Forward but softer

 It was soooo humid this morning! So humid! But... we did get rain last night so yay for that. I rode at 8:45ish and it was just miserable. But we got it done. Funny was a pretty good girl. When I was walking her in from the field she suddenly reared and tried to bolt, but it seemed more like a legit spook. Although I didn't see any reason for her to spook, but... she wasn't trying as hard to get away as she was the other day. Which made me think she really was more just scared than trying to go rejoin her friends. And after that she was fine again. In fact, she immediately lowered her head and did her pillar 1 walk (and submissive walk with the lowered head). Good girl. We tacked up without incident and got up to the arena without incident.

Heck, even our ride was without... well... that's not true I guess. The weeds are a little out of control behind the arena and there was scurrying. I don't know if it was a deer, a large squirrel, or an armadillo, but something was making noise and giving Funny a reason to be a bit spooky. But she was only a bit spooky! She didn't launch me... she mostly just squirted a few times. Good pony.

 

We had a good ride. We did our homework but also strayed off into more circles vs the half circles and change. We had some moments where she didn't want to bend... a few moments where she wanted to fall in... and then... a good bit of good moments too! She is really starting to get the hang of things. (And me too.. because my left side of my body is cooperating more now!). We had to go back to the walk once or twice and remind ourselves of things, but.. for the most part... she's really getting the hang of it. Bending. She was much too quick today for most of the ride, especially in the canter. We did get a few moments of slower and good rhythm in the trot, but the canter was kind of a mess. She was just quick and I was hanging on her face. I tried to let go, but she was just... running and didn't feel as balanced and so I couldn't make myself let go for more than a stride or two. Sigh. I'll get it together soon love! But we had a circle... we had a canter that stayed a canter and didn't swap. She picked up both leads correctly too. So... still some good stuff. I was able to sit a little better today again too!

Then we hacked back home via Jean's driveway and then down Skyline for a little ways. I didn't go all the way to the lake but we went a little ways. 

Good baby girl!

Much better

 Farrier this am. Good girl, even when they burned her feet to stop the cracks. 

Rode first. Really good. Managed to do our homework and there were moments of nice and soft. let dan in the arena while trying to get out to hack, so.. had to get off and chase him. Definitely in heat. 

then later,  *Payback video*

So naughty and So good!

 Because... Funny. :) 

This morning we had a lesson with Jacel. And she came to the house today to teach, which was nice. We ended up postponing it by 30 minutes AND not riding at Ashland like originally planned so I suddenly had more time than I expected. Which meant... I overbooked and was then running later than I wanted. I went out to catch her at 8:10 and they were up by the arena. Ugh. I caught her and headed back to the barn. The other kids stayed up by the arena. Well... I guess Funny got mad about that because halfway home she reared up and spun and took off. I wasn't expecting it. Sigh... dammit! I went and caught her easily enough and got a few steps and she tried to balk. So I growled at her and we carried on. And she did it again and got loose again. UGHHHHH. And then Lyric got riled up and took off and then of course Dan did too. No Dan.. you're not supposed to be stupid!!! Luckily it was short lived and he looked somewhat decent. (no faceplanting at least). Funny let me catch her again so this time I was serious. I kept her close and made her stop and do her pillar stuff. I made her move her feet instead of letting her decide. And I guess it worked because she dropped her head and walked politely to the trailer. 

We tacked up kind of quick because now I was running a bit behind. But somehow we managed to get into the arena right on time. We talked for a bit while we walked around and she stopped and balked a tiny little bit but some bumps got her moving. She did stop and snuggle with Jacel. Everyone thinks she's so sweet... and she is... but she's also in your bubble. So I need to be aware of that and the whole dominance thing.

