Week Four

Day 22: (Sunday) Urgh. My eldest younger sister (I have five younger siblings) turned 21 today. We went out last night (on St. Patrick’s Day) to celebrate. I was at the barn in my heart. My body did not move from the couch.

Day 23: (Monday) We had an absolutely beautiful fantastic ride tonight. Excellent trot. I discovered how to better support myself with my calves and upper leg, leaving my thighs free to squeeze and post. I adore the saddle I am riding in (Devoucoux dressage). My legs felt so long and my heels stayed down and I was still. I imagined being the horse’s backend, and all of sudden my steering was 1000x better. It took a little while for Surya to settle down and listen, but when she did, we really started clicking. She moved forward into the bridle, kept a steady pace, not too fast, and got all relaxed ears. I really wanted to continue, but decided to end on a good note before she and I both got too tired and our riding degenerated. Then, I cooled her off and went outside to graze her for twenty minutes. A firework went off. She jumped and started to run off, but I stopped her with the lead rope and calmed her down. Ten minutes later, another went off, she jumped and lifted her head. Five minutes later another went off, her skin jumped, but she continued grazing. Smart horse.

Day 24: (Tuesday) It was a very quiet night. I tacked up and went to ride in the indoor. Surya was listening, forward, and fantastic. I achieved the same feeling of control, over myself and my horse, as I did on Monday. However, Surya was tripping over herself a bit.  Her feet are just too long. I haven’t been able to get a hold of a farrier in the past three weeks, so it has been so long since she’s been trimmed it’s embarrassing.  Thankfully, the farrier for the barn will be back before the end of March, and he will add Surya to his schedule.  He can’t get here soon enough.  Anyway, at the 25 minute mark, she felt a tad off on her left fore. I freaked out and jumped off of her mid-trot. To her credit, she just stopped and looked at me. What the hell, human? I mean, not that I really object to this turn of events. I trotted her out and she did look a smidge short in her left fore. So, I walked her out to cool her off, then took her outside, sponged her off, and let her go roll in her field. Ultimately she was fine. I feel like I’m a first-time mother. I need to calm down. Seriously.

Day 25: (Wednesday) I realized this morning that I have ridden Surya for 8 of the past 10 days. Bad horse-mom! She hasn’t been in steady work all winter; she’s probably a bit sore from all this exercise! Plus, her feet are way too long! But, I went to the barn, and had my trainer look at her, and she said that she’s fine. So I rode for 20 minutes in a different saddle (a Wintec, which I hated), and hung out with ARF.

Day 26: (Thursday) Too tired to go the barn today. Went home and slept instead.

Day 27: (Friday) Surya was super excited about life tonight, and spent the entire riding time trying to canter (charge) around. I’m really not sure what her problem was, but I could not get her to relax and slow down. She wasn’t upset – her ears were forward, her tail was lifted prettily, and her feet went very very fast. Please may I canter. I’m cantering! No, I don’t want to stop. Pouting now. Eventually I got off and got the lunge line. As soon as I pushed her out to the circle, she took off into a canter, and I just let her go until she slowed to a trot. Then I spent a few minutes working on walk/trot transitions on the lunge line. I got back on her, and she listened a bit better, but still was churning butter with her over-large toes.

Day 28: (Saturday) We had the most amazing lesson today. Surya was quiet and responsive, and maintaining a nice even steady-paced trot, going forward into the bit. We worked on half-halts with my seat, and keeping her straight, and keeping her from popping her left shoulder out. My trainer said she could tell that I did my homework and that our trot has improved tremendously from last week. Also, she said that she loves Surya! My trainer is very forthright, and not overly effusive in her praise. So, coming from her, that is huge! I am so happy! Especially since I showed up at my trainer’s barn four months ago, and said I want to learn dressage, I want to board, I’m going to buy a horse, who by the way is in California, a mustang, and I’m going to go visit her by myself. So she was understandably worried that I would come into her barn with a nag and a nasty habit of following my own counsel with headstrong disregard for outside opinion. At least I didn’t come home with a nag. Anyway, our trot was great! Our canter, not so good. My trainer is going to ride Surya next Saturday to see what she knows and where our miscommunication is occurring. She is green, I’m kind of green, so the Expert is going to ride in to the rescue (ha, pun intended) and fix it. Or at least identify the problem so as to help us learn to fix it. Also, I bought a saddle! More on this in another post. I French-braided Surya’s mane and tail prior to our lesson today. Older, more experienced (tired) boarders made fun of me for this and enlisted me to braid their horses’ manes since I apparently enjoy it so. Surya is still cuter than everyone else.

I love my horse.