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.