lazy days

Little Miss Pony was a lazy gal today. It was hot though, so certainly a forgiveable offense. We did some light WTC, then a little bit of walking and trotting bareback.

she's a star

Pearly-girl was so, so good this evening! It was one of those days where I just smiled the whole drive home. I got to the barn right as the horses were being brought in for the night. The barn owner said she was antsy staying in turnout the first few days, but that she had seemed fine whenever he checked on her today, which I am very pleased about. We rode in the outdoor again. It took us an extra try to mount again, but with less teeny-circling than last time, and lots of withers scritches once she stood still for me to get on. There was zero jig-jogging or wanting to rush into trot, so we just took 10 minutes of walking on the buckle. She called to the other horses once during the beginning and that was it. I think the extended turnout is going to be a great thing for her, and she already seems quieter.

Our trot work also felt much more balanced and not rushing. I was able to keep her on a looser rein more of the time, and she seemed to enjoy the stretch. We trotted both directions, focusing on staying straight down the long sides, not getting quicker going home, and using our corners. We took a nice walk break (mostly for my unfit-self's sake) and then picked up the canter, right lead first. She was a bit sticky picking it up at first but opened up. We started on a circle and then moved out to using the whole arena. She picked up some speed but didn't go tanking off, which was nice. She was equally good in the other direction. We ended by trying to video while trotting, which turned into a video while cantering, so I put the camera away and let her trot on a nice loose rein for a couple minutes, then walked her out. I handgrazed her by the road for a bit, and she was so much calmer than she was doing the same on Friday.
Pearly-girl was so, so good this evening! It was one of those days where I just smiled the whole drive home. I got to the barn right as the horses were being brought in for the night. The barn owner said she was antsy staying in turnout the first few days, but that she had seemed fine whenever he checked on her today, which I am very pleased about. We rode in the outdoor again. It took us an extra try to mount again, but with less teeny-circling than last time, and lots of withers scritches once she stood still for me to get on. There was zero jig-jogging or wanting to rush into trot, so we just took 10 minutes of walking on the buckle. She called to the other horses once during the beginning and that was it. I think the extended turnout is going to be a great thing for her, and she already seems quieter. 
Our trot work also felt much more balanced and not rushing. I was able to keep her on a looser rein more of the time, and she seemed to enjoy the stretch. We trotted both directions, focusing on staying straight down the long sides, not getting quicker going home, and using our corners. We took a nice walk break (mostly for my unfit-self's sake) and then picked up the canter, right lead first. She was a bit sticky picking it up at first but opened up. We started on a circle and then moved out to using the whole arena. She picked up some speed but didn't go tanking off, which was nice. She was equally good in the other direction. We ended by trying to video while trotting, which turned into a video while cantering, so I put the camera away and let her trot on a nice loose rein for a couple minutes, then walked her out. I handgrazed her by the road for a bit, and she was so much calmer than she was doing the same on Friday.
Walking shot--the mosquitoes were very bad and she tends to do a headtossing thing at the slightest provocation anyways, so I stuck the flynet on her and she was great.




Self-timer fail

Trying to get a standing shot after--damn horse keeps following me :)

I also took a horrible faraway video, courtesy of the fence, and will post it after I splice out the out-of-frame bits.

first time outside

On Sunday, I rode in the outdoor arena for the first time. I handwalked her once around each way just as a precaution--there is a big tree in the middle of one end and I wasn't sure if she'd react to it. She was a star and so I hopped up. Thing to work on: standing for the mounting block. She likes to swing her butt away from it or back up once she knows you're committed to stepping up onto the block. I had her go in a bunch of little circles, and then she stood for the block on the second try. She wanted to move right out into a trot, but that was obviously not allowed. We did more "if you try to start trotting, you will go in a small circle" and after almost ten minutes we had made it calmly around each way. I love her natural willingness to go forward and don't want to discourage it too much, but I really do want her to get a good walk warmup before we move on to trotting. 


Trotting felt quite rushy as well, so we did lots more circles and changes of direction. She was also very chatty with the horses in our barn and the horses in the neighboring pasture that belong to another barn, but not as bad as on Friday. She was better about keeping moving while calling rather than telescoping her neck up and sticking her head in my lap, so I just made sure she was moving and ignored the yelling. We took a few walk breaks interspersed with our trotting, and once we were able to go from walking up to a nice calm trotting without having to take a lap or two to slow down, we picked up the canter. We went left first, as that's her better direction. She was pretty chilled by then, and we had pretty much no problems. I kept us on a midsized circle just in case we were overtaken by the omg-cantering-outside-happies, but we were very drama-free both directions and so we called it a day. We walked around on a loose rein for 10-15 minutes, then I gave her a shower and put her back in her paddock (whereupon she immediately rolled, of course).
Coming over to say hello


