All We Need

All we need is the pony!

Little Ideas

So I've ridden a few times since the clinic. My horse is feeling awesome - I feel like our big break from riding and being partners didn't even happen. It's like she's matured and grown up some how over the last couple of years.

She looks very different to how she used to look. I use timehop (an app that brings up social media posts and photos from this date in the past) and some old pics of her popped up the other day and it just struck me how different she is. Even just 3 years ago she looked like a rangy young thing compared to now, and she was in full work then, too.

Our first lesson with Ann about 3 years ago. LOL

Als just before I had Evie, so maybe about 6 months ago? In no work and looking FINE.

She could totally smash a prelim test right now I think, if I had a dressage saddle that fit her and if I had white jods and a jacket that fit me and if my tall boots weren't trashed and if I could get her there with a car that didn't have a gearbox that was about to blow up and if I had a current EFA membership and I could fix all this if I was working at the moment. But my whoops baby kinda put a stop to the whole making money thing so what do you do in this situation?

You dream. Ah well.

But maybe, just maybe... My dad is retiring and he is giving each of his daughters a little bit of money so maybe I can fix the truck and buy the clothes and boots and membership and fit the saddle with that?

Maybe. I hope so! Would love to get her to a comp in the next 6 months or so.

I did some horsey shit.

No, really, I did!!

No photos so this is going to be really boring but Linda ran her very first clinic and I attended. It was awesome.

We ran through some basic exercises, like "stop your feet, give me your head" (or one rein stop), which is where you hold the reins on the buckle, then lift one hand straight up and take the rein with the other hand by sliding halfway down, and bringing your hand to your hip. Then, waiting until the horses are stops moving her feet and gives you the rein, then just drop the rein.

We also yielded hindquarters, played with side passing, rein back, that kinda thing. Then, in the afternoon, she set up a working equitation course and we played around with all the different phases and then out it all together. There was slalem poles, small jumps, poles making an L shape to rein back through (around the corner), poles to six pass over, a very small clover leaf barrels pattern, and a big giant tarp to trot over.

Oh man, I had so much fun.

My husband had Evie all day but she won't take a bottle so the poor bloke had to drive her to me every 3 hours for a feed, but he said it wasn't too much if a pain in the arse. So I was able to concentrate and enjoy the day.

Allie was a gem. Linda has done all the basic exersices with her before, a couple of years ago when I had Allie in training with her. So it was a bit of a refresher course for her, and I got a lot out of it because if that. The only thing was Als would get a bit frazzled if I asked for too much at once. So the rein back was one step at a time, as was the side pass. She was great with the one rein stop, we did it from walk, trot and even canter!

I didn't manage to ride again until today, a whole week later. But she was good (even though I today in the dark). She remembered it all and I can't wait to get on again.