Thoroughbred Logic Clinic

 Today was one of Aubrey's thoroughbred logic clinics she puts on. And we could finally go!! Because we now trailer!!!

I opted to just go for our ride and not stay the whole day mostly because I wanted to ride Dan and had so many things to do at the farm. None of which really got done, but oh well. I did get breakfast with Mike and then we tried to fix the manure spreader but couldn't and apparently busted the tractor in the process. Sigh. I think it's the battery. And I did pull out all their fly gear and get it all rinsed off and hung to dry. And scrubbed and filled the water trough.  And I did ride Dan. Who went lame. Sadness... And then I had lunch and thought I'd go ahead and head to Aubreys and be a little early and hang out. Good thing though because I forgot I had to get gas! 

 

So I grabbed Lyric and headed to the trailer. And she loaded right up! And stood calmly. Good girl!! So off we went. And then I managed to find a Kroger and got diesel for $3.29/gallon thanks to 50 cents off a gallon. She was being good so I went to talk to her through the window and told her she was a good girl. I walked away to go back to the pump and she neighed at me!!! Awwww... my heart!

We got to Aubreys and I was struggling trying to get my rig parked because of how everyone else was parked. Luckily some sweet sir offered to help and just backed her right in for me. Awesome. I unloaded Lyric but unfortunately had to tie her kind of close to a car, but thankfully she did NOT smash the car despite a little bit of dancing. The pig was rambling around and there was a lot of cars and lots of people and then horses in the arena. So it was acceptable that she was nervous and dancy. Man her veins were a poppin! But we managed to get tacked up and even got the bridle on although I almost wasn't tall enough! We headed to the barn and she was all bright eyed and on her tippy toes. Then she got a little jumpy walking through the aisle but we managed to get out and down the hill toward the arena. And then we just sat in that little section waiting. We had like 10 minutes til our ride time which was great... cause she could look and breathe. Except... they were running way behind so there was another girl ahead of me. Whoops! Oh well. Aubrey offered to give me a stall but I figured by the time I untacked and retacked... meh, it was just easier to just stand there and watch and let Lyric breathe. She made friends with Birdie over the gate and then was watching the others and munching grass. It was good. She was rattled at first but then settled quickly. So then the girl had just a little bit left and Aubrey told me to come in. I went in and since I had already walked a circle or two in the arena while the girl before me was getting in there and on, I just.. hopped on. Especially since she had chilled. And we went to walk around and.... She got all upset!! She got really tall and jumpy and was snorting and blowing..... at the barrel jump. Um darling... that's been in there the hole time... did you not see it while you were staring out?!? Guess not. She was really rattled and I didn't want to mess up the other girl as she was struggling with her right lead canter, so I hopped off real quick. And then we tried to go see it. It took a few seconds to get her moving again and we had to circle it... gradually shrinking our circle. I finally got her close enough that I could touch it and then sat on it. And then she was like "oh.... okay, maybe I feel a little stupid now". ha ha. Good girl. So then the other girl was done so Aubrey told me to go ahead and walk her around the flags too and the green roll top set against the rail. She didn't mind the flags but was a little wary of the green roll top. So I got on and she was fine. We just went wide around the barrels at first but then she didn't care. She's smart!

 

We worked on our trot and Aubrey had me ask for a little more forward and shorter reins. (Ha! I expected as much). She had me open my outside rein a little and bring my elbow back and out... almost like I was going to elbow someone crowding me on an elevator. And keep the contact. Then use my inside calf/leg every time I sat in the post, and then open the inside rein to the inside (wide, not crossing the neck) and lift it a little. So... wide hands (Silly wide, but we don't care). This helped her keep her shoulders up and stay more into the outside rein. And towards the end she started using her hind end and reaching for the contact. Yay!