She thinks this whole crosstie business is a waste of time

Having a good roll to get the clean off

first ride

I went out to see the pretty girl the next day, Friday. The turnout situation at our barn is thusly: she is the only mare and there are 8 geldings, so we decided it would be in everyone's best interest to put her out separately from the boys. However, they only use one pasture at a time and rotate out the rest. So, after the boys go out to the pasture, she'll be put out on the separately-fenced mud lot that leads to the pasture. The only catch is that the boys can't go out on the pasture when it's been raining hard, so they then get the mud lot and she stays in. Not a bad situation at all compared to other barns in the area, and she doesn't mind being in. So, since it had poured Weds and Thurs the pasture was closed Friday. BO had very kindly put her in the indoor arena for a bit, and said she'd had a nice trot around that morning.

Since she'd already been turned out in the indoor a couple times and hadn't even seen the outdoor yet, I decided to work her in there. We started out with a walk on a nice loose rein. She is quite a forward horse under saddle and wanted to go-go-go as soon as we set out. Considering the weather and the fact that she'd been on a trailer 8 hours the day before, I wanted her to take a good long warmup before we started working, so we made lots of nice big circles and changes of direction until we could walk calmly on a longish rein--about 15 minutes. We started out trot work to the left, her better side. We started out awfully rushy, I hadn't ridden since school ended (late May) and I'd forgotten she can be a big mover when she wants to be. We did lots more circles to work on our rhythm. The trick is not to make the circles too small, or she will fall to the inside and get quick, but to keep them small enough that she has to keep thinking rather than just rushing.

Since I'm so incredibly out of shape, we took more walk breaks than I'd have liked, and each time we started back up again we'd have to find our easy rhythm again. Trotting right was uneventful, and we had just turned back left and were getting ready to canter when her head started to creep into my lap. I figured she was just making things up until I realized that the boys were being brought in for dinner. Every time the BO would go into the paddock to get one her head would shoot up and she'd want to stop and spin in circles. So, we abandoned our canter plans and just focused on staying nice and straight and not letting our brains leak out our ears. Once we got a good lap of trot either direction we called it a day. The boys were all in by the time we started cooling down, so we just took 10-15 minutes to walk around on the buckle. I did some stretchy arm/leg thingies while we walked, and took pictures of the pretty princess, of course.

Then hopped down

Untacked

Gave her a quick shower

And gave her lots of kisses and put her home. Not a "perfect" ride, but we worked through what we needed to work through. To work on for next time: really working to slow her trot with my post (hard since I've lost all my strength since I last rode).

Pearl's journey home

Pearl is a 19-year-old Trakehner mare that I have, through some ridiculously fortunate set of circumstances, been lucky enough to bring home on lease for the summer. All the history I know: She came to the barn at school last summer--July or August I guess-- and has been used for lessons this year. Before that, she used to either event or do the jumpers...maybe both. She's had a couple babies, the last one being two years previous, I believe. Aside from being absolutely the most gorgeous horse I've ever seen, she is smart, kind, athletic, and has probably forgotten more than I'll ever know.

Of course we had to stop by the barn on our way in Wednesday night


We got to the barn around 5 (home time)


Got her all suited up


She hopped in the trailer without hesitation


And then we were off


She was calm and quiet the whole way and not even impatient at rest stops


We were lucky weather-wise because we passed through a nice rainstorm before it got a chance to get too hot. Then when we got near the barn, it cleared right up


We unloaded


And gave her a chance to stretch her legs

And then put her in her new house so she could eat.


She loves her gate


And her window


And she was totally chill about drinking the new water. After she had a rest, I gave her a sponge bath


And then we went out for grass.

the Rebel

I don't give it near enough use as I should.

Tip, thrilled that I am home and she can once again sleep on my bed

And Pearl, the reason I come back to school

roll 4

The 35 mm lens, mostly Pearly girl with some snow and spring thrown in. Decided to try a roll of AGFA that's been banging around my camera bag for who knows how many years.

 Sunset from my window

Walking to the car for my lesson

The frozen pond at the barn

Pearl, post-lunging

Lovely Trakehner face

Nosy girl

Wondering why I am not currying her and/or plying her with peppermints

 Pure beauty (and some untrimmed whiskers)

Nothing like some protein after a hard lesson

Noisy squirrel outside our window

Somewhere in Michiana on the way home

roll 3

Testing out the wide-angle lens, plus some fun with long exposures at night

The beautiful Pearl :)

View form my window with a 19mm lens

Tree, several seconds' exposure

Good thing the streets are not too busy at night

Roomie love

I believe that blur is a snowflake