It turns out that Friday lessons will have to begin next Friday, so when we got out to the barn yesterday we had to decide if I was willing to haul horses out to the fairgrounds even though coach A. wasn't going to be joining us (she's still really sick!). Curly needs to get back into some routine, plus our friend L. was planning on meeting us to see a lesson....so that cinched it, and we loaded up the horses.
We've taken Curly out only one other time without A's supervision, when we traveled up to Dayton for my birthday fun. So I felt a little like a teenager getting to do something "grownup" for the first time - excited, but also a tiny bit apprehensive, realizing that I had to be the "responsible" one. Curly didn't help smooth the situation either - he was fidgety and breathing hard while just standing next to the trailer!
Since we only have one adult size saddle, we could tack up only one horse at a time. Curly was first...and did surprisingly well. E. was very nervous about riding him since he has been displaying so much spirit lately. But he listened to her cues, and by the end of her short ride (30 minutes) he had calmed down to a very respectable level.
Then we transferred the saddle and saddle pad over to Q. While E. had been riding, I had been instructing L. about how to lead a horse ("Remember, you're the one in control! You decide where you are going, not the horse!") and other safety details. She started out hesitant but was getting the hang of how to communicate what she wanted by the time E. was ready to put the saddle on. Since this was L's first time up on Q, and coach A. wasn't there, we decided to err on the side of safety and lead Q and L. around the arena. E. walked them around 3 times, then I took the lead and jogged them another time or two. I was breathing heavy by the time she got off, but it was worth it to see the big smile on L's face.
L. is hooked....her mom is wondering what they are getting into.....
No comments:
Post a Comment