Making it last

Zoe is now wearing a coat of many colors on the coldest days.

You can just see the patches on Zoe's blanket.  

The fur on the right belongs to her pasture mate, Cami.  :)

It irks me to no end that our horse blankets end up being fairly useless after one, maybe two, years.  I get that the horses are hard on them but since the darn things cost so much, I've been attempting to fix the rips.

Last year, I tried mending them with thread and needle.  That was only somewhat successful.  This year, I'm trying nylon patches I found at the local fabric store that are meant for tents, umbrellas, etc.  They are cheap, waterproof and the best part, no sewing required!  Just peel off the back and stick them on.

So far they seem to be holding (although, she's only worn her blanket a handful of days).  I have learned that the area I stick the patch to needs to be clean-ish; it appears that dirt doesn't help the patch adhere to the blanket.  :)

It's getting better!

Wow!  I have been quite delinquent in my blogging and so much has happened in my horsey-world.

A couple of weeks ago Elizabeth Anderson was up from California visiting her sister (a dear friend of mine).  And lucky for me, Elizabeth agreed to give me a couple of lessons while she was here!  Now, I've only had instruction from 2 or 3 people, but I've watched E with many more instructors...and I have to say that I clicked with Elizabeth the best out of any of them.  It was amazing!

Our first task was to teach Zoe (and me!) to walk/trot/canter in the round pen.  As Elizabeth said, Zoe has been "leading the dance" and it is time for me to take control of her feet and her pace.  Easier said than done.  :)  With practice, however, Zoe and I are getting better at this; I can consistently get her to transition between trot and canter.  Getting a walk is challenging, but we will eventually get it!  After working with Zoe on this before each ride, I have found that I have a more willing, less "rushy" horse.  Just this one thing has changed my rides for the better so much.

When tacking up, Elizabeth had me change back to the French link (I had begun using the curb/Kimberwick again a week or two before, to get some control back).  I was a little nervous about this, but she's right that I need to learn to ride my horse correctly and not rely on tack to do the job for me.

Our second task was to work on my seat and position.  Elizabeth really had me concentrate on where my seat bones were and how I was sitting in the saddle at all times.  The visualizations she gave me really clicked in my mind and by shifting my body just a bit this way and that, Zoe and I achieved a more synchronous ride.  I have so much more control over my horse's pace and direction and I can actually (finally!) feel when I should be posting!  Yeah, a major breakthrough for me!

Now don't go thinking that we are ready to start competing or anything;  I am still very much a beginner and quite frankly, I can barely keep myself together for more than a few seconds at a time.....but it's a beginning.

After Elizabeth left, I had another lesson with Patti Jo.  Towards the end of our hour we were doing an exercise that involved small 10 meter circles and for a brief moment (5 or 10 seconds) it ALL finally came together!  Zoe was going smoothly, back rounded up, nose down, and I was in the right place as well. 

It was heaven!  I could feel the difference and I want more of it!  :)

Unfortunately, I haven't had many rides this week (I went from 3x a week to 0x!  Yikes!) Cold weather and mud season are fast approaching.  In fact, here's a pic of my princess, in all her grimy glory!

This is what I find most days when I arrive at the barn now - a dirty, muddy horse.  There's no quick grooming these days!

Other big news:  I finally posted Monte on DreamHorse.  It is so hard to sell our little guy, I just love him so much.  But it really is time to find him a good home...of course, that may take a while (which is okay with me 'cause that means I can have that many more pony-snuggles with him!).    :)

Why can't you just walk?

Zoe has been more than a handful the past couple of rides.  She is so full of energy, I can barely keep her to a walk.  I made up my mind that I wouldn't allow her to trot until I achieved a decent walk and stop.  Yesterday it took almost 10 minutes to get her to fully stop at the mounting block while I got on and another full 30 minutes to get a single circuit of the round pen at the walk....we never did try (purposefully) trotting - although she had trotted plenty!  I was so frustrated with her at that point that I wanted to get off at the first "good moment" I could find.  After talking to E about my not-so-fun ride, we both decided that perhaps I should go back to the harsher (Western curb) bit for a while to re-establish some control over my rushing, headstrong horse.  Crossing my fingers that that helps.

Catherine has been riding Monte fairly regularly.  She seems to enjoy riding him and even commented that he is easier than Zoe, which I would agree is true in some respects.  He is much more willing to please his rider and he is super responsive to the slightest cue.  It's really just his spookiness that makes him a non-beginner horse.

Back to work, Monte!

Catherine wasn't too happy this past Sunday about my decision to take Zoe back for my own use.  She really enjoys my pony (Well, she is rather fabulous!) and didn't think the other horses being offered would measure up.

After considering her choices (Monte or Dawn for Sunday's lesson, possibly Sally for future use if neither of those suited), she decided to give Monte a try.  I talked her through some of his quirks (spooky, fast, headstrong) and warned her to be aware of any pain he might experience in his withers.  Her host-mom was very nervous when I told Catherine that he would try to seriously buck her off if she ignored his pain-signals.  I was nervous because I know that Monte performs best with a very light hand - and I wasn't sure Catherine would give him that.  I didn't know what his reaction would be to her more aggressive riding style....

I watched just a bit of their lesson with Patti Jo, holding my breath the whole time.  As I expected, Monte was not very happy with the stronger hands and signals, and let his displeasure be known by giving little crow-hops, bolting and shaking his head.  But Catherine was able to get him back, make him tuck his chin and perform as he should.  It didn't look like a fun ride to me (way too much work!) but she seemed to enjoy it.  Go figure!

I don't know if she'll continue to use Monte.  She was surprised that he knew as much as he does; I think from hearing other conversations about Monte, she had assumed he was a very naughty, untrained animal, which is so not true!  He's just not the easiest horse to ride.  I told Catherine that if she gave it time and developed a relationship with him, Monte would give her everything he had.  He really is a special little horse who wants to work hard for the one he connects with.

Lovin' my birthday present

My mother-in-law generously sent me some money for my birthday this year - which I promptly spent on some tack!

I purchased a new black leather bridle and a French-link bit for Zoe, and I love them!  The black looks wonderful against her white/gray fur and it is much more supple than the cheaper-quality one I had been using.  I also got a new dressage saddle pad (white with gold trim, of course!) and a couple of other little items.  There was also a new saddle pad for Monte - a nice, thick one that will hopefully ease some of his wither woes.