We picked up the trot and she had me slow the tempo a hair. We were doing a circle to the left and I mentioned how it's so hard for me to not try to cross my left hand over the neck because she was falling in. So we stopped and talked and she reminded me that she needed to bend around my inside leg and stretch the outside (right) side of her body. She is tight there... probably because I am tight there and creating it, but..  So we broke it down... theory talk for me and then Jacel grabbed Funny and we learned "follow your nose". Which I remember doing with Lyric now, but I don't think I did it with Funny. And... basically... if you turn their nose in a nice bend... their body should follow. So inside leg... OPENING inside rein... and follow your nose. And while she was stiffer to the left, she got the hang of it and developed a nice full body bend. We talked about how straight lines with babies is actually not great because they aren't using their bodies effectively. 

So then we went to centerline and she had me walk half circle figure 8's all down centerline in 10ish meter circles... Follow your nose... now change the bend and follow your nose... now change the bend and follow your nose. And it worked! But I also had to work on my body. Open that left rein and bring my elbow back. Keep contact... don't throw away the outside rein either though. Sit with my left hip and left shoulder back. I want to twist the left side of my body so far forward, so no wonder she can't bend left. But... we got it. And it was haphazardous and tenous because... she's young. But she got the hang of it! 

We gave her a breather and then picked up the trot and tried it again. But with larger circles. And again, over time... she settled into it and it got smoother and better. And she started to relax.... and her anxious chomping just turned into chomping.... and then chewing. Her mouth never got quiet but at least it wasn't so violent. And she got softer in the connection.. and my reins got longer because I wasn't feeling like I needed a death grip. I relaxed because she relaxed and vice versa. And she got more upright and straight.. and stopped falling in on me as much. And she got softer in her bend and body. We are "gymnastizing" her body.. stretching both the right and left side. It was a great exercise!

After another rest we picked up the canter. And we just cantered a circle. But I rode it the same as if I was still doing my serpentines (in my body position) and it was awesome. We had the best canters we've gotten yet. I was able to start to sit a bit. And she relaxed. The first time we went left she picked up the right lead and then swapped clean to the correct lead! Whooo hoo!! However... ha! She's so roly poly that at one point she was throwing her shoulder out to go "back home to her friends" and I was having to really focus on my body position and I guess sit to the outside... and my saddle started tipping. It probably slid a few inches off to the side. ugh... Funny.... I'm sorry! We resituated and went back to it, but... I'm going to have to figure out a girth for her that helps her saddle stay in place better!

After we cantered a few times we took another breather and then trotted a tiny vertical with two placing poles. And she was lovely. She had fun. And she hasn't bucked/bene naughty on landing yet! We quit with that. 

Good girl!!! It was definitely one of our best rides yet and we have another tool in the tool box. Plus I am really starting to be cognizant and thus, fixing, my body position and that awful twist a bit better! Yay!

No photos because we were running a little late and then working hard. 

Well there yah go!

 First horse show... let's just do a whole three phase, even though technically we're not really jumping. ;) 

Pre-ameoba, so... my hope was that she would just trot over them....

She was SOOOOO good, especially after being SOOOOO bad last ride

What have I done!?!

 yes on purpose... yes on purpose.... oh velociraptor

saddle fitting..

dumped me... kept trying to dump me.... but happy to jump. jumped her first little vertical (other than the XC jump).

and now... scared to show sat

So Proud

 XC lesson!
Such a good girl

Feral at the trailer but knew her boundaries. Rearing and fussing when Smartie showed up and then when he left.

walked out to XC brave and then was so good. Walked down bank with Jacels' assistance and then eventually on her own. Did the ditch...even trotted it!!! up bank out of water... at the trot!! Trotted a bunch of logs on the ground.  Jumped a few on her own accord.

Finished with the baby rolltop! But it was HUGE! :) Such a good kid. 

So fun. She was brave.. not stressed. having fun. Did spook a few times but not so much at the jumps as stuff in the woods. but was fine quickly. 

So... now gonna be brave and do the pre-amoeba at Ashland Sat! Eeeks!

Best Baby Girl!

 

Ground pole lesson

 Worth it!! 

 

We got up super early to meet Jacel for an 8:30 am lesson to hopefully help beat the heat. And it was nice because it got me rolling and getting my day going. I don't know that we really beat the heat though. Maybe the heat but not the humidity. It's okay though. We went for a lake roll after. 

