What's Up Wednesday

 

Well, I gotta be honest guys. My first official full day of Funemployment was pretty fab. I slept in until 8:30, ate some breakfast, and then spent the entire day with my horses. I rode all three and cleaned and conditioned their tack. So productive! I could get used to retirement... But let's talk more about the past week in horses.

Pammon had his back injected on Thursday so he had a long weekend of R&R. He had a hand walk Friday but was able to have his regular turnout the rest of the days. Bummer to miss our lesson this week, but totally worth it to have his back feeling better. He's been VERY uncomfortable the last couple of weeks. I got on him with a little ace yesterday for a light flat and he felt so much better (despite it being 21 degrees...)! Today he had a little free lunge and then we had a good workout under saddle. He felt a million times better and didn't lose his hind end at all which has been happening a bit lately. Looking forward to jumping him this week!

Shiny's had a big week! Her new (to us) Custom Saddlery saddle (NOT COUNTY!!! LOL!) arrived on Friday and I couldn't wait to plop it on her. It fits her quite well thankfully, and she seems really comfortable in it. It's effing wide though you guys. I feel like I'm riding a barrel. 

The panels actually make contact along her entire back, which no other saddle I've put on her has come close. I'm sure it could use some tweaking the next time a saddle fitter is out, but it's pretty great as it is anyway. It does need new billets which was disclosed to me at purchase. They're still safely attached so not dangerous, but they do need to be done soon.

She's been improving with her canter transitions and work ethic in general. I'm not sure if it's the saddle, but it would be wonderful if that were the case! 

Yesterday when I got on her there was a group lesson happening with some kids. I'd call them advanced beginner level I think? They jump around like 2' ish but haven't really learned about connection or any of that yet. Anyway, they have a new lesson horse and the girl assigned to him was getting run away with at the canter. So two of the girls switched horses. Second kid also getting run away with on the new horse. So the instructor asked my fellow ammy friend to hop on him and I thought, hey maybe that kid could do Shiny? I've wondered how she'd be for a kid for awhile. Why not find out? Couldn't be worse than the horse running away with them, right? So I offered up Shiny and I got on my friend's horse. You guys! Shiny was amazing. Like legit amazing. She cantered right off for the kid (freaking ponies...) and then they jumped around the little course. I haven't jumped her in forever and she didn't bat an eye at anything. Just picked up the canter and went right around. Cutest thing I've ever seen! 

Of course, when I rode her today, she tripped and fell on her face again. I stayed on though. SO glad that didn't happen with the child. I thought we had fixed that particular issue, but I guess not? She was especially belligerent with me prior to that happening (though quite good afterwards) so I can't help but wonder if it's just an attentional problem. Every time it's happened it's when she's trying to drag me through a transition. I think she gets so focused on not doing what's asked she just loses track of her own feet. 

Also, this NEVER happens at this barn... but when I hopped on friend's horse, the barn owner/trainer (she was teaching the lesson) had me join in and I got to jump some fences. SUPER fun! I wasn't a total weenie and he was really fun to ride. I hope maybe it will happen again some time. Not likely, but you never know! Especially now that I'll be around when the juniors aren't. I feel like some of the rules are more lax without the kids around. We shall see!

THIS GUY has been a superstar. Since Pammon couldn't do the weekend lesson, I did it on Eros this week. We rode in an earlier class with an amateur that only jumps itty bitty (she actually owns the horse I got to ride yesterday, my other friend half leases him from her). It was the perfect class for Eros' second time jumping. We did some single fences and then strung together half a course to finish. AND I got video!

He was exceptionally perfect even if we looked like this trying to stop at the end:

He just gets really excited, okay?! I don't hold it against him. We tried out the leather pelham for the first time and (victory gallop aside...) I think it will be a nice bit for him to jump in. He's willing to come into it on the flat and give me great work, plus it has that little extra leverage (and curb chain action) for when he starts to get excited after the fences. I did him again in our flat lesson night. He was fabulous, and we even jumped some little jumps at the end. He was wonderful. There was a line of crossrails set up that was set at a normal 5 strides. Since the jumps were small the six was our "normal" stride number but we also worked on getting the seven going back and forth to really make sure the adjustability was there. Once we strung some fences together into a course, he did get a little strong, but totally rideable. I'm SO excited to really get him going for this summer!

And now you're all caught up on the past week! We have a service fee attached to the cost of board that we can put toward lessons or other services. Since over the last couple of years I've been boarding horses that couldn't lesson, I have MANY lesson cards purchased that need using. So with all this new found free time, I'm hoping to get a bunch of lessons in on all of the horses before it's time to move home for summer. So excited for that, and hopefully will make for some fun content here. 

Have you ever offered your horse up for a lesson kid? How did it go?