Zoe and I have been struggling the past week or so.  She now believes that whenever a saddle is placed on her back and she enters the big arena it is time to run, run, run.  E and I spent an hour on Tuesday just trying to get her to lower her pretty little nose, round up her back and give us her nice trot.  I could barely keep her to a walk and E had difficulty getting her to perform a controlled trot; neither of us let her go into anything resembling a canter.

It wasn't a fun ride.

But we will work through this and get her back to where she was.

E rode Monte as well and declared that he is healthy - and lazy.  She thoroughly enjoyed her pony.

Transitions

I managed to get three rides on Zoe this week - that may be a record for me!

After riding her on Monday, I decided it is imperative that I ride her frequently if I want to be sure she maintains her responsiveness and softness to my cues.  With another person using her (who rides very differently than I do) Zoe is picking up what I consider bad habits.  I found her to be rushing and less sensitive to my directions - both things I DO NOT want!

So during yesterday's ride I began the (somewhat boring) exercise of working on transitions.  Zoe was choosing to not immediately transition up or down to either the trot or walk when I would ask.  After a bit of work (maybe 30 minutes), we were working more in sync again and she was doing as asked most of the time.  She still was rushing and jumping into her bouncy trot...but that's a problem for another day!

Catherine rides Zoe at least 2 times a week - and rides her hard!  Cathy has even moved her into a new pasture, with lush grass to fatten her up a bit.  I think the exercise is good for my horse, but the practice of running Zoe full-out without maintaining softness or control is showing up in undesirable ways.

Stephanie, the chiropractor, is coming out on Monday to do an adjustment on Monte.  Assuming, he's back to full, pain-free, health after that,  I think I will ask Catherine to transition over to him.  He needs the exercise, plus I think he would be a great challenge for her. 

I wonder how she'll feel about moving on from Zoe.....

Green snot

Yesterday was E's last official 4-H ride. She decided a while back that she didn't want to continue in the club once she started high school - a reasonable choice given the number of extracurricular activities and amount of just plain school work she has. Last night the club hosted its yearly potluck/awards ride night. E wanted to take Zoe since Monte is still plagued with a sore back (we have a call in to the chiropractor).

As she was loading up her tack, E heard Zoe coughing in the trailer. Being a little concerned we all peered in the windows and saw what appeared to be coughs caused by choking. E had hung a hay bag up in the trailer to give Zoe something to munch on while we drove out to the ride...and it seemed that Ms. Zoe gobbled down her treat too fast, causing her to choke on some.

We quickly unloaded the horse and watched anxiously as she coughed so much that green yuck came out of her nose. E ran to ask a visiting vet/instructor who happened to be in the arena just what the heck we should do. She was told to get Zoe's head down if possible and try to get her to drink some water to help with any obstruction in her throat.

Zoe was distressed and a bit panicky at this point - and still coughing green slime out her nose. I found a syringe and forced her to drink some water (about 180 cc's worth). About then her coughing subsided and she seemed to be okay. We put her into her stall to keep her from eating anything for a while....and then loaded up Monte and headed off to the ride night. All of this took about 30 to 40 minutes.

Upon return from the 4-H ride, we checked on Zoe and decided that she was just fine. I might have a new gray hair or two, but the horse is going to be okay. :)

Zoe has been used quite a bit lately by our foreign exchange student friend, Catherine. Catherine is a very good rider and has been schooling Zoe in jumping. I have noticed a change in Zoe, however. Her responses to my cues aren't as quick or as easy as they used to be; she just seems less reactive/responsive than before. I knew that this would probably happen to some extent, but it does make me a little sad. In hopes of stopping this change in Zoe, I have decided to ask Catherine to use a gentler bit while riding her(a french link); since Catherine is tighter with the reins than I am, perhaps this will help me regain some of that soft feeling that's been lost.

Going down the trail....

Saturday was my first time riding Zoe outside of our arena. I decided it was time to just suck it up, get over the fear and head on down the trail on my pony...and she was fabulous!


E has taken her to the reservoir one other time (and I believe she has been there with her previous owner) and discovered that Zoe, while not the most courageous horse, did okay. Her biggest quirk is that she insists on being behind another horse. As soon as she is in front, she just stops. No spooking or jigging....just. stops. and. waits. Once another horse (Monte in this case) is in front she's more than willing to move forward. Funny girl.

We did have a little spooking incident before I got on her. Don't know what caused it, but she ended up stepping on my left foot, bruising my big toe. It isn't a serious injury and didn't even delay our ride more than the few moments it took to take off my boot to make sure I wasn't bleeding. (I wasn't.)

It's been a busy month of competing at the fair and starting school. E and Monte weren't able to compete in the Western disciplines at fair this year; we discovered that his saddle is causing him pain (sitting too low in front, pinching his withers/shoulders a little...and he's a sensitive guy!). This would explain some of the bad behavior he's exhibited the last few times E's used the western tack. It all hurt the poor boy!

Zoe is being used by a third rider recently - an exchange student from France who is living with a Pony Club friend. She's quite taken with my pony and announced yesterday after their lesson together that if she were to live here, she would buy Zoe! I smiled and said, "Ah, but she's not for sale." :) It makes me happy that someone else loves my pony too, though.

To sell or not to sell....

Yes, that is the question. I have begun to tell people that our lovely pony is available, and even emailed one family about him (crying the whole time I typed the message!). I also have a flyer extolling his virtues ready to go - and then E put a small kink in the process.

She rode Monte last Wednesday for the first time since June 12. And promptly fell back in love with her pony. During the trip back home from the barn she suggested that she should keep Monte and just give up jumping. Work with the horse she has (and loves) and limit their activities to things they can do together safely and successfully.

How can I argue with that logic?

Lookin' for shade

Well, I thought we had the sunburn thing under control but then I started to feel sorry for Monte, wearing that hot fly sheet in the blazing sun. He was roasting under it! So a few days ago, I tried letting him spend a day with tons of sunblock and no sheet...big mistake. The poor pony got another nasty burn in the same location on his neck.

Beginning yesterday, he will now have to spend the days in the barn and his nights in the pasture. And he was NOT HAPPY about that arrangement at all! We actually had to move him into an interior stall with a solid door because he was attempting to jump over the chain blocking him in his normal run. I'm really hoping that he adjusts to this new routine quickly because I hate to see him so unhappy.

Other big Monte news: E and I have decided that it is time to find a new home for Monte. She is just too tall to ride him over jumps safely; he struggles to stay balanced as they go over the standards since there is just so much of her poised over his neck. I now find that I am just as sad as E about letting him go - in fact, I've been delaying posting him for sale online for over a week now, and I'm sure it's because I don't want him to leave our little family.

