Into the arena

Me and my pony....don't you just love R's pink helmet!

Photos courtesy of R....

So today I finally made it out of the round pen. After R and I worked with her on the ground first, I saddled Zoe up and made sure she was responding to my ques while riding in the round pen. Then I asked R to open the gate and off we went into the big arena.

We begin the trek around the big arena....

Zoe's pace picked up a little and her ears perked forward as we entered this new space. She was very aware of all the birds coming and going all over the place and was a bit wary of the stacks of jumping standards on one side, but we managed just fine.

Next step - get over my fear of speed and finally ask for a trot. (My heart starts twittering just thinking about it! Yikes!)

E & Monte update: E had her first real gallop last Sunday. We spent the evening at a good friend's house and while the burgers were cooking the kiddos raced through the pastures. It was great to see E and her pony tear by at breakneck speeds - until we saw just Monte race by without his rider! All riding came to a screeching halt while we made sure E was okay (she was - she immediately popped up, stomping up a hill, mad that she had come out of the saddle.). Turns out they tried to jump something and halfway through the jump Monte reconsidered. Rather than pull on her horse's mouth terribly, E let go and fell off. A new rule was set down by me - no jumping in her Western saddle! E quickly agreed that maybe it wasn't the best idea. :) But she did decide that she loves to gallop....and I think Monte loved it too.

Early Birthday Present

Today is the day that Zoe officially joins our family. Yeah!

She has continued to be a sweetie and everyone who has had to handle her sings her praises. Last week our barn manager even told me that if I didn't buy her, she would. We all just love Zoe that much.

Zoe was placed with a small group of mares this past week and seems to have integrated fairly well. She is a little nervous, and definitely not the alpha, but the other horses out there haven't kicked or bitten her; the alpha does run her around a bit, but eventually lets Zoe be. And there is an upside to the running - Zoe is beginning to lose some of her fat and is starting to tone up a little.

I have lost some of my fear while riding Zoe - or at least am more confident that I can manage her at a walk. And a walk is all we have done. I planned to take her up to a trot yesterday, but after a 6+ mile walk earlier in the morning I was already sore; my hips just couldn't take much more! E rode her out in the arena, though, and had a great time. She said that Zoe has a powerful stride and can be quite fast. Hmmmmm......

Fair update: So we survived and there was only one spat of tears this year. And they were quite justified, too. The judging was very strict (no grade inflation this year!) and our motto became "red is the new blue!" The judges would have whole classes with no blues, or with only one or two, and then would decline to hand out Grand/Reserve Champion ribbons. It was unbelievably tough. And disappointing to the children. E managed 4 reds, 1 white (She forgot the pattern, so really deserved the white. But the pattern she did was quite lovely!), and 1 blue. The blue was in Hunter/Hack - the jumping class, so it makes sense that she would get a blue in it. That's what she and Monte have really focused on this past year.

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E and Monte participated in the open English show on the Saturday of the fair. This was a hard day for them. In the English Equitation class, the judge asked for the riders to drop their stirrups and post around the arena. E managed to do this - not perfectly, but pass-ibly. The upset came when riders were placed that did not do the skill and she did not get a ribbon at all, even though she had done what was asked. Several people came up to her saying that she really should have been placed over at least 2 of the other competitors. The only reason I can think she wasn't is that the judge was remembering previous rides E had had that were not so stellar and was not basing the current class on the current ride only. So unfair, really. But there's nothing to be done once the judge has made her decision.