Well.... progress and then a standstill

 Today was supposed to be XC schooling in Aiken but the other 9 riders bailed, so... Jacel opted to just school XC at Ashland. Which, with this heat and humidity, probably a better call than hauling for 4 hours. And it worked out well because I ended up getting someone to come spray my pastures for army worms today vs Mon or Tues, so.. hopefully this will save my pastures! Especially since it was not cheap. Sigh. But because I was at Ashland I was able to meet him and lock ponies up while he sprayed. 

So, we met up and rode with Julia and Laura. Yay! I hadn't ridden with Laura in eons it felt like. And we rode at 10, so... still hot but maybe not as humid? I don't know... regardless we were all literally dripping sweat and puffing. Laura couldn't even wear her glasses they kept fogging up and then she said "I think even my eyeballs are fogging up". Hee hee. It was bad. But like... it's been bad. I'm so over it. And now I've got a migraine from it. I've already had at least 3 bottles of water and now chugging the electrolyte water. Plus a dr pepper. Sigh.

Anyways... Jacel had just done a clinic with Karen O'Connor, so she was all fired up. We all warmed up briefly and Lyric had fun doing her big canter. No bucking! Yay! So then Jacel had us jump the small log from a trot, land in a canter, and then stop before we ran her over. And it was only about 3 strides from the jump. Eeeks! The first time we wiggled and squirmed and went sideways and past her before we stopped because I collapsed. So the next time I sat up and used my core and wide hands and it was better. So we played with this.. jumping and then two strides of canter and then trot. Then we added a second jump and she let us trot the first one... land in canter... canter away... then trot... then canter... then trot.. then canter the next jump, land in canter, and then come down to a trot. It was about ridability. And straightness. And sure enough, they all got more ridable. She explained that for some of our horses, we need to tell them what the plan is and show them we're in charge. We need to tell them what to do! And then they start listening. Ahhhhh. :) The second jump we had was the BN cabin and Lyric stopped at it the first time. Because she cantered up so nice to it and I forgot... I forgot that she likes me to sit and support with my seat. And I just sort of perched up there nicely because it was so nice. Nope. Not gonna work! So I sat the next time and she was fine. Not driving... but sitting well enough that she knows I am there without chasing or driving. 

So then we moved on to the water. She had us trot in and then trot out over the log with the pine straw at the base. Lyric ALMOST went but didn't. She looked at it and processed it and then jumped it the second time. Then we cantered around to the BN coop and she stopped at that. Sigh... This is getting irritating. I thought I was sitting but I wasn't being supportive enough I guess. So we came again and this time she jumped it but it was awkward. Then we carried on to the triple stack of logs and again, she stopped. Jacel told me to not let it get in my head. She was processing. And... this time, she wasn't going backwards. She wasn't bolting at them and panicking. She was just.... emotional and learning and it was getting better. She reminded me that once we "got it".... we were going to be unstoppable. It was just going to take a bit longer to get there because she could read me. I had to "fake it" and pretend I was being brave so that Lyric could be brave. So we came again and this time she jumped them all. And she jumped them well. I joked that she should be a hunter so she could have a practice round... or do an exhibition like the barrel racers. *This one doesn't count!*. Because typically, once she's seen it once, she's better. Sigh.. baby steps, Holly, baby steps. And of course, I was praising her and telling her how brave she was. And she was. Because those were some big fences and she only stopped once. Well, maybe twice at the big coop but that was a big coop!

Then we headed to the ditches and she had us trot up the ditch, bending line to the cabin/bench/rolltop thing, then circle around to the hogsback thing, then to a trot down the bank. Laura went first and Smartie was squirrely. Then Julia went and had a stop at the bench. So then we went and while Lyric was a little wiggly, she jumped them all. Whooo hooo!! We did it a second time and she was super smooth. Okay... feeling a bit better now! 

So then we were about done as they were all puffing and hot and sweaty. And Lyric was panting way faster than Smartie but Laura reminded me that Smarty had been in work all summer and Lyric had those two months off. And then another 2 weeks for Ireland. Yep.. you're right. Plus, I haven't been able to trail ride her every ride too like I always did with Dan. So they did the coop to fake trakehner to coop and they both were awesome. Then Jacel told me to do the smaller roll top.. to the bigger rolltop.... then on to the BN cabin we had already done and then up to the top of the hill and to do the ramp, which was on the BN course. Eeeks, but okay. She told me to be brave and believe.

So we went off and she jumped the little roll top game and out of stride. I told her that if we jumped them all the first try we would be done and could go get hosed off. She picked up a bigger, bolder canter and cantered on. I did bring her back a hair to the second/bigger roll top because I knew if she got too big, she would scare herself (Jacel confirmed later). And she jumped it right out of stride!! It was awesome! Whooo hooo. Then of course she celebrated and got a big ol' canter again. So after a few strides I started to collect her so that we could go to the cabin and suddenly she threw her left shoulder in and then suddenly she was really really lame. No!!! I pulled her up. Poor girl had stepped on her left front shoe and pulled it half off and stepped on the clip. Ughhhhhh.... We were just starting to have fun and be brave! I hopped off and pulled it and there was a little bit of blood. Dammit. She was super sore so we hobbled back to the trailer. At this point the bug people had called and said they were on their way (eeeks) so I rinsed her enough to get her clean and then a hair longer to help her cool down, but didn't linger like I had wanted. Then I loaded her up and figured I would wrap her foot at home and clean tack at home. I didn't want the guy to try to start spraying with the horses out. We beat him there and they were all in stalls because of the heat anyways, so I closed them in and then he showed up. Perfect timing. 

After I got him started I pulled Lyric back out and wrapped her foot. I couldn't find where she had stepped on the clip anymore, unless it was just in the white line, so I put some pen G in it and wrapped it and told her how proud of her I was. Because I was. She really is trying. Hard. And she was going well when I went well. We've just got to start to trust each other a hair more. And we will. We were. 

Good pony. I'm praying she won't get an abscess and throw off my plans. Sigh... because I've got all my eggs in her basket currently. Sigh. poor girl.