Now that the decision to sell Monte has been made, E has transitioned over to using Zoe almost exclusively. Luckily, Zoe is a great horse and it's no hardship to have to use her instead of E's fabulous pony! :)

The only hard part for E (and Zoe) is that Zoe has never jumped, so E will have to help her learn this new skill. So far, E is finding it difficult to be patient with Zoe, who is a very careful horse and hence very hesitant to charge over these poles we keep placing in front of her! But in the end, I think that carefulness will make her an awesome jumper - and she already has the dressage part down pat.....

Sunburns and headaches

E is still banned from riding. Her headaches are less severe and take a little longer to appear, but she does still get them whenever she exerts herself. Poor kid.....

Monte is probably okay with this break, though. He has gotten very sun-sensitive and has a nasty sunburn on his neck and his nose.

There are little cracks on Monte's nose from too much sun....

...and his neck is very pink and peeling profusely in sections.

We have been going out to the barn every morning to apply sunblock and to put his fly sheet on him for additional protection....and then we trudge back out again in the evening to take the sheet off. So far he's only burned those two places - hoping they'll heal soon and that we'll avoid any further burns. Poor horse.....

Recognizing the problem...

....is the first step, right? Okay, so it's not really a "problem" but I am finally beginning to understand what I'm doing wrong as I attempt to post while trotting. Like using my feet and stirrups to propel me up rather than my thighs and knees. And not keeping my leg on her the whole time (which goes back to using the stirrups too much). I also can't keep the rhythm of the up-down motion going for very long - I usually end up bouncing along within a few strides.

But I'm determined to get it eventually! This has become my goal for the summer - learn to post a trot. On my horse. (As opposed to someone else's - Zoe has such a smooth stride that I don't always feel when I should be up and when I should be down! The motion is much more prominent on other horses I've ridden recently.)

I had a lesson with Pat this past Sunday; she hasn't seen me ride in a couple of months and was surprised at how "brave" I had become - she was with me during my first few rides, remember? I no longer begin to hyperventilate when asking for a trot and am actually beginning to look like a real rider. It's nice to look back and see some growth.

E and I have had to cancel our Deary horse camp plans. She had her "big running test" to determine if she was healed enough to ride - and didn't pass. After running a mere .5 miles, she had a headache....that promptly disappeared once her heart rate was back to normal. It's pretty clear that her brain is still recovering. She was sad to miss out - this is one of the big highlights of the Pony Club year for her, but the risk of serious brain trauma is just not worth it.

Monte is dealing with a sunburn on his neck right now. We have begun going out to the barn each morning to put a fly sheet and some sun block on him, and then back out each evening to take it off. Poor guy! It's supposed to get up to 90 today and I'm sure that sheet is making him hot, hot, hot. I think it's kind of ironic that we don't blanket for the majority of the winter but will end up sheeting him the whole summer!

Really??? Another head injury???

E participated in a clinic with Victoria Cliff on Sunday, riding a flat lesson on Zoe and then a jumping lesson on Monte.

The first lesson, the flat one, was beautiful. E and Zoe looked wonderful together and made all the movements seem easy. E was able to get Zoe to round up into her trot and to carry her head in a nice position for most of the lesson - and Zoe appeared to be enjoying the work for the most part.

The second lesson, on Monte, started out okay but quickly went south. As usual, Monte was rushing a little and while they were cantering around the arena in a warm-up exercise his hooves struck a patch of loose dirt over hard-pack. Monte's feet slid out from under him and he fell completely on his side, taking a bit of skin off his left shoulder in the process.

E fell with him, of course, and ended up with a mouth full of dirt and a banged up shoulder, jaw and head. My first concern was another concussion, but her eyes looked fine and she was coherent and as stable as a person can be after having a 900 lb. animal fall on them. And she actually wanted to get back up on Monte - such a brave child! (Monte, by the way, stood quietly by us the whole time we were examining E - very unusual for him to not bolt after a scare! But maybe that's because this wasn't really a fright/flight situation.)

So she spit out some dirt (literally!), took a drink of water, wiped the worst of the dirt off her face and got back on her horse. After about 10 minutes of riding, however, E came over to the side of the arena and told me that she was feeling unbalanced - not dizzy or nauseous, but definitely "off". I told her to immediately get off the horse! (She also added that Monte was stiff as well, so she figured he was not feeling so great himself.)

After last week's concussion, we are a little freaked out about another head injury. E does have a headache again (plus she just plain aches all over!) so I am watching her carefully. We may have another trip to the doctor today - at the very least, she is scheduled for a sports physical tomorrow morning and I'll ask the doctor to check her thoroughly then.

Zoe side note: We gave Zoe a quick wash before E's lesson and she did beautifully. No nervous jigging or bad behavior at all. What a good little horse!

So much going on.....

Another school year done! I'm hoping that summer allows for a lot more riding (of course it will!) and that I finally begin to gain some skill riding my Zoe. I'm ready to get past the early beginner stage. :)

E hasn't had too much time with Monte recently. She took a tumble out of a hammock and got a mild concussion, so there was no riding for her for a bit. I find it ironic that she rides this wild, bucking pony but gets hurt while lying down! A week later and she still has a bit of a headache - poor kid. I let her ride yesterday in the round pen - where Monte spooked and promptly dumped her! Luckily she didn't hit her head again, but she does have a nasty bruise on her arm.

We introduced another friend to Zoe yesterday as well - a foreign exchange student from Portugal. She's going home soon and really wanted to ride a horse before she left. Surprisingly, Zoe was very calm and careful with her novice rider. But after their ride together I decided that we had probably exhausted Zoe's patience so I didn't ride her.

As we were putting her away another barn friend, Angelia, offered to lunge her horse Tantrum for me so that I could get a better feel for posting while trotting. I was plenty nervous (I mean, there has to be a reason the horse was named Tantrum!) but it turned out to be a wonderful ride. I could totally feel the lift telling me when to post out of the saddle - something I've had trouble feeling while riding Zoe because she's so smooth. We'll practice with Tantrum again - and I'll practice on Zoe too, of course.

My mom took us to see the Lipizzaner Stallions last Sunday - what a treat! A sale booth was set up at the entrance of the arena - and I immediately saw and commented on the little Breyer Lipizzaner horse. While talking to the sales guy I told him that my horse is from the Favory line, to which he replied, "They are known for their intelligence." Being the proud mama, I got all smiley and agreed that yes, my Zoe is definitely that. So silly!