 

I tacked her up and walked her up in hand to the jump arena because she was a little on edge because Courtneys crew was there for a 730 lesson. And I'm not sure I've ever actually ridden her up there. So, we walked up and she was okay at first. They were all standing in the middle talking. I let Funny have a little look and she settled down so I got on. Of course as soon as I got on, one rider started a gymnastics line for her final part of her lesson. She picked up the canter and Funny got all up and a bit jumpy. Jacel caught onto the fact and told me to come inside and she would walk with us, so... we did. And Funny was a little jumpy but not too bad. The girl did the line twice and then they were all done. Jacel said "I love you guys and you're great but this is a baby horse and she's nervous so now y'all have to get out". ha ha. So they left. Which also made Funny a bit nervous, so... I was walking her and she was getting jiggy so Jacel told me to trot. She said to just "move her feet". 

   

So we did... we power trotted and then we started to do figure 8's and Jacel said to take it even farther and do circles around fences and create different patterns. Change it up so she has to pay attention. And it worked. And... then she settled into a nice forward trot that was more balanced not just frantic. Ahhh, this I like better. Forward is great but out of balance forward isn't as much fun. 

 

So we took a breather and Jacel had me walk over some ground poles she had set up. Funny squirted around them the first time but then was fine. We trotted through them a few times and she was a little draggy with the hind feet. Jacel told me that while Funny was lovely, she was longer backed than Dan so I would have to encourage her to sit up and reach with the hind end. She told me to swing my hips a bit while we trotted through the poles to encourage her to step up and under. Ahhhh, it works! Cool! We also talked about steering. And yay.. this is what I was wanting to make sure I was correct on. I was guiding her through turns using my inside leg. Which, confused me a little because I know I want her to move into my inside leg and turn around my inside leg but sometimes I feel like I need to use my outside leg to push her. BUT... if I use my inside leg and then take both to the outside to help her turn and guide her shoulders, it helps her stand upright and keep all four legs undeneath her. And then if she gets a little fishtaily, which she does, then the outside hind leg can come into play and help turn her hiney around. So yay. I am doing it right, but adding the hands to the mix was helping. 

 

So then we picked up the canter. It was a bit chaotic but not bad. But man it's hard in that jump saddle. She's so bouncy. I really was struggling to keep from bouncing with her. So then we did a little ground pole course at the trot. It was about 7 "jumps" with some turns. And Funny was sooooo good. She just trotted right through them like a little rockstar. She even jumped two of them and landed in a soft little canter for a stride or two. We did it 3 times and she was a bit squirrely the 2nd time but redeemed herself the third. Then we tried another canter. She ran into it the first time so Jacel told me to sit back and to the outside and be brave and ask a bit more forcefully so she sits and leaps into it vs runs into it. Eeeeeks, but okay! And it worked. Although the second direction she bucked into the canter. Ha ha. But I stuck it. Good girl! And the moving both hands to the outside was helping although she definitely wants to fall in worse to one side. 

So then after our lesson I took her saddle off and pulled off my boots and we rode bareback to the lake. She was a good girl and almost trotted to the lake the last little bit. Just like big brother. Cannonball! She immediately got in and dropped and rolled a few times. And then she splashed a bit and then she was out and heading home. Okay. :) Pool parties aren't as much fun when you're by yourself. And she was also probably pretty tired. So we hacked back to the trailer. 

 

Mackenzie was just finishing her lesson and afterwards I was going to adjust and acupuncture him, so it was good timing. Funny got a rinse and some water. She just wanted to play with it though.. she didn't really drink it. When Mack took Synergy away to go hose him Funny starting dancing on the end of the lead rope. So... we decided that while I was working on Syn, we would just put Funny in the trailer. And then because it was drier over by me, we tied Syn up to my trailer. Funny was a flirty girl and kept sticking her nose at him and then squealing. Hee hee. Like 30 times. But she was good and eventually settled. 

 

And then we went home and she gets a whole week off now while I go to the beach!