So then we cantered. And it wasn't that bad. She ran into the right lead a tiny bit but got it. Aubrey had me do the same thing in the canter as I did in the trot and her canter got kind of really nice! She ran into the left lead a bit longer and faster, but she did get it and it wasn't terrible. She's definitely not as balanced that way but our canter did still get kind of nice. And Aubrey was pleased with my posting in and out of transitions so yay for doing my homework. I've just got to make my hands cooperate and my upper body stay upright. That was the other thing... as Lyric started to use her hind end, it got hard, so she wanted to collapse onto the forehand. And she would take me with her. But if I stayed upright, I could help support her and she would stay more upright and on her hiney. Cool!

So then Aubrey set up a cross rail and told us to trot it. I mentioned how we had tried cantering one and it was too much and she agreed. She said that until Lyric was more balanced and capable of pushing off the hind end that I needed to stick to trotting jumps. I concur. :) So we trotted the cross rail twice and she was good. Then Aubrey pulled the 3 jump grid down to poles on the ground with a single cross rail starting. And we trotted that and it was fine. Then she did the last jump as a cross rail and it was fine too! So then she set the poles up as alternating raised poles and made the last jump a little bigger I think. And Lyric stopped at the jump. Whoops! Aubrey said she figured she would try something. So I came back to it with both hands wide and legs on. Not chasing her and not over-riding so she didn't have a choice, but encouraging her to make a good choice. And she did. She jumped it. So then we did it another time or two and then Aubrey set up the second and first jump. Still little baby cross rails, but... we did our first grid! The first two or three times through he she sort of stumbled and just trotted over them. I didn't really put my leg on til the final jump and then she sort of squirted over that one. So the last two times I added leg (politely) at the beginning and maintained throughout and it was much smoother. We finished with a fairly nice run through and called it quits. Yay! Good girl. Laura, her breeder, was there and watched and said she was looking good! And Aubrey said she was a smart girl. I agree. :) 

 

So then we had to walk through the crowd of people at the top of the hill to get into the barn. We were the last ride so everyone went up there for shade and drinks. She was brave though and we got untacked and then I took her to the washrack for a rinse. She was good but a bit dancy. Laura came and talked with us and mentioned that she was such a big baby... 150 lbs... that her delivery was a bit rough so her husband (or someone) had to carry Lyric from the pasture to the barn!! Ha ha! They did the madigan squeeze on her although they said she wasn't really a dummy foal... they just did it cause she was so big and her birth was a little tough. She also mentioned that her momma, Winter Cat, was quite the handful so she took extra precautions with Lyric. But that none of Winter Cat's other babies (or Lyric, who was the first) ever proved to have the same spice their momma did. Phew. ;) She said too that when Lyric was a baby and they were taking Winter Cat to be bred that she wouldn't load. So they had to load Lyric to bribe mom in and then run Lyric off the trailer as soon as momma was in. Ha ha. So no excuses little girl! While we were talking Lyric got impatient and was literally tap dancing and snorting and blowing her nose in the washrack. For like 10 minutes. We were laughing at her little temper tantrum. Laura said that she could totally escape or break out if she wanted too and she thinks Lyric knew that too... she didn't really want to but she wanted us to know how unfair life was. I tried to wait til she settled for more than a few seconds but she would only chill for about 10 seconds and I was hungry and ready to go home so once she did, I unhooked her. And then she was fine and led politely and calmly back to the trailer. 

Laura followed us out there so we had an audience for loading. Doh! And the trailer behind us was loading three horses too so Lyric got all upset again. She danced and came sideways almost on top of me but never did get me. She did get the whip smacked at her a few times though. And she was tapdancing away. ha ha. Oh man... I've got Laura watching me!! Come on girl! But honestly, she only had her tantrum for about 3 or 4 minutes and then she went on. She kind of ran on, but... once she got on, she stood calm and chill. So... I'll take it! I put her butt bar up and she was happy as a clam in there with the good hay. I even left her to go say goodbye to Aubrey and everyone and she was quiet. Good!!

So yay! Good girl!