It was wonderful to watch the horses and riders working together so beautifully. These horses truly are amazing. I was surprised to learn that two of the riders are local. At one point E did say that she would never attempt to ride such powerful animals, though. Their energy was a bit intimidating!

The show jumping and dressage rallies scheduled for this weekend were cancelled (darn EHV-1 outbreak!) but E will have the opportunity to ride in a clinic at our barn tomorrow. She plans to do a flat lesson on Zoe and a jumping lesson on Monte. Should be fun!

No steering required

I'm still having trouble figuring out this whole posting thing. I'll be in sync for a few strides and then I completely fall apart and begin to just bounce along. Not very pretty and not very comfortable!

Trying to find a solution to my issues, I rode Cathy's horse Traveler on Saturday. Traveler is a very calm quarter horse who has packed many children around. He's about as opposite of Zoe as you can get in quite a few (important) ways, the most important of which for me is that he's not super responsive and hot. I had to actually kick to just get him moving at a walk, and finally resorted to using a crop to get him to pick up a trot. My legs were so tired after my short ride on him because I had to apply constant pressure to get him to go where I wanted - so much work! I found that I much prefer Zoe's reactive, seemingly psychic ways! I also discovered that I prefer to ride a horse who is "uphill" rather than downhill like Traveler; I felt like I was going to just slide down his neck whenever he put his head down!

After my ride on Traveler (in which I didn't practice posting much because it was so hard to get him to trot!), I pulled Zoe out. By this time my thigh muscles were worn out. And guess what - my ride on Zoe was one of the best I had had so far! My hunch is that the usual tension in my legs was missing, so she was happier. We trotted around a bit, but I was finding it difficult to steer and post at the same time (she still wasn't keeping a steady pace). At one point Zoe did take off into a canter for a few strides, freaking me out, but I managed to slow her back down and continue on.

On Sunday, I decided to try longing her in the arena (the round pen was occupied) and discovered that she definitely has that skill. I was able to control her speed and direction fairly easily. When another barn resident, Angelia, heard this she offered to longe Zoe while I was riding so that I could practice posting without worrying about steering. I was nervous, but soon found that this was a perfect solution. Zoe kept a better pace and stayed on a nice circle and I had time to figure out just what the heck I was supposed to do (not that I did ever get it totally right for more than a few seconds!)

I will definitely be using this method again soon!

Small town

On Friday, I chaperoned a middle school trip to Spokane. I had the privilege of riding a school bus 2.5 hours (each way!) to go see the musical "Wicked." Totally worth it!

While chatting with other parents on the bus, it came out that we have horses. One woman, Kim, asked what kind and when I replied Arabs, she said that she had leased an Arab/Lippizaner cross. Amazed, I told her that that was what I owned, to which she asked, "Do you have Zoe?!"

Come to find out, Kim had leased Zoe for a year, learning to ride Western. It was nice to hear more about my horse (she had many of the same impressions I have had - super responsive, almost psychic in fact; hot and spooky; generally kind; very smart) She added that Zoe was pretty awful at trail riding with her and that Zoe also had a very good work ethic. Kim also said that occasionally she would unintentially do something that would elicit fancy dressage movements in Zoe. I would love to see a rider proficient in dressage ride my horse; I so want to know the extent of her talent!

"Should I stay or should I go....."

The song is running through my head as E and I try to decide what to do about traveling to upcoming rallies and Deary while there's a risk of EVH1 exposure to our horses.

I got a call from Cathy last night informing me that our barn is currently closed to any in or out traffic. Two of the horses there have had indirect exposure to some horses that attended the cutting event in Utah - our friend's horses were at the fairgrounds this weekend, as were animals that had been to the Utah event a couple of weeks previously. Chances are everything will be okay, but there have been a couple of suspicious cases that are being closely watched right here in Walla Walla. So everyone is being cautious. Our vet's office isn't allowing horses onto their property and Pony Club lessons have been canceled for the time being as well.

The rallies are in mid-June, and by that time any infected horses should have already shown signs of the virus....but I'm still unsure about traveling.

So I continue to ask, "Should I stay or should I go...."

Mother's Day lessons

Another Sunday, another lesson. I'm loving the regularity that Horsemasters is providing. I actually let myself take time to ride...and that's the only way I will ever get any better at this activity that does not come naturally to me. :)

Learning to post has become my big challenge. Zoe and I just aren't in sync yet, which frustrates the heck out of her and makes it even harder for me to find that magical balance point that will make it all click into place. I am beginning to actually feel when I should be lifting out of the saddle - a huge breakthrough! - but then we quickly loose our rhythm and the transition back to the walk is just a train wreck.

I discovered that even though I have been using very light pressure to ask for the trot, I really can ask with much, much less force. Like I just need to think "trot" and she'll pretty much get my mental image. Such a sensitive animal!

At the end of our lesson Marla and I talked about the fact that Zoe is just not a beginner horse and that is making it more difficult for me to get the hang of it all. We finished the conversation agreeing that I really should borrow a steady-eddy horse for a little while and then move back to Zoe. Both she and I will be happier for it after all is said and done. :) Cathy has offered the use of her quarter horse, Traveller. Unlike Zoe, he is not so sensitive (I'll probably have to kick him to get a trot) and he'll be less bothered by my unbalanced seat.

As a Mother's Day present, E took a few pics of me riding - and a video even though I specifically requested that she NOT do that! But in the end I'm glad of the video because it showed me that I'm not really as awful as I thought.....

Coloring in the corner

I have to start out by saying that riding my horse on Sunday made me deliriously happy. It wasn't a perfect ride, but any time spent with Zoe brings me great joy.

There were four of us in the lesson and I was by far the weakest rider. And this became even more apparent as Marla worked with us. She would ask the other riders to attempt some skill...and follow up her instructions with, "And Vanessa, you just walk Zoe around the middle." I wasn't bothered by this in the least and actually found it a little amusing towards the end.

A friend at school likened my lesson to the times when she teaches her class something but asks the slow kid (me!) to just go color at the back corner. :)

So I colored for most of the hour....smiling the whole time!

Headset

E and Monte had a 4-H lesson with Anita last night. E didn't want to ride at all, but I forced her to go. Monte's outburst on Sunday is definite proof that she needs to work him several times a week.....

