Now I have a few days off. I flip houses with my dad, boyfriend, and his best friend. I mostly manage the financial and logistical aspects of the projects, but am also becoming a mean painter. We're between houses- one just went on the market last week and we're acquiring another one tomorrow- meaning I'm not really needed for a few days. Thank goodness. More time for ponies!
So that's what I did today. First I rode Jake, my dressage sales horse. I'll start by saying he has come sooooo far. When I first started riding him less than a year ago (and only at most 3 times a week), he could barely keep his right lead canter all the way around the ring, he was so weak and unfit. Lately, my sister has been riding him, since she's the dressage queen and has had more time than me.
For one, I was surprised how little I struggled in the dressage saddle today- that was nice. I still don't understand how I was a dressage rider for so many years, and now can't stand riding in stirrups shorter than jumping length. Anyway, Jake felt great today. His trot was just so through. He was covering ground, nice and round, like nobodies business during our warm up. We did some half-halts (doing them properly is still a somewhat new concept to him) and HELLOOooo: almost passage. SO nice! Then came the canter. Now, getting his canter realllly good has been a challenge. But today was great. After some forward and back work, and some exaggerated shoulder in, he became so light and soft. Even his collection was nice. What a pleasant surprise for me :)
After Jake, came Flora. Flora is our homebred 4yr DWB/TB mare, who was started last spring but hasn't had much work until about mid-December. She learns a bit slower than some of the other babies I've worked with (but is far from the worst!), but once she gets something, she gets it. I hope she is going to make a really nice hunter, and I've just started her over poles and small crossrails.
Today, she was wild, at first. I put her on the lunge, since she'd had a few days off and I wish someone else could have seen her. Bucking, leaping, and just running around like a nut in general. I almost didn't get on her, which is saying something, because I'm usually fairly brave. But I did, and I'm SO glad I did.
Flora has an enormous, beautiful canter that, until today, she's had a lot of trouble balancing. Today, however, she was phenomenal. For the first time, I felt like she was actually between my hand and leg, and that I could actually steer her around like a normal horse. I even got super brave and cantered her over a pole on a circle. The fact that we were able to circle at the canter, let alone steer over a pole was, to me, amazing. Then i got really brave and cantered up and over a small cavaletti. It took a couple of tries for her to trust me and herself enough to keep the canter up and over it, but once she figured it out, it was sooo smooth!! I'm so excited :) I'm aiming to take her in a small clinic here at our farm with Waylon Roberts, in the cross rail group. Maybe we'll be ready after all!
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