Today's lesson dawned cold and frosty, once again.  I think the temps are finally supposed to start going up this week.  I'd be happy with 40s!  It was cold enough that poop steamed, but little miss twinkle toes didn't get spooky today.

Since Blondie wasn't worked yesterday, she was hell on wheels today.  She wouldn't walk, so M had me keep trotting her, bending and turning her, for about 30 minutes.  I was getting more worn out than the horse.  The canter the first way was absolutely dreadful, but I got my act together the second way and she was nice and slow. 

After the lesson, I stuck around to watch M work A's horse, Moose.  Since breaking her leg, A hasn't been able to do much of anything, obviously.  Her doctor told her she is good to start riding, so she is starting off with something simple - Doc.  It's going to take her a while to get back to where she was, but there's been a big improvement, and she's even driving again. 

Moose is a NSH, and she is 5-gaited, too.  Only she hasn't been worked hard since last fall, because A doesn't have an indoor to train in during the winter.  She brought Moose to the farm about a month ago, and they have been working on getting her back in shape and getting her to use her hind quarters more effectively.  M was really struggling to get the mare racking.  Instead, she paced.  Near the end Moose was racking, but it looks like it's going to take some work to get her where she needs to be.

Then I heard that Sarah was going to ride the Friesian, and I had to stick around for that.  Good thing I did - it was pretty good show.  Started out in the aisle with the incredibly dense gelding (as of last week) not remembering how to go forward.  M had to remind him, but Audie, Laurie, and I ducked into Summer's stall and closed the door while he was being reminded.  He is big and strong and stupid, and I didn't want to get run over.

Sarah is pretty fearless, and she hopped up after D lunged the horse for a few minutes.  We all told her to make sure she didn't bounce on his back - that's just a disaster waiting to happen.  Sarah has a few rough minutes, and she almost ran over D.  He had them on a lunge line, and he told her that if she runs him over, he can't protect her from the stupid horse.  That struck me as really funny.

Sarah almost got bucked off, when the idiot just started firing his back legs.  I don't know if she bounced on him or what, but he suddenly wasn't very happy and he let her know.  D got dragged along, Sarah got herself reorganized, driving the horse forward again.  She is a really good rider and I envy her fearlessness.  Of course, she's been riding for 12 twelve years, and at 16, she knows no fear.  She likes them a little wild.

Big news of the day - I'm going to be half leasing one of A's mares for the show season.  Now I can show twice as much!  We're going to try it for a month, and if things go well at the Mason show, I'll lease for the summer.  If it doesn't work out, we'll call it quits at the end of the month and look for another option.  I'm really excited about it - I really need to force myself to ride other horses besides Harley and Blondie if I want to become a better rider.  The mare is a National Show Horse, so she can show in the Challenge of the Breed classes, and one of the shows has half-Arabian classes. 

Ok, I won't lie - this show sucked.  I was in two classes, and Harley and I were 5th out of 5 both times.  I thought I rode well, but the other horses were mainly more compact and speedier Morgans.  Harley is a huge Saddlebred.  Plus, by the time I hopped on for my last class, the adult equitation class, he was pretty much spent.  He was tired and drenched in sweat.  During the class, he kept swapping leads on his back legs at the far turn, and he tripped and almost fell on the last canter.  Sarah said it looked like he was bucking - I assured her he was only about to fall on his face.  Bet it looked pretty bad to the judge, too.

Like at the last show, the judge placed Harley poorly in all of his classes but one in the morning.  Doc, the 27 year old quarter horse, placed better. I was very frustrated, and would have preferred to have ridden Blondie considering how poorly we did.  After the last class I just wanted to be done and get out of there.  I think part of the problem is, when I ride Harley, I feel that I'm competing against all of the other riders.  When I ride Blondie, I feel like I'm competing with her, and as long as I get her through the class, I've won, regardless of where we place.  Harley is a push button horse, he does exactly what you tell him to, and therefore he should do well every time.  Whatever the reason, I was really down on myself yesterday.

Jen and I stopped by our favorite Indian buffet and I drowned my disappointment in two plates of goat curry and a yummy veggie dish that I forget the name of.  Then I came home and cried to Dean, who told me I need to train harder and ride better at the next show.  Thanks, Honey, for stating the obvious!