And by the end of the evening, E was so very glad she had gone to the ride night. They really worked on Monte's headset and Anita also instructed her on how to help him learn to use his hind quarters more since he was so heavy on the front-end for much of the night.

Plus, she just plain had fun. And that's what riding should be!

Two-point torture and other stuff

Whew! What a crazy life! We've all been go, go, go for what feels like weeks. (My other mode this past month has been sick, sick, sick. Uhg! Worst case of the flu ever and I'm still sniffling - probably allergies now.)

So this will need to be a short, short, short post.

Spring is only beginning to arrive; the days are still relatively cool and definitely wet. Consequently, not too much time has been spent out at the barns. I did have a lesson with Marla last Sunday. I was plenty nervous about it (first time riding with her) and my high-strung, spring-fevered pony didn't calm me any. But let me back up a little.....

E had a lesson the hour before mine. Monte was feeling a bit energetic (she hadn't ridden in almost two weeks) but didn't appear unmanageable.....until they got into the arena. As soon as they got past the gate, he became a pretty good imitation of a rodeo bucking bronc. He bucked about half-way 'round the arena before she got a chance to attempt an emergency dismount, and just as she started to dismount, he bucked again, making her fall to the ground. (She was okay, just shaken, although she did end up with a nice bruise on her shoulder.)

He then proceeded to run like a crazed animal around the whole arena several times, going so fast that he actually fell on a corner. It took a few minutes before E could catch him. We thought something must be wrong, but the instructor (also a vet) checked him over and declared that he was fine....and that E needed to work him so that he didn't learn he could get away with such awful behavior.

So E decided to go on with her lesson and Monte behaved beautifully for the remainder of the afternoon. Go figure.

After seeing all this, and then having my pony start out all high-headed in the round pen, I was plenty nervous. But once she was tacked up and I was in the saddle, Zoe settled nicely. My first challenge of the day was to ride her from the dressage arena (where I was warming up) past the various wood piles (where all the trolls and gremlins live, according to Zoe) to the big arena for my lesson. And we did it! I know, sounds minor, but really it gave me a bit of a confidence boost.

And then the two-point torture began. :) Marla asked us to get into a two-point position and ride...and ride and ride and ride. This is the first time I've ever done this, so I was plenty off-balance. Zoe was not appreciative of my beginner ways and about half-way through the lesson began to lose patience with me. I was able to stay in two-point for most of the hour, though, and even managed to trot while perched on my stirrups. This was a lesson where a steady-eddy schooling horse would have been nice. Zoe is so reactive that any shift in my balance caused her to change her pace....which then made it even harder for me to maintain my balance!

By the end of the lesson I was noodle-legged and could barely walk upright. :)

And I will no longer give E a hard time when she has a lesson like this and then complains. I have a new appreciation for the skills she makes seem so easy.....

Off the couch

I've been down with a nasty flu virus for over a week now. After E got sick during the clinic, I was doing okay until Monday morning, then it hit me like a truck full of bricks. I literally stayed on the couch for 5 days, feeling like I was going to die.

But Horsemasters started last Sunday and nothing was keeping me from my horse! I got dressed (first time out of pj's in a week!), groomed my horse (hope no one looked too closely at her!) and climbed into the saddle for a lesson. I only lasted 30 minutes before exhaustion got the best of me, but I was so happy it didn't matter. Riding my horse definitely has a restorative effect on me.

Clinic Weekend

This weekend was a big fundraiser clinic weekend for our pony club. We hosted Jim Briggs and invited participants from all over the region to take a lesson or two with him. E was signed up for both a jumping and a flat lesson with him.

Unfortunately, Monte was not up to the task of jumping by Saturday; his withers were still painful under saddle, so she decided to not use him for the lesson. Luckily, we board at a barn with many generous owners of many capable horses. E rode a pony (who really is a pony!) named Oscar on Saturday.

E and Oscar

Now Oscar has a bit of a reputation around the barn. He's not exactly a beginner horse - you could rightfully call him "Oscar the Grouch" - but he does know his stuff. He's very headstrong and takes a strong rider to make him go through his paces, however. After her ride, E compared him to Curly in that it took quite a bit of strength in both her arms and legs to keep Oscar doing what she wanted. Not exactly a willing partner, you see.

To make this all harder for E, she started to get pretty sick in the morning and by the time she rode her lesson she was achy and feverish. But she insisted on going through with the lesson. Oh, and it was cold and rainy. Not exactly ideal conditions.

But they did it. Oscar did not refuse any jumps and did a respectable job on the course. E managed to get through the lesson before collapsing in the truck. And Oscar's owner was quite happy that her pony had behaved well and redeemed himself, even if only a tiny bit, in the eyes of the spectators.

Sunday's lesson was impossible for E (high fever, sore throat, etc.), so we gave it to our barn owner C. Ends up that the lesson was pretty miserable since it was full-on raining and the horses were a little nutty. C's horse Maxwell bolted at one point and dumped her in the corner of the arena - a scary moment to say the least. But all was well in the end and the clinic has been deemed a success.

We will have the chiropractor out again to take a look at Monte. I think it's just lingering muscle pain, but we want to be sure.

Little Big Man

Monte is a pony...okay, he's really a "small horse" since Arabians can be below 14.3 hands and still be considered a horse. But in his mind, he's the big guy in the field.

Consequently, he frequently feels the need to assert himself with the other horses pastured with him. This would be all well and good if he were the head honcho...but he's not, really, and in the process of being put back in his place he sometimes gets hurt. Nothing serious, just a few scrapes and the occasional pulled muscle.

We think that is what happened recently. Last Friday, E saddled him up for a fun ride but as soon as she tightened the cinch on her Western saddle he became a bucking fiend. Luckily she was able to quickly loosen the straps and get the offending tack off of his back - also luckily, this all happened before she got on his back! We've seen him buck before, but this was a show worthy of the broncs in the rodeo.

It was quickly discovered that he had extreme pain in his withers, so a call was made to the chiropractor. We finally had our session with her yesterday afternoon (yes, the poor boy had to suffer for 5 days!) and the relief he felt was almost immediate.

He had a very worried look in his eyes when the chiropractor began but as soon as she did a few seconds of work on his shoulders and then his withers, he relaxed, gave a big sigh, and closed his eyes. He started to fall asleep by the end of her visit.

E is hoping that he is back to 100% by Saturday; she is signed up to ride in a clinic with Jim Briggs and wants to ride her pony rather than mine. Don't blame her, really, since she does happen to have a pretty awesome little guy.

