Learning natural horsemanship and bareback riding in New Zealand
I decided that I would try and be open-minded and learn new things when I went to New Zealand and this experience was exactly what I was after. I connected with Sara Jurca online and ended up going to her place weekly for a few months to spend time learning groundwork and how to ride bareback with her horses Chesi and Flirt.
The experience taught me so much more than my usual ‘jump on and ride’ sort of trip. I had to be patient, be aware of my own effect on the horses, stay calm and be clear with my communication. We started with the absolute basics, with just getting used to using the stick as an extension of my hand, getting Chesi to trust me and let me come near enough to him to put the rope halter on, catching him in from the field and very simple movements.
This progressed to learning how to get him to move towards me, away from me, step to the side and also change direction on a circle. We also learnt to walk together and for him to change his gait depending on how fast I was walking. One of my favourite moments was having him trotting alongside me as I was running, completely in sync. This was different somehow from some of the groundwork that I'd tried with Joy back home, not only because I was working with a horse who was fluent in this style of communication, but also because I wasn’t really using the lead rope and halter at all as aids, it was purely based on the engagement between us, he stopped when I stopped and I didn’t need to pull on the rope at all.
Eventually, I progressed to learning the basics of bareback riding, mainly in walk. We worked on my seat, on simple things like turns, balance, and aids. This was useful for me especially as we were riding bitless too, so there was none of that ‘contact’ or ‘on the bit’ kind of talk, it was purely based on my position and holistic movements.
I realised how important learning to sit properly is, without the aid of a saddle for support. Even the slightest movements and turns would throw me off balance, and I really learnt to rely a lot more on my core for stability. I think being used to the English style of riding, I had always relied heavily on my weight going through my heels and the stirrups keeping me balanced, but this was a very different feeling and it made some new mind-muscle connections.
Connecting after a nice ride.
I learnt a lot about the way the horse communicates back with you, for example the chewing, licking and breathing out all being signs that they are relaxed and in a parasympathetic state. I realised how much grooming helps horses to bond and connect with their rider, as it is the way that they show affection to one another so this helps to release endorphins and other bonding neurochemicals.
I realised how very subtle movements in my body language affected the way that Chesi understood and interacted with me. However, one thing that made me really impressed was the way that he could understand both what Sara and I were ‘saying’ to him, even though we both had very different ways of expressing it, in our body movements.
My favourite moments had to be running alongside Chesi while he was trotting, and doing the manoeuvre where he comes in towards me when I look at his rear. I felt like I was in Heartland doing join-up, when Amy Fleming turns her back to the horse and they come up behind her. :) Priceless!
The presence of mind that was required, I felt that I had to be ‘in the now’ in order to get the best outcome. The effect was that my sessions ended up feeling super quick, the way that you feel when you’re fully engrossed in something. It was definitely a good stress release, being outside and feeling connected.
I mainly worked with Chesi (the lighter coloured horse) but I ended up also sometimes having Flirt (the bay) tagging along in our lessons, which was pretty fun.
There was also something special about it being quite a lowkey affair. Sara was just teaching me from what she had learnt herself, and there wasn’t really any kind of set out plan as such, we were just progressing as things went. She was a really patient person and I loved learning from her, I always felt that she enjoyed teaching me and spending time with her horses and helping me connect with them too. Her style was straightforward but very perceptive when it came to subtleties and feelings, and that was obvious in the way that the horses understood her when she communicated with them.
Another thing that Sara taught me was how to mount bareback properly. Now I can’t say that I am an expert but I did eventually manage to get the hang of it slightly. I started by jumping from the chair onto Chesi’s back and swinging my legs round, and after some practice I made it look sort of okay. Definitely not applying for any mounted games or trick riding competitions anytime soon.
Some clips from my experience learning natural horsemanship and bareback riding with Sara Jurca in Clive, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.
On one of the sessions, I turned up and Sara said to me,
It’s really hot today, do you want to ride to the beach?
And I thought… Can I really ride this horse bareback on the road and down the track to the beach? She offered me the saddle, and I thought, if I don’t take this opportunity now, it probably will never present itself again. So I took the chance, declined the saddle and rode Chesi bareback all the way to the beach at Clive.
On the way to the beach.
It was a pretty good feeling riding bareback all that way, I realised I had actually learnt a lot and gained confidence. The more I tensed up, which I do when I get nervous or stressed, the more pressure this created in my legs which transmitted through to Chesi and he read it as an aid to ‘speed up’. So, I had to consciously relax my body, my breath, my seat and my legs and this was definitely a lesson in itself.
Happily rode Chesi bareback from Sara’s yard to the beach at Clive.