It's been a busy week again, so here is a brief recap of the weekly lessons, which took place in temperatures much to cold for spring!

Wednesday night was a full group lesson, and I rode Blondie.  After a little struggle with her, she cantered slower than she had been.  We have taken up my stirrups a hole, and I think that has really helped me.  I feel more in control, and I was able to sit down instead of being pulled forward and bouncing around on her back.  I felt a lot better after the lesson because, other than the head shaking, she behaved herself and didn't just carry me away with her.

Friday's lesson was on Harley.  I was going to ride him in the academy show on Saturday, as they were taking Sharpe's, one of the other boarder's horses, instead of Blondie.  A ran the lesson.  Harley spooked at the shavings pile, and she said I totally fell apart, so she made me run two laps around the arena.  I beg to disagree, but since Sarah was willing to run around with me, I trotted dutifully off.  At the back gate I pretended to be Blondie and spooked toward the inside of the ring, which had Sarah cracking up.  I hate to admit that I had a hard time running around two times and I was quite out of breath when I was finished.  I should have paced myself better, but since I didn't realize I was running a marathon, I didn't.

After the lesson, I picked up Jen from work, and then Sarah and Zoe followed us up to Okemos.  We were going to have a slumber party, but I warned them that Jen and I turn in early.  We both get up a little after 4 am, and by Friday, we're both exhausted.  We grabbed a fast but satisfying dinner at Pancheros, and then checked into the hotel.

Since the incident with the fire alarms the last time we stayed at the Hampton, they upgraded my room to a queen suite.  It was a much larger room than the standard, and came with a microwave, mini fridge, pop corn, a couch, and a little bar area.  I liked the room.  We all chilled out for a while and then hit the hay. 

Monday's lesson was taught by A.  Jen was scheduled to ride Doc, and I was up on Harley.  It felt weird riding him again after riding Blondie pretty much exclusively. 

This outing was a laugh a minute, and I don't remember doing much but laughing so hard I thought I was going to fall off of the horse.  Why?  Well, Jen is still new to the horse world, and when they make their unrestrained bodily noises, she just starts cracking up.  It all started when Doc, trotting as vigorously down the rail as a 27 year old quarter horse can, farted, all the way down the rail.  It was like jet propulsion.  Then Jen couldn't stop giggling, which got me laughing, too.  So hard that I almost ran into the lone boarder out there on her pony.  Jen's reaction was so funny, and the rest of the lesson was spent giggling.

A kept giving me grief about my crooked feet and flopping arms.  I didn't think they were that bad....

What do I love most about the holidays?  The fact that hardly anyone goes to the barn, that's what!  I was able to ride Blondie and Glory today!

It is cold again, if you have been paying attention to me complaining about the weather.  At least it has been sunny, so there is a fine illusion of it being spring.  The snow covered ground ruins it, though, and I am forced to accept that winter will be hanging around for at least another week or so, which is how long I think it will take for the snow to melt.  It's supposed to be in the 40s all week, so at least things are moving in the right direction.  As for today, D pulled out the turbo heater, declaring that since it was a holiday, we'd have some heat.

I got Blondie ready, and had a pretty uneventful lesson on her.  I had her cantering a lot better than I have been, so there is proof that those torturous lunge line lessons do some good.  It was cold enough to make poop steam, so of course Blondie dumped a good sized pile down by the scary end.  When she wanted to spook at it, I didn't let her.  It's hers, after all!  She needs to accept it!

After the walk, trot, canter thing with Blondie, D asked if I wanted to take Glory for a spin.  Glory is a cute bay Morgan, I think he's maybe five, and one of the high school kids owns him.  A helped me get him ready, and then I took him out to the ring.  M was helping one of girls learn how to drive, so Kim's mom helped me get on the horse. 

It's always interesting getting on a horse for the first time.  Blondie has an annoying habit of walking off before you're all the way in the saddle, Harley stands there patiently, hoping you'll forget why you took him there and just let him sleep.  Glory kind of rushed forward, and then he settled into a rapid walk.  When I touched my leg on him to move him over to the rail, he goosed. 