3/26 update: Monte is still hurting - poor boy. So E will be riding Zoe for the Jim Briggs clinic, which is fine for the flat, but questionable for the jumping. Oh, and C corrected me about Monte not being big-man-in-the-field. She says that although he doesn't kick and bite the others as much as another pair out there, he does "growl" at them quite a bit and they all pretty much get out of his way. But unlike most other alphas, he doesn't mind not being first to go in for dinner. So she called him a "benevolent leader." Ha! Benevolent is not a word I would ever have thought to use to describe Monte. :) I kinda think it might have to do with the fact that he defers to the human handling the horses and if that human says he has to go last, then last he will go. Now that's a well-trained pony!

Ambivalence

E is a busy girl. She has lots of school activities and projects as well as being a part of two horse groups and having a weekend job. Next year will probably be even busier since she plans to add debate team and more music/choral stuff to the schedule. She's even talking about trying out for a team sport at the high school.

And some days, she just really doesn't want to go out to the barn. I get that.

But she also has a pony who really needs to be kept busy. He's not the sort you can leave in a pasture for several weeks and then expect to have a good ride. Ideally, he should be ridden at a minimum of three times a week; we usually manage two. And both of those are usually for a club meeting/lesson, not because she wants to go out and practice some skill or even just ride around for the fun of it.

So here's the rub: given the horse she has, along with the big investment we've made in the sport of horseback riding in general, I really think she should willingly, happily and eagerly be wanting to interact with Monte several times a week. I don't want to have to drag her there like I did yesterday. In the end I think she had a very good time out at the barn, but I don't think it's right that I have to initially force her in that direction.

Consequently, I have a bit of a "deadline" in my head these days. If E doesn't get over this ambivalence she has about horses by the end of summer, I think we will seriously consider selling Monte. I can't justify the expense of keeping a horse "just in case" she might want to ride. She has to show some commitment and step up to the responsibility of owning this animal.

(If we did sell Monte, I would be happy to share Zoe with her for those times she might want to ride, btw. I don't want to deprive her fully of the joy of riding. It's just that since we don't own our own property and have to pay monthly board, keeping a horse for those occasional riding moments is too darn expensive!)

Off topic, but when I rode Zoe yesterday she had a major spook moment, dropping and bolting to the side for a few steps before I could stop her. Funny thing is, I didn't really get all that scared. I had a bit of an adrenaline rush, but no lingering fear or racing heart. I stayed on and kept walking her around the round pen, trying to get her to approach the gremlin-spot (not very successfully, I might add). Overall, it was a great ride for me as I saw that I can manage her spooks.

Road trip for Zoe

The horses had all their shots on Monday, so when we pulled Monte out for 4-H last night I wasn't too terribly surprised that he wasn't feeling so hot. When E took him into the round pen prior to loading him in the trailer, he was practically dragging his head on the ground. Kinda scary actually - I'm so used to his high energy! There are several horses that have had varying degrees of adverse reactions to the shots, however, so I understood why he was feeling the way he was.

Zoe, on the other hand, did not have any noticeable reaction to the shots, so E and I made a quick decision to take her to 4-H instead. E had to pull her out of her stall and away from her dinner and Zoe made her displeasure over this disruption apparent by kicking out at E. Not a great way to begin an adventure! But the horse settled down in the round pen (E wanted to make sure Zoe had a brain before making the final commitment to riding her!) and loaded into the trailer fairly well. Of course, a manger of hay in there helped considerably. :)

Neither of us had high expectations for this ride night. Zoe has led an easy life these last few months, with little being asked of her. We were also taking her to a new arena, with new horses and people. All of these factors combined did not build a solid foundation for the promise of a smooth ride. But Zoe surprised us! She only had one incident of spooking (the traffic cone in the arena was going to eat her and caused her to back up several feet, snorting the whole way) and really gave E a nice ride. Being that she is so out of shape, E did have to finish up a lot sooner than she would of on Monte, but that ended up being okay too since our trailer buddy was riding a young horse who also pooped out after an hour of work.

I'm so glad that Zoe proved to be adaptable enough for E to use in a pinch!

Finally spring?

This weekend totally feels like spring - 30s at night, 40s to 50s during the day. And sunshine! That's the best part, having sun shining on your shoulders until well after 5:00 p.m..

I didn't plan on riding today but when I got out to the barn this morning it was just too nice to not pull Zoe out and at least groom her. And if I'm going to groom her, well I might as well as lunge her...and if I'm going to lunge her I might as well saddle her up and get on!

Really, she was just so cooperative and sweet that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hop on for a short ride. I think the high strung, spooky horse I've been experiencing the past month or so must have been the result of her cycling into heat combined with a bit of windy, variable weather. Today she calmly waited for me to put on her halter, was attentive while we walked, and even lowered her head for me during bridling. What a good pony!

E also took a short turn on her and managed to make Zoe sweat a bit. Zoe is in much better shape, though, and was able to maintain a canter for a longer period of time. She's not quite as flabby when she runs past now. :)

Zoe did give a little buck when E cantered in the left lead. Nothing major - I'm sure even I could have sat it. E says you can totally feel Zoe rounding her back just before she tries to buck, so you have plenty of warning. We think she might be a little bit sore and was complaining about the cantering. Just a guess though.....

Lots of Pony Club happenings these days. I'm coordinating our region's Quiz rally, which will be taking place next weekend. Looking forward to the event - and to its conclusion! :) I also joined Horsemasters, the adult version of Pony Club. I'm totally looking forward to riding on a regular basis with other adults. We'll start taking Sunday lessons along with the kiddos in a couple of weeks.

Getting jiggy with it...

E and her 4-H club went out to a local trail last Monday to change things up a bit. I had planned to join them, but another member needed a ride so I gave up the trailer space to her horse - the ride really was for the kids, not me. :)

Monte was a wild-eyed pony from the moment E backed him out of the trailer to pretty much the end of the ride. She had to deal with his constant jigging and trotting the entire ride....although he did finally give her a calm walk once the trailer was back in sight.

I asked her how it went, thinking she must have hated the ride, and was surprised to hear her say that she actually had fun. The child (seems strange to call my 6' daughter a child now!) has come to love the energy her pony has. She likes having to actually ride and work as opposed to just sitting on her horse, and enjoys the challenge Monte poses. In her own words: "I like that I can ride a horse that most people can't."

