all six of us kids), “I know that as a parent, you’re not supposed to have a favourite child but I think you all know that my favourite is Cameron….”. We all laughed out loud at Dad’s extreme honesty, and as a man in my late 40s now, I am quite confident with my place in this world and I wasn’t affected as much as I would have been in my formative years, but if I was expected to be more like Cameron, I would fail in comparison just like my dear brother Cam would fail if he was expected to be more like me. So instead, I choose to focus on my strengths and work on my weaknesses, and I now know that the only person I should compare myself to is the man who looks back at me from the mirror each day whilst I’m shaving my face and brushing my teeth (he’s not a bad fella and we get on pretty well together). 

I try my utmost best to bring this same mindset to each horse in our sessions together. I do everything I can to look for their strengths and to showcase them whilst helping them develop and strengthen their weaknesses and to always show them (in my every action) that their very best is all that I can ask for and that I truly see them as the fine individual they were born to be and I try to make it obvious to them, just how important they are as their own individual being, to me. 
The pics that accompany this article will showcase some similar required movements from each of my three special youngsters, and you will be able to notice a slight difference in the way that they respond to my requests and as long as I feel that they are bringing forth their best effort in the most supple and athletic frame that they can, I am always more than happy to see their true self shine out. 

By having this approach, I can end each session that my equine partner gave me their all and confidently say to them (as I rub them on their noble head), “You’re the Best’ because, at that moment, they were their
own individual version of their Very Best.

Dreaming of Big Bucks

Five-year-old, gelding

This handsome five-year-old gelding ‘Dreaming of Big Bucks’ (Bucky) will make his career out of being a liberty horse, but this coming April will star in this year’s ‘Man from Snowy River Festivals’ big reenactment where he and I will do our very best impressions of Denny and Jim Craig. In the groundwork shot (image 1, on the first page of this article), I am working with him in my ‘Go-Between’ (designed and made by Guy McLean) that connects to my snaffle bit (featured here in a past article), and as the picture shows, it is enabling me to present a bridle feel to him much like the dressage phrase of ‘inside leg to outside rein’. The ‘Go-Between’ is a wonderful tool to help define higher level moves from the ground, and yet, unlike long reining, where they can get too deep (over flex) in the bridle and step short from behind, in this tool, where we are driving the tail towards a light collected rein, all parts of the body have to be aligned, or they can easily escape the frame we are looking for and this in itself is a great storyteller to us on what needs to be corrected before putting them back out on the circle in the physical shape that we desire. To gain this kind of frame, he must willingly drive his inside leg deeply up underneath himself and become supple and connected through the body from tail to nose, and the two ridden shots with (image 2) and without a bridle (image 3) show him doing the same thing and although he is becoming very versatile in the movements he shares with me, this uphill way of moving suits him best and will be perfect for the athletic moves he will need to perform on his harrowing descent down the mountains of Corryong, in pursuit of the galloping mob.

Dreaming of Droving

Five-year-old, gelding

This big, strong five-year-old gelding is Bucky’s half-brother ‘Dreaming of Droving’ (Drover), who is the oldest progeny of Dreamer and he is a truly versatile youngster who feels like he could be just about anything for me (from my lead ridden horse to liberty and everything in between). He can move from the fast-footed displays of a true stock horse to the poise, balance and slow-footed movements of a high-end dressage horse and his groundwork photo showcases the ease with which he can gather up his body and move around in a collected frame like he has an invisible rider on his back. Drover feels to me like the truest representation of his ASH breed in ‘The Breed for Every Need’ and, with or without a bridle, is sure to be a great ambassador for years to come. The body positions I encourage all three of them to portray not only look good in the spotlight but will ensure long and prosperous careers as they learn to carry themselves in the most efficient and balanced way that I can share with them. 

Devine Dream

Three-year-old, mare

This lovely young three-year-old ‘Devine Dream’ (Devine) is Drover’s full sister, and although they can be hard to tell apart in the paddock sometimes, she is very different to work with from both of her brothers. She finds it a little harder to be as supple as her two siblings and is quite straight in her movements, but even though she is two years younger than her brothers, she is already outshining them in her work on a cow, and it is not because they are not talented in front of one, but just more so, she is somewhat of a standout in this capacity and relishes her time there. Although the groundwork picture (image 9) makes it a little hard to see, the rein to the ‘Go-Between’ is in the same position as the other two pics (image 1 and 4), she chooses to flatten out a little and drive her hind foot to the bridle like she was chasing a cow and although she is not as supple as her brothers, her effort in trying to be so is first class, and she is a great representation of the Heritage bred ASH (HSH’s) who excel at the big campdrafts around our fine country. Her ridden work is handy enough to win a ribbon in an ASH working class, and although she still has more to learn in her bridleless work (as she will gradually increase the length of the step from her inside hind leg, which will allow her to raise her belly and soften over the back, more like her brothers do), right this minute, I feel that she is giving me her very best and that is all that I can ever ask.

This last picture is of their dear dad ‘Dreamer’ (as a three-year-old), and although he is all man now (fully matured), I thought it would be good to share this pic of him in his formative years so that you can see where my expectations from his offspring (around the same time) may be coming from, without ever losing the intention of letting them be, all that ‘They’ were born to be. The next time you see all of these horses together in one article will probably be in my signature move of ‘Three over One’, but I thought it was good to share with you all that I build a one-on-one connection with each horse before blending them in as a team who will travel around Australia in the near future, as ‘Guy McLean and his Dream Team’.

Ride safe (on the horse you’re on), ride smart (on the horse you’re on), succeed (on the horse you’re on).

Article by Guy McLean
Photos: Emily McLean