Going slow

A week ago I had a private lesson with Sarah Lorenz.  At the beginning of the ride I described Zoe's new habit - picking up this hoppy-trot thing after about 10 minutes - and that I was pushing Zoe through it to smooth her gait out.  Sarah watched and decided that really what I needed to do was a) keep Zoe mentally engaged during the whole ride, and b) slow her down rather than push her through the moment.  Slow down?  Not so easy to do!

Sarah's take on the behavior is that Zoe gets bored and fed up with trotting, so she tries to take off into a canter.  I, being the rider, need to take control (Huh, where have I heard that before?) and make Zoe go at the pace I set.

So we did lots of 20m circles at a s-l-o-w trot (almost a Western jog) and whenever she tried to take off, I just kept it slow, slow, slow and made her bend to the inside.  Part of the exercise was to spiral in and then side-pass back out to the larger circle, all while maintaining her bend.

Gradually, over the past week, Zoe and I have had better and better rides.  On Thursday she only tried her hoppy-thing twice!  My mare may be stubborn, but in the end I have more perseverance.  :)

Monte update:  His new owner, Laurie, is conditioning him for a 25 mile endurance ride that is taking place in October.  He seems to be thriving and enjoying his new life.  It is her goal to redeem his reputation and show everyone what a great little guy he is.  I couldn't be happier.

Monte On My Mind

Monte has changed hands again.  And I think he is now with the family I was trying to find when I originally decided he needed a new home.  During the year we had him up for sale I talked many potential buyers out of even coming to look at him because I just knew they were too inexperienced for our little guy.

Turns out I probably should have done the same with the last family as well....Monte's new little girl took a bad fall off of him (he spooked) and ended up needing pins in her elbow.  I feel terrible that she was injured and understand why she is now afraid to ride him.