Horse camp in June is an eventing rally - which is a form of terror for Monte. Go out in the woods, by myself???!!! He's not the bravest of creatures. There are several other riders at our barn who regularly trailer to various locations - and they have offered to take E and Monte along. He needs the practice and exposure.

By the time E decides to sell him, Monte is going to be a wonderful, all-around horse...

Spring Tune Up

I was told when I purchased Zoe that at one time she had actually competed in dressage events along the West coast. For the last few years, however, she has been packing beginners like myself around, never being asked to use those skills learned oh-so-long-ago.

I decided a little while back that I'd like to make sure Zoe doesn't completely devolve to my level. It would just be a big shame, really. So I'm supporting a local teenager, paying her ride and exercise Zoe this spring. Teenagers always need a little cash (so do adults!) and my horse really does need to remember that she does indeed know how to look beautiful under saddle.

G had her first ride on Zoe yesterday. The arenas - even the round pen - are terribly wet again, so she was limited to a few grassy areas at the barn. Zoe wasn't too sure about this new person on her back, but she was relatively well behaved. The challenge for G is to learn Zoe's cues; G has learned her considerable skills from Western trainers predominantly. I don't think Zoe is drastically different, but there are still some differences. Like asking for a canter - and unfortunately, I'm not much help in telling G how to get the response she seeks from my horse.

In the end, though, I think this will be a good experience for both rider and horse. :)

Slow ride

I've been sick for the past week (flu bug) and am still feeling bone-weary most days. Decided I needed some horse-hugs on Sunday though.

Zoe must have sensed my low energy. She was (surprisingly) cooperative and sweet while I groomed her and again when I lunged her. And when I finally started riding, she calmly walked, never spooking.

As I finished up, I asked E if she wanted to take a quick ride since Zoe was all saddled up and ready to go. What's funny, though, is that once E and Zoe went out into the arena, my calm little pony was seen no more. I guess she figured E wasn't sick and didn't need the coddling that I had required. :)

The Present Truck Arrived!

And it brought my new saddle! WoooHooo! We were in the midst of preparations for the monthly neighborhood soup night we host at our house when it arrived but I didn't care - I immediately ripped off all the wrappings to see my new treasure. I was so excited.

I was on cloud 9 all day after riding my pony!
Note the tag still hanging from the girth. :)

I tried it out yesterday and I love it. I bought a Wintec Isabell dressage saddle with the CAIR system. It was so comfy and soft, I think I could ride all day. Before purchasing this saddle I agonized over what type to get. I've really only ever ridden Western and like the safe, surrounded feeling I get when sitting in those saddles. I was afraid that I would feel like I was precariously perched on top of my horse in any type of English saddle, but I discovered that this dressage saddle (all dressage saddles?) gave me a sense of security similar to the Western saddles.

Zoe was a bit of a pill when I pulled her out of the field. She kicked out at me so closely that her back hooves tangled in the lead rope I was twirling and pulled it out of my hands. Rather scary - so I made her REALLY work before letting her rest. Bucking and general silliness are allowed in the warm-up pen before I get on - seriously threatening me is not!

She was also terrified of a shavings bag that blew past her during grooming. So I gathered up the plastic bag and set it at her feet to help desensitize her (couldn't touch her with it, she was so terrified). Another boarder, A, placed some carrots on the bag for Zoe. It was funny to watch the battle between fear and desire for carrots. Desire for carrots won out. But just barely!

Happily, Zoe totally settled down once I got in the saddle. She really does garner courage from her rider - which means I need to become confident and skilled in my riding before tackling a trail or open area with this horse.

Riding past the scary, cougar-hiding woodpiles...and staying calm. :)

I asked E to help me figure out how to post. I just can't seem to figure out which leg is moving on my horse to get the correct rhythm going, though. E also points out that I also haven't learned to get an even, steady trot yet. So perhaps I need to accomplish that feat first. :)

Hoping I can squeeze in a short ride this morning before Pony Club.

Sharing the fun

E's boyfriend is a very sweet young man....who also happens to be terrified of horses. (He also seems to be terrified of me, but that's a posting for a different blog! I'm told by my daughter that I can be rather intimidating. A bad thing? Probably not.....)

N joined us for E's barn chores today, happily mucking stalls right along with her. After they were done, E asked if she could ride Monte bareback. N thinks we are rather crazy to be riding these large animals (he may be somewhat right on that), but when E asked him to try riding Monte with her, he didn't seem to hesitate.

What a tolerant, patient pony!

I did notice, however, that N didn't ask us to start giving him lessons on the ponies. :)

Taking it easy

The barn owner's geldings have the cutest habit of standing nose to tail when waiting at the pasture gate. Just before I snapped this pic, all three were standing lined up like this, heads resting on the rump in front of them. Made me smile.

My sassy girl is back!

It's been daily trips out to the barn this week, giving Zoe doses of pro-biotics and generally making sure she was okay. She was back to eating a regular amount on Wednesday but still picked at her food and was pretty lethargic for most of the week. On Thursday she wouldn't even eat the handful of alfalfa E tried to give her. What healthy horse turns down candy like that????

But yesterday I was greeted by my normally sassy girl - Yippee! When I pulled her from the field she was walking quickly and was actively reaching for more and more and more grass to graze. (She's never terrible when I hand graze her but she does test to see just how far and how much she can get.) And when I went to put her back in the field, I took her halter off just outside the gate (didn't want to walk in the mucky-yucky mud) and instead of docilely walking through and into the field, she backed up and started grazing again. Naughty girl! Once I got her to go through the gate (no real challenge, actually) she took off galloping down the fence line, tail raised high.

I loved it.

Tummy Troubles

Sad Zoe, confined to a stall

What a roller coaster weekend! I went from a fabulous Saturday ride to a colicky Zoe on Sunday.

Barn owner C called Sunday around dinner time to tell me that Zoe was laying down in the mud - even though it was feeding time and all the other horses were waiting at the gate. I rushed out to the barn, we administered Banamine (a horsey NSAID) and began watching her closely. She was confined to an interior stall - which she found terribly upsetting since it meant she had to be separated from her pasture buddy, Toika.

The colic did not appear to be life threatening, and after a call to the vet I decided to just keep her in overnight so that we could monitor her water intake and BMs closely. (I swear it was just like having a sick baby; I've become obsessed with the contents of Zoe's stall just as we were with our babies' diapers!) I could see that she was in pain (high respiration rate - around 90/min. at one point!) but she had calmed some by the time I left (respiration rate down to around 40-50/min. - keep in mind that 15 to 20 is more normal!)