Tina and Kim were out in the arena, and as M was teaching the driving lesson, D was in charge of us.  He told us to trot, and off goes Glory at a canter.  I tried to slow him down but he wasn't listening, so I had to turn his head into the wall to get him to stop.  Almost falling off in the process.  Great way to start a ride on a new horse!

To make a long story short, Glory doesn't like it when you bounce on his back, but nobody warned me, even when I asked, what's his deal.  Argh!  You have to ask him to trot and start posting immediately or he loses his mind and takes off.  Ok, thanks for the tip.

Most of the time I felt like I was posting too far forward, but after a while of trotting, I started to feel like I was getting the hang of it.  Glory is go, go, go, and Blondie needs to be constantly reminded to move forward.  D had me canter by myself the first time, and he warned me that the horse surges forward at the beginning.  After Glory took off, D had me canter a couple of circles around him, and then take him to the rail.  He kind of starts and stops, surging forward and then falling back.  It took some getting used to.

By the time we trotted the other way and cantered again, I was exhausted and steaming as much as the horse.  Glory was a lot of work, but I really liked him.  Since I was all sweaty, I stayed for only a little while longer.  I started to get chilled, and wanted to change out of my damp clothes.

A man and my horse

Friday's lesson was most notable, not for the lesson itself, but for the snow that was dumped across the state that evening.  I headed off to the barn in a snowy drizzle, and left to find slippery, snow covered roads.  By Saturday morning, we had about 4 inches of snow on the ground - I thought it was supposed to be spring??

Because it was Good Friday, the schools were closed, so I arrived to find four of the kids hanging out for the afternoon.  Audie was riding Bentley, and when he was in a road trot, she slipped off the side and fell off.  She didn't get hurt, and when we all asked what happened, she said she lost her stirrup. 

Sara went and got Harley, and M gave them a fitting and showing lesson.  Sara dragged me out there and made me participate, too, even though I will never be able to to it at an actual show.  Why don't they have fitting and showing for adults? Six of M's students are going to be in the fitting and showing class at the first show, so that should be a lot of fun.  I'm going to have to purchase another memory card for my camera so I don't have to keep downloading pictures off.  Almost everyone from the barn is going to the first show, and I'm really looking forward to it, so forgive me if I blather on about it incessantly.

M took Harley and demonstrated that he will perform the required movements without her holding the lead rope.  He did every thing but back up.  He's such a cool horse - I luvs him. 

After the herd of teenagers vacated the ring, I went and got Jimmy.  We had just started my lesson when we heard the kids saying very loudly, Whoa! Whoa!  M said that didn't sound good, and she hurried out to see what was going on.  Moose got her hood caught on something and was panicking because it was pulled halfway off her head and had covered her eyes.  M rectified the situation by removing the hood.  Then my lesson resumed, and my legs were so sore when it was over.

I bet her feet don't slide through her stirrups!

Ahgh! I am getting a little frustrated with myself and my horse.  All of a sudden, our slow, collected canters have devolved into frantic gallops around the arena, and I don't understand what the heck is going on. 

We cantered the second way first, and it was just the ugliest canter ever.  My feet slid too far into the stirrups, and M had me stop and fix them.  This is a new bad habit that I have developed, as is the panicked way I was gripping the horse with my lower legs.  When we reversed, I was able to keep her slower, but it was still too fast.  M announced that we are going to have a lunge line lesson on Friday because both of my legs are creeping back.  She also mentioned that she and D talked, and that he doesn't want to use the show horses for the longer group lesson.  I have to agree with that, because by the end of the hour, Blondie is so pissy.  She's used to being working in 30 minute blocks, and an hour is just too long for her.

I received the show bill for the first show, which is at the end of April.  D had been playing with the idea of showing Blondie in the Country Pleasure Division, but last night M said that we will stick with Show Pleasure.  That means he has to change her shoes, and I hope he can get that done pretty quickly.  I can't remember how much they changed how she trots, but I know that there will be a difference, and I will need to get used to it again.

On the weather side, it has gotten crappy and cold again.  Overcast most days, with a very cold rain to keep everything feeling damp.  I am so bummed that the first nice night of the year (Friday), Blondie was too stiff to work.  I hate winter!  Wait, what am I saying - tomorrow is the first day of spring.  Let's quickly browse over the forecast for the next few days - hmmmm - snow, snow, and more scattered snow showers.  WTH!?

