Pony Day Success!

Yesterday was pony day!!!! And the day before that!

It feels GREAT to be back in the saddle. 

Of course....there's a problem.  There's ALWAYS a problem that comes up ANYTIME you finally get around summoning up the motivation and time to do something you want to do. 

Planning on running a marathon?  Plan on getting the flu in week 1 of your training.

Planning on training for an LD?  Plan on a lame horse before you even start.

OK - I'm extraggerating.  She's not lame.  Both her fronts are equally filled. 

"Has she been lame?" I asked.  "Oh no!", my family members rushed to reassure me.  They then regaled me the tale of Farley dashing around the pasture like a CRAZY horse the night before.  My Dad actually walked out of the house with a (unspecified weapon...) and a spot light ready to defend the honor (and hide) of his daughter's precious Tevis horse.  But there was nothing.  The family decided that the CCCRRRRAAAAZZZZYYYYY arab brain had finally emerged. 

She trots out sound, isn't ouchy on palpation and it's equally filled on both fronts.  The ground in the pasture is VERY hard right now and it's plausible she over did it on her nighttime gallop.  It happens.  I've decided that it's HIGHLY unlikely that my ass on her back, asking her to walk/trot on good footing is going to matter one way or another since she insists on being a moron, and as long as the filling goes away nicely in a couple of days, she stays sound I'm not going to worry about it. 

Day 1 I rode....dressage.

Farley has evidently is tiring of being called fat and Hallejuiah!, the dressage girth fits.

Once I got over the initial shock of "Farley is a chia pet" (where did that winter coat come from?), we saddled up and mounted up.  I didn't spend a lot of time on mounting games - but she evidently gets the concept and it didn't take long to explain my expectations and enforce the criteria before we could get started.

I'm a much better rider than the last time I formally (meaning, tacked up and actually DOING something) rode Farley.  That fat little bay mare is going to have to come up with a whole 'nother list of evasion tactics because I got her number!  Ha!!!! Get in front of my leg, go to the connection, and stop curling behind the bit.

Day 2 I did a REAL trail ride.

A whole 20 minutes of real trail riding!  With TROTTING.  I marveled at my stable lower leg.  My independent seat.  My flexible, elastic elbows. 

And of course there were mounting games - both in the beginning and on the trail. WHOOOHOOO!!!!!

I'm really bummed I didn't keep better notes during my dressage lessons.  I guess I never considered I might be starting from the beginning again and I might need them to help me restart Farley or another horse.  The training records I do have deal mostly with time and effort - not outlining specific exercises and goals and progression.  I'm setting up and organizing a better training journal for Farley now, based on what I'm seeing in the agility world.  It might be too late to take advantage of my improved "system" for what I learned in my lessons - but at least I won't make the same mistake twice!