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. :)