Was the lesson worth it? Absolutely.
I've been considering leasing Sawyer, the lesson horse I've been riding- he's a bit green and very out of shape, but up until last night, never put a toe out of line. Last night, the sassafras came out full force. Apparently, Sawyer had been up in a stall for 3 out of the last 4 days with a pulled shoe and lameness. Hadn't been ridden for 4 days- what could go wrong?
 |
| This is the horse I was expecting last night. Didn't happen. |
Thoroughbred brain. The Thoroughbred brain was in full force last night.
We wouldn't stand still, or he would throw a fit (baby rears). We wanted to canter sideways. When jumping a grid, he insisted on jumping like a deer and taking off at the base of the jump shadow rather than the base of the jump. While I probably didn't need exciting Sawyer, it was nice to see that his stupid behavior is manageable- when he gets stupid, I can sit the bucks, bolts, and deer jumps (thank you, Candy, for being always being sassy).
Obviously, Sawyer and I both need work, but it is a confidence boost to be able to handle the good with the bad. He never fully settled last night, but I got a few steps of quality trot, managed to make him wait at the base, and stayed on through a less than perfect jump/landing (and avoided near collision with an equally naughty pony- fall fever was in the air last night).
And did I mention he just got switched from a corkscrew D to a snaffle? Yeesh- could have been a lot more fun last night if I hadn't had brakes. (Also- thank goodness he's out of that corkscrew- makes my mouth hurt to look at it...).
I'm getting my fitness back to where it was, slowly but surely. I've been doing pilates/core exercises in my spare time, and I may join the Two-Point-Tober effort unofficially.
In the meantime, trying not to drown in schoolwork/exams- only 1 week until Fall Break and my return to KY!
-K&C
Posts
Sawyer is very cute :) Glad you can handle his shenanigans! Do you think you're going to lease him? That would be so exciting!!!
ReplyDelete