Good lesson with a side of beef
Melanie
was closed and most likely will remain closed until the rest of the footing
comes in *sigh*. I looked at the far end of the barn, and demon steer was
happily staked out to mow the grass. To add to the fun, there was a lovely
wind blowing and, if it wasn't blowing, the air was full of every flying
insect known to man and I had an Albion on trial.
My first move was to feed Arab boy to the steer. He arched his neck and had
his feet in position to mooooove if the beast flashed his pearly fangs. I
just stood there and let him chill out and decide if the black and white
beast was friend or foe. Said beast approached him and took a taste of horse
flesh to see if this specimine would be good eating and Fire maintained his
head. Then the man about the place placated the beast with a fresh bucket of
water and that was the end of that session. Fire did get a moo in his
general direction which he didn't seem to mind.
My instructor asked me how I felt about riding in the outdoor because she
guess the whole idea would scare me a bit since I'm a big chicken about new
things and places. I did request we longe him first to let him see the sites
and work out any silliness (and I wanted to see if the footing was a
wretched as I remember). I got the lecture about how if I'm okay with
things, he will be too but I'd rather I see his frame of mind to begin with.
Well, anything in the middle of the arena was an injury waiting to happen as
it was deep pine bark that had grass growing on top of it and mud
underneathe. An out out control horse could catch a patch of grass and trip,
hit the bark mud mixture and slip, or any combination of horrible things.
The worn outer path was just packed dirt and fine for riding on. He was a
bit looky on the longe but nothing that wasn't expected for a horse in a new
place and I kept him out of the deeper footing as much as I could. With
every step he kicked up more and more bugs until I thought I was going to go
insane with things flying in my face but he maintained composure. Then I got
on and we just walked around the arena and through the deadly dark mud spot
at one corner. The point was to breathe and make sure he was paying
attention in the arena in both directions. He felt forward and a bit
distracted be he kept himself together. Then we trotted and worked on
changes of direction, leg yielding, SI, HI, and keeping him straight when he
was supposed to be. Was any of it perfect? Not even close to being perfect
but he was a very good boy and tried to do his best at whatever I was asking
and didn't get his tail in a twist about mistakes. There were a few moments
of getting it here and there and a few moments where he got other ideas but
I was pleased with him. I hadn't intended on asking for canter during this
lesson since I felt so nervous about everything but my instructor asked if I
wanted to give it a try and I consented to a good transition with a few
steps of canter. Except what he gave me was one of his few moments of
brilliance. He rounded his back and really stepped under himself so my
instructor told me to keep him going since it was so very good on his part.
If he's going to give it, why not go with it? We ended with a few circles of
sitting trot for torture purposes and walked him back to the barn. On the
way, he saw the man about the place and froze with his ears up until the guy
spoke to him. Then we rounded the corner and vampire steer was there. My
instructor said she could see him shaking so she had me get off and she
walked him over for another meet and greet with him. Somehow, someway, this
horse is going to learn cows are for chasing (I think he would like the
mental aspects of outsmarting a bovine) or being friends.
We ended with lots of pats and quick hose down to get the sweat off. As far
as the saddle goes, it fits him nicely after two rides but I just don't know
if I want to spend the money or not. The flaps are a bit long for me but
that's a problem on just about any saddle that wouldn't be custom made for a
short person (okay I found one custom one but the stirrup bars weren't
recessed...*OUCH*). The seat is probably a 1/2 size too big which isn't
really a huge deal. I noticed a weird half circle dent just behind his
withers that could be fixed with my Supracore pad but for what they want for
the saddle $1300 used, I'm not sure I should settle for less that perfect.
Melanie
Princess Pony
Blonde Ambition