It was a very warm 98 degrees this afternoon when we went out to the barn. Sweat was dripping down my face and back before I had even half-way groomed Curly. It felt like summer was making one last stand before the coolness of autumn takes over.
We took some time off from horsey activities this past week. I needed to re-energize after the fair, and I think E did too. Today was our first trip back out to the barns since last Monday. I'm not sure if the boys were happy to see us, but I was definitely delighted to be with them!
I spent my hour with Curly making his coat shiny and clean and then working with him in the round pen. E tacked up Monte with her Western saddle and headed out to the the arena to practice riding with one hand. She's gotten into the habit of riding with two lately - not at all acceptable in Western classes!
About 15 minutes into Curly's workout I heard E shouting "Whoa!" over and over. By the time I figured out it was her and got myself turned around, she and Monte were standing in one corner of their arena. After heading over to make sure she was all right (she was -although she was upset and crying) I found out that he had bolted for no apparent reason and it had almost unseated her. Luckily, she stayed on and was able to stop him.
I encouraged her to practice her disengagement exercises (move front legs, back legs, side pass, flex neck, etc.) to regain his attention, and then to continue riding. It was imperative that she regain her control and confidence, as well as practice some patience. All hard things for her to do while her heart was pounding a mile a minute.
But she did it.
E says that he wasn't perfect after his little episode, but was acceptable.
Our barn manager commented that as long as E kept her seat and then made him work after his naughtiness then all was good. And she is actually quite surprised that he isn't naughty more often given that he was a stud.
Helps me remember that Monte really is a good boy...and even good boys cut loose every once in a while.