Luckily, her mom found a new home for him rather quickly and the new owner is a very experienced rider.  Laurie's been riding him almost daily out on the trails, taking him up and down steep hills, into water and through all sorts of new terrain.  He still spooks occasionally, but he's doing it.  And best of all, she really likes the little guy.  She's called him a "diamond in the rough."  It seems Monte finally has a steady job!

~~~

I had a nice, long ride on Zoe yesterday with some friends.  It was wonderful to just walk along and chat for a couple of hours on the lake trails.  Zoe did great and only had a couple of tiny spooks (Turns out she thinks one of the bridges across the creek is evil - and we were just riding past it, not over it!).

I wish I were able to get out on my horse more often (a familiar song, I know!), and one day schooling and work will settle down enough so that I'll actually have the time to do just that.  Until then, I'm sure Zoe is quite happy spending her days eating, eating, eating.  :)

Moving on...

Monte, with his new family....

Thank you, Monte, for a wonderful 4 years!

First ride

A young friend rode Monte for the first time today. I was very nervous about how he would react to someone new, but I really shouldn't have worried.  He was a perfect little gentleman, remaining calm and lovely throughout her ride.

Thinking back to when we first purchased Monte, I really had no reason to think he'd misbehave.  When Emily began riding him she was very timid and had limited skills but he took care of her none-the-less.  As her skills improved, he became more challenging, which in turn helped her become an even better rider.  So it seems that he is capable of understanding when he needs to be more of a babysitter and when he can be the more wild pony.  :)

The other thing I had to remind myself about was that most of his wild moments occur when he is in pain or terribly frightened.  In fact, I can't really remember a bucking incident that we didn't later trace back to him being in some sort of pain (usually related to poor saddle fit).

I'll have to make sure I tell our young friend all of this....I really would be pleased if they decided to keep him and love on him as much as we have.  I'm convinced that she would be a wonderful owner for our wonder pony.  :)

At the fence...

The ponies have been unbearably cute the last couple of months every time I come to the barn.  They must recognize the sound of my vehicle because when I park this is often what I see waiting for me:

I feel all warm and happy thinking that they actually look forward to seeing me.

Fall Sunshine

"Sunburn Watch 2012" is now officially over, thank goodness!  The harsh summer sun has morphed into a gentler fall one and Monte has begun to grow his winter coat, both of which have led to an end of pink, peeling skin on the poor pony.  His mane has begun to grow back as well and he is now sporting a jaunty little mohawk on the lower portion of his neck.

Monte has also been getting some exercise the past couple of weeks.  Two young women are now riding him to help him get back into shape, "tune him up" and remind him of all his skills.  I was a little nervous when Courtney first rode him, afraid that he might be a handful but he quickly settled into the ride and performed beautifully.  After her ride she wondered why people have said he is challenging!  Gabrielle rode a few days later and he was again well behaved.  She did notice that he's not quite as soft in the mouth as he had been the last time she rode him (about 2 years ago), but we think that is something that can be regained. 

I'm hoping that Courtney's karma with horses follows her with Monte.  In the past, all the horses she has ridden have sold not long after she begins to develop a relationship with the horse.  So come on, Courtney!  Work your magic!  :)

I've been able to ride Zoe at least 3 times a week for the past few weeks.  The consistent riding is definitely making a difference for both of us.  But I do need to schedule a lesson or two soon as I think I'm beginning to develop a few bad habits (like leaning too far forward as I ride).  Another set of eyes would be good.

Miss Zoe has been a pig lately and tries to get to her neighbor's grain each night.  That wouldn't be such a big deal except that she now has half-dollar sized sores on her front ankles that won't go away.  Dropping onto the concrete to reach under the rails is not helping them heal at all!  Cathy and I have been brainstorming how to get this problem fixed but so far we haven't been too successful. 

The Lunchtime Dash

School has started up again and I love being back with all the kids. It really is wonderful to see them growing and learning.

And I'm ready for the sun to switch to fall mode NOW!

Monte is still burning on his neck and in the rubbed-out portion of his mane.  So everyday I rush out to the barn (8 min.), put sunblock and fly spray on him (10 min.) and rush back to work (8 min.).  That leaves me a total of 4 minutes to wash my hands and eat something.

I'm so ready for some cloud cover.

Barn Chores

After this weekend, the fantasy of owning a large equine facility with rolling, green pastures, big numbers of beautiful, long-legged horses and miles of white fencing has now been delegated to my "anti-bucket" list!

Our barn owners, Cathy and Larry, needed to attend a wedding in Bend this Saturday and asked if Em and I would be willing to do barn chores Friday evening through Sunday morning.  Of course I said yes - they have done so much for us these past years that I was/am happy to reciprocate in any way at all.

I'll be brief and just say it took 2 hours to get the horses into their stalls Friday and we were quite happy that only 3 escaped during transfer from field to stall. I also only confused the identities of 2 of them (thank goodness they know more about where they are supposed to go than I do!).  Turnout the next morning didn't go too much faster - 1.5 hours.  But by Sunday morning, we had that down to a respectable 45 minutes.  :)

And we were doing just the bare minimum that keeps the barn running!  No mowing, no irrigating, no prepping of arenas....just moving horses and feeding grains and meds.

I was tired by Sunday.

Had to call the vet out on Sunday for Zoe.  She had some eye goop on Saturday, so I cleaned her up, put on her fly mask and sent her out to the field.  On Sunday morning it was tons worse - all yellow and crusty. Yuck!  A couple of other boarders independently told me that I really should call the vet (even though it was Sunday and would cost a ton more!)...so I did.  I was really hoping Dr. Adams would say, "Oh, this can wait 'till Monday." but no such luck.  Everyone told me horror stories of what it could be...but thankfully, it turns out that she doesn't have anything too terrible.  Just conjunctivitis.  So 5 days of eye ointment and all should be good.