I went out early Monday morning and Zoe appeared to be much, much better so I decided to let her go on out to the field to join her buddies. As I was closing the gate behind her I told C that I would hold off calling the vet unless Zoe laid down....which she immediately proceeded to do. It became immediately obvious that Zoe was still suffering so the call to the vet was made and she came out to the barn within the hour.

When Dr. Adams arrived she didn't think Zoe was the sick horse. She appeared to be calm and relatively happy walking around with me. But upon examination Dr. Adams could tell that Zoe was indeed off; her heart rate was over 50 (normal is usually 30ish to 40) and there were no gut sounds at all. We all suspected an impaction.

But an examination showed no impaction, only a slightly enlarged right ovary. Huh? So what was going on? We decided to draw some blood to see if there were any kidney or liver problems. During all of this, it was discovered that Zoe has a huge fear of needles and requires a twitch to keep her calm-ish and still-ish and that she reacts to one of the sedatives in a not-so-great way. She began breathing super-fast just after it was administered - kinda scary, actually. The blood tests showed us that Zoe is very anemic - but why? Possible causes include tapeworms, ulcers or an internal melanoma tumor. I'm leaning towards the ulcers, myself, and will begin treating her with appropriate supplements once we get this current colic stuff under control.

Zoe was kept in her stall another night and fed small amounts of hay. When I arrived this morning she appeared to be her old self, although there still was almost no poop in her stall. As I was standing there, wondering what to do she proceeded to poop, pee and pass gas. Hallelujah! I decided to let her go out to the field where she would be happier. I talked to the vet at 8:30 and told her the good news and we laid out a plan of action for the anemia. I was so relieved to have survived our first colic episode so easily.

And then not 15 minutes later C calls to tell me that Zoe is laying down and getting up repeatedly in the field again.

Another call to the vet, I leave work, meet her at the barn and another examination. But all vitals are normal. Gut sounds could be heard in all 4 quadrants. We have no idea what is causing Zoe to colic.

We will continue to watch her closely, but have decided against stalling her any further - it just upsets Zoe too much. (We'll work on breaking her emotional dependence on Toika later!) I got some more Banamine to help make her more comfortable and also purchased some pro-biotics to help with any imbalance she might have in her stomach juices. I'll start her on something to guard against ulcers and too much stomach acid soon (Uguard, perhaps) - Zoe appears to be one of those high strung horses that may be prone to these problems. Not surprising considering her history and her breed (cougar attack, 1/2 Arab). I also picked up a tube of wormer to get rid of any possible tape worms - although I really don't think that's the issue here.

Right now, I'm just tired. I'm looking forward to not being constantly worried about my pony.

Bareback

I've been a little worried about riding Zoe lately. The last two times I've gone out to see her at the barn, she's been easily spooked and very high energy. Not something a fearful, beginning rider wants to deal with!

The weather warmed dramatically this week, hitting the mid 50's for the past few days. The downside to all the warmth is that the snow has melted and rain has been falling. The barnyard is a mess - like "suck your boots off" mess. So the arena is unrideable.

Working in heavy coats last week, and shirtsleeves this week!

Going out today, I planned to only brush off the worst of the mud, give her a little treat and send her back to her pasture. But when I pulled her out she seemed so much calmer and attentive that I figured I'd work with Zoe a bit more.

After brushing, her round pen exercises were still calm - even when I led her around the outside of the ring where all the goblin-hiding wood piles are. I decided that perhaps I could ride her bareback today. (I don't think I've ridden her bareback before - or if I have, it was in the first week of getting her and I have no memory of it. At any rate, I have very limited experience - like next to none! - riding any horse bareback, so this was going to be an adventure.)

I put her bridle on (she even lowered her head nicely) and asked E to hop on first. After a few turns around, Zoe was declared wonderful and ready for me. Zoe stood beautifully while I scramble onto her back. Since I was still nervous, E walked with me as we went around. And....nothing happened. :) Some adventure, huh?

But just the sort of adventure I like. I rode for a couple of minutes, trying to keep my balance (boy do I have a lousy seat!), wobbling back and forth - all of which confused poor Zoe terribly. She has such a wide, soft back that it was not uncomfortable at all and she was so attentive that she stopped at my slightest leaning.

E hopped back on after I was done and had a wonderful ride. She told me that Zoe works to keep her rider balanced and on her back. If E started to slide, Zoe would try to move her body under her. At one point E commented that she definitely would have fallen off of Monte given the same circumstances.

All of this helped me regain some trust in my pony. And I think I will be spending more time bareback to help develop better balance.

1/18 update: Rereading past blog posts and saw that I have ridden Zoe bareback one other time - when she first came to the barn. And just like this time, I found her easy to ride. :)

Peppermint Ponies

It's still pretty frigid out at the barn, so no riding for me. Cold weather doesn't cancel mucking chores, however, so E got to spend a few hours outside working.

I brought a thermos of peppermint tea to help warm her insides - and she discovered that the ponies like a little tea as well. (Or perhaps I should say they like a little peppermint!)

What's in the thermos?

Mmmmmm...slurp, slurp......

Wild Child

I had to make a quick trip to the barn yesterday to remove the blankets that had been put on a couple of days ago during a cold snap. The temps are finally rising again (Yeah!) and we broke into the 30's by the afternoon.

I pulled Zoe out of the field and actually took the time to groom her since she's had her blanket on for longer than I like (almost a week) - needed to check that everything was still looking okay. She was a good girl, if a little spooky, and seemed happy to have the attention.

But then I took her into the round pen. My plan was to trot her around for only 4 or 5 minutes - just enough to warm her up. The little poop, though, kicked out at me as I was walking towards her! With both back hooves!

So that was the end of my "short warm-up" plan; we were now in for a full on workout until she regained a better attitude and became my sweet little pony again. As I made her move out into the circle, she was snorting and blowing, her tail standing so high it was arched over onto her back. She was a maniac! And she continued to kick towards the middle of the ring a few times.

After 10 to 12 minutes of trotting/cantering, she was finally beginning to calm down and wanted to stop. Which of course I didn't let her do. Zoe was made to trot nicely around for a few more minutes, until she did finally decide that yes, I was the alpha, and yes, she did know how to do her job.

Either the warmer temps were really energizing yesterday, or she's beginning to enter her estrus cycle and I'm gonna have a handful this spring (please let it be the warmer temps, please let it be the warmer temps!).

But I have to say, either way, I love my pony. :)