Winter Music

Oh what a glorious day!! I got in a ride this morning, and while it was still hot, there was a lovely breeze and it wasn't quite so humid. We had a good ride too! She was sound! Whoo hooo. Patrick put her shoe back on yesterday and added some glue to help it stay on. I was a little worried she was going to be tender.    We walked in hand up to the arena and did some turn on the forehands - non-claustrophobic style. :) In other words, I encouraged her to put her haunches slightly out. Then we jogged a circle or two and I got on. We started with shoulder in at the walk, which is really really hard tracking left. That right shoulder just wants to jut out and her neck wants to crank in. Trying to keep her more straight in her body is harder. Then we practiced our small walk to a big swingy free walk (but not nose to the ground) walk and back to the small walk. Then we did some trotting. I had placed four poles on the ground and had measured her front foot to back foot and placed t...

Today was jump lesson day. I opted to ride Funny alone earlier and then brought Lyric to the grid lesson with Laura and Julia. It worked out well as Smarty hadn't jumped in two months and Player hadn't done a ton. I don't remember the last time Lyric and I had jumped so it was great to get back at it.  I didn't have any time to hack before but she was good about me just getting on. We walked and chatted a bit first anyways and then warmed up. I let her long trot around and then picked her up and we go tto work. She felt good and Jacel said she looked good. Yay! We started out with some low small grids that was a bunch of one strides. And Lyric handled it great. We built up to multiple jumps but she used to not be able to handle that kind of grid work. She was great! I was not. Ha! After riding Funny.... holy cow that's a dramatic change between horses! Funny was a runaway train... Lyric is more of a push ride. I had to allow the trot but then squeeze at the base of ...

Happy Sunday! I had double lessons with Kelly. And Caroline is nice and let us ride in the covered to avoid the heat. Mostly for Kelly's sake but I love that we benefit too! I was doing to be cutting it close and debating parking at the gray barn to save time but I love the nice warm up hack to the covered. Plus then it's easier to hose them off afterwards. I ended up having just enough time that I figured it was worth parking in the regular parking area and hacking up. She would be less fussy too as that's her normal routine. So we did and we made it to our lesson on time. It's a nice hack there, up the hill.    We had a great lesson. We started off with a nice stretchy loose rein trot and Kelly said she looked great! I told her about her hind end falling out some but that it felt more like weakness and stifles catching to me and she agreed. My plan is to take a month (once I get back from the cruise) and do some fitness - hills, bodywork, poles, equiband - and then de...

  Oh yay!! It feels like it's been forever!   I volunteered at the Ashland show this morning.. just from 8:30 to 10:30, which wasn't bad. It was nice and overcast really. Great time to ride, but.. alas. The sun had come out by the time I got home but oh well.    I ended up taking Lyric out to Ashland and we met Kelli and Marvin. We went on a nice hour long trail ride. Lyric was putzy but Marvin always is, so it worked out well. She didn't seem sore.. just... I don't know.. lazy. She hasn't been ridden in forever and other than her lunge the other day, no work as she's been so foot sore. So I was expecting ... I don't know, potentially some antics. But she literally walked lazily on the buckle the entire time. Good girl!   We did finish up at the arenas and since the show was over, I went in and played a bit. She felt pretty good. Weak... and definitely lost the left hind (I believe) hard once. She feels a bit crooked... like she's falling hard to the lef...

 lunged after lesson.  MOSTLY sound... maybe left hind now? Stifle sticky? seems almost like she was mad at it but... that was like a three minute tantrum! ha ha.. gosh, that's gonna be fun to ride saturday. ;)  photos: tantrums videos: spoon and lunging

 

 Ugh.. lame So tired... patrick was coming at noonish... so I knew I needed to get up and ride. Ashlands' arena's were closed, but honestly I was too tired anyways. I tried to sleep in. didn't care anymore. then fed and took care of ponies, had a bowl of cereal, and then cleaned up barn for patrick. had to move the tractor. then finally was able to get on. Definitely NOT enough time to go to ashland anyways. Got tacked up at about 10:45... got on and then immediately got a text from Erin saying Patrick was leaving her farm but had my hay bale (he was there first so I had him grab my bale of hay). Of course.... Then got a text from Patrick saying ETA 11:15. Okay.. that's NOT NOON! ha ha. oh well. So... i figured we could walk around for 18 minutes or so and still have time. Maybe look for Dan's shoe.  Then Dan and Funny came whizzing by and Yay.. dan was trotting... but then Lyric got excited and almost dumped me. Twice. So then I decided we should go in the arena. s...

 Rode at home. So hot. Very good girl. got quite nice after we cantered, so.. maybe canter earlier. quick ride because hot and sweaty but good girl. ears much more consistently even!

  Oh Lyric!! Girl.... keep your panties on! ha ha.   I opted to take Lyric for my lesson today. Kelly could only teach me on one horse, so..I figured it was probably worth getting her take on the saddle and to get help with Lyric since Funny and I were still working on our homework. I almost instantly regretted it though. ha ha. She was in raging heat and saw some other horse that she didn't even know was there til it walked away, walk away, and danced around on the lead rope while still tied to the trailer. Screaming the whole time too! Then I managed to get her tacked up and went to the arena to warm up and she was distracted but functioning. And then Kelly came down... and then Prairie and Caroline walked by on their geldings and Lyric lost it! Screaming... spinning.... threatening to rear! Oh girl.... get it together!   So... Kelly put us to work quickly. She had me trot and then do a 20 meter circle, then spiral down to a 15 meter circle, then a 10 meter circle... an...