Summer, taking a walk on the wild side

Sunday was cold, so I had to dig out my thermals again.  What happened?  It was supposed to start warming up!  It was about 29 degrees when I got up, much better than being in the teens, but still!  It should be spring!  Well, ok, not officially until next weekend, but still!

Blondie was feeling better, though M mentioned that she did give her a shot of banamine on Saturday because she was still not moving her neck.  That stuff must be magic, because Blondie seemed to be back to her old self.  Not as obnoxious, but she did try to bite me few times when I was getting her ready.

A's sister rode Harley while I rode Blondie, and we had an uneventful lesson.  I am having trouble at the canter.  I noticed on Sunday that my foot position was beyond awkward and my foot was too far into the stirrup, and my reins were too long, which allowed her to take off too fast.  Just a couple of lessons ago, I had this gait down, if not pat, to where I was comfortable, and Blondie wasn't blasting forward when I asked for it.

Fast forward to Monday's lesson.  At the canter, the same thing; my betraying right leg, which has always been a problem, was too far back, and my foot was too far in the stirrup.  Off Blondie went, at a "hand gallop," whatever the heck that is, barreling around the arena.  M was telling me to get my leg out of her side, which Blondie clearly thought was saying, "Go faster!  There is a scary monster chasing us!"  I put her on a circle, hearing M warn, "Not too small - she'll slip!"  This just never gets any easier.

I finally did get her slower, but it was nowhere as nice and relaxed as a few lessons ago.  I am puzzled by what is going on here.  I think I need to ride Harley at a canter to find out what I am doing wrong.  He's so much more patient than my psycho mare.

Jen had a better lesson than I did, though she disagrees.  She tried cantering again, and she doesn't fall forward when she gives the cue.  No, instead, she stays nice and straight in the saddle.  *Sigh*  She was able to make it around the entire arena before Harley had enough of the n00b and started walking.

Now I am wondering how my lesson will go tomorrow night.  It's the long group lesson, and Blondie always gets crabby halfway through.  It's not like I'm making her work 11 hours a day - I'm the one who has to do that to keep her belly full of hay.  No, I'm asking her to hold her head up a little higher, trot with a little more animation, and canter nice and slowly.  That's it!  The ungrateful pony...

Wednesday's group lesson was uneventful, except for the cantering portion.  Once again, my moody mare leapt into the canter and took off like a bat out of hell.  I think that she's getting mad at me because I am making her keep her head up, and after forty minutes of it, she's had enough.  I had her slowed down by the end of the first rail, and made her canter a couple of circles to get her settled down.  M said that I am finally learning to make her work for me.  Yay, great! 

Friday was a beautiful day!  Finally!  It was 50 degrees, just perfect for riding.  Too bad Blondie didn't cooperate.  At all.  Not her fault - she got her spring shots on Thursday, and her neck  (injection site) was sore.  Looked like she swallowed a broom.  After a few minutes fighting with her, M told me to just exercise her and we wouldn't count this as a lesson.  It just wasn't going to work.  I should have known something was up when she didn't try to bite me when I was getting her ready.  Just one half-hearted head bob in my direction when I was putting her saddle on.  Hopefully she is feeling better today.

The weather finally seems to be improving! It was about 35 degrees when we left work and headed out for our lesson. I decided to just use 2 hand warmers, and it turned out that I was too warm with all of my layers.
Is it finally time to start cutting back?

This was the long awaited lesson, because Jen was going to canter! We did the trotting thing, and then I went into the middle of the arena so M could remove Blondie’s stretchers. I stayed in the middle so I would have a front row seat for Jen’s first attempt to canter. Doc has gotten a little preppy a few times and broken into a canter, but this was the first time she was going to do it on purpose. She was riding Harley, and he usually is easy to get moving. After a couple of starts and stops, she finally cantered a rail! Yay! She was having a problem falling back and catching Harley on the mouth, which would bring him to a complete stop.

M asked if we wanted to go to the Academy Awards Banquet. Laurie and I are in the running for the High Point champs in adult equitation. I am not the most social person and I don’t really want to go, but Jen said she would go with me, so maybe I will force myself to attend. At $30 per ticket, though, it’s awfully expensive.