Monte is dealing with that same bug bites on his back issue that he had last summer.  I think it is commonly referred to as "sweet itch," not that there's anything sweet about it at all.  I've been applying MTG, which seems to help but we don't dare put a saddle on him right now.  He has also rubbed out a good quarter of his mane.  We put him in a stall during the day for a couple of weeks to help with sunburn and he discovered that if he reached under one of the bars he could pull a bunch of hay off the bales stacked there.  He looks really pathetic right now with part of his mane missing, pink, peely patches on his shoulders and dirt everywhere.



I was sad that he is currently un-rideable as my friend Kate came out to meet him this weekend and thinks she might like to try riding him.  Yeah!  She spent time grooming Monte and then learned how we round pen him for exercise.  I then saddled up Zoe and Kate spent some time with her in the arena.  Hopefully, Monte will be ready to go in a week or two, and we can then ride together.  :)

I've had a few more calls for Monte but as usual, it's for children who are too young and small to handle his spirit.  The last person said she was looking for a calm horse.  I replied that Monte was "gentle, but has the high energy of an Arab."  Seriously people, don't you read the ad that says "for experienced riders" ?!?

Summer is winding down and I'll be sad to see my week-day barn time dwindle with the daylight.  Looking back, I wish I had taken more advantage of the lazy days I had and ridden Zoe a bit more, but I'm happy that I did get to spend a fair amount of time with her.  And truthfully, I love riding during the crisp days of fall oh so much more!

Dreadlocks and more

 Poor Monte has been left on his own for many months now (although I don't think he'd complain too much about the lack of human contact!).  When we pulled him out of the field the other day for some exercise I discovered that his beautiful mane was full of dreadlocks.  So I spent some time this week washing and conditioning his mane and tail - an activity that he abhors!

Look at that clean mane!  :)

A favorite past-time at the barn this spring has been searching for kittens.  There are three litters currently, all very shy and difficult to spot, let alone pet.  One of the momma cats decided that the wood pile over by the round pen was a better home than the barn:

 Looking for kittens. Patience is the key....

Zoe and I have been relaxing this week.  Only one ride so far in which I practiced circles more.  She has begun to do a head-toss thing and pulls out of the circle whenever we go to the right.  Is she sore?  Something going on with her teeth?  We will investigate further.....

Some Pony Club drama this week.  Unfortunately by taking too long to think about an issue others assumed I had made a decision about something.........and now there will be a few angry mommas to deal with.  But ultimately I know that the kid involved will get to have a great experience...in spite of all us crazy adults!

The barn swallows are zipping in and out of the barn these days, caring for their hungry babies.  It's fun to stand in the doorway and have them fly overhead.  I can hear chirping all throughout the barn...

This is fun?

Pony Club and Horsemasters took advantage of the recently clear weather and went on a trail ride at Bennington Lake.  E and I were both very excited to join in; I love a chance to ride somewhere other than the arena at our barn and I'm sure the horses like the change as well.

 Group shot, with Molly's ears in the foreground (Isn't she a great photographer?)  ;)

I wasn't worried about taking Zoe (or Monte, for that matter) up to the reservoir since they have both been before, and we actually had a decent ride then.  So my nerves were not jingling as we loaded up.  (I'm basically trying to say that my energy was calm, so my horse shouldn't have gotten anything spooky from me....)

The moment we unloaded, Zoe started to jig and dance around.  Just getting her tacked up was a bit of a challenge, but I thought that once I got on her and we started moving she would begin to calm.  Boy was I wrong!  And by the way, Monte really wasn't much better...

There were about 10 other riders going along with us.  Most were calm;  only Zoe, Monte, a Tennessee Walker and a very green Morgan were having any visible issues.  Right away my girl decided she needed to be near the lead, but not actually in the lead.  The baby Morgan got that position.  But I had to work to keep Zoe off his tail; I felt like I was yanking on her mouth almost the entire ride!  I tried keeping her busy, side passing back and forth, but she was still frequently jigging and spooking.

Monte decided that he needed to be right behind Zoe.  But she decided she hated him and actually kicked out at him a few times when he got too near!  (That's not a fun feeling, by the way, having your horse kick out while you're on them.) It's safe to say I had one of the worst behaved horses on the trail.

Luckily, there were no run-away moments for Zoe and I.  E did have to dismount once when Monte just plain refused to go down a somewhat icy/slick hill.  Zoe stumbled and fell to her knees at one point (she was too busy watching imaginary monsters and didn't pay attention to the trail!), which scared me a bit, but we quickly recovered.

On the final stretch of trail (about the last 100') a dog jumped up in the brush.  That was pretty much the last straw for Zoe; I could feel her bunching up under me, so I dismounted and chose to walk her down to the parking lot.  I had to remind her of her ground manners, but once we did a little re-schooling (only about 20 seconds), she was her wonderful self again.

If only I had had that wonderful pony for the rest of the ride!

A friend taking pictures commented that even though I claimed this was a far from stellar ride, I am smiling in every single picture she got of me.  What can I say?  Any moment spent on my horse makes me deliriously, irrationally happy!  This is true in lessons as well.  All the other students will be so serious and stone-faced and there I am, laughing and talking to my horse the whole time.

I'm crazy, I know.  ;)

...And to answer the first question: Yes! This is fun!

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.....

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.

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!