BRAVERY!

 Well... I was supposed to have a lesson today with Jacel and I was excited because I was hoping to get her opinion on what was going on with our canter issues... whether she thought it was weakness, greeness, or pain, etc... But she was sick so she cancelled. Laura asked if I wanted to come ride with her anyways, so... I was brave and said yes. She wanted to jump around but I only had Funny and Dan to ride because Lyric was still lame as of the other day, so... I opted to bring Funny. Dan gets annoyed because Smarty walks faster than him (a feat) and since he's barefoot behind he's been extra slow, so... Funny it is.

I walked out to get her and she came right up.. and then the rest of the hoodlums came up too. Hee hee. Cookies for all! She loaded up great once we broke free from the crowd and we headed to Ashland. Laura was running a bit behind but it worked out beautifully. I was able to get tacked up and up in the arena and do some work before Laura got there. Which, took some pressure off. I put the peter horrobin jump saddle back on and despite it maybe being too curvy of a tree for her back, it seems to fit. No rocking... but good gravy it tips side to side something fierce. Like, when I ride her, I roll off to each side easily.  So I'm slightly stressing that while she dislikes the thorowgood... the saddles she likes, I can hardly stay on. I don't know if it's a short girth vs long girth situation... if it's a narrower tree.... but ughh..... kind of worrisome. I guess we'll see what she thinks of her new saddle as it should be arriving by the beginning of next week if not sooner. I'm also stressing that perhaps Kim Eichorn's words of wisdom were true. "Don't ride her in a stride free tree or she'll never allow anything else on her back". Sigh....  Oh well... All I can do is wait and see what happens with her new saddle. And.. there is a chance it's not the new saddle so much as me adjusting her/time/???

 

Anyways... I was brave and put the rope halter on because I still want to try riding her with the bit in her mouth, but no reins attached for a ride or two before I go back to the bit with reins. And the Ashland crew was doing some work... picking up the dressage arena's, so they were driving the flat bed around. Funny was a little on edge but she was pretty chill considering. I got on at the trailer and we walked up to the jump arena and did our walk warm up. I tested my breaks and turns and... she seemed to be doing really well. She did spook once at something in the woods and I stayed on but my saddle slid a little. Then she did a few other tiny spooks. I ended up being brave and we picked up the trot and she was great! She was pretty relaxed and soft. Not peanut rolling but not quick and choppy. Not even inverted or braced but not quite as soft in the neck as I would have preferred. After a bit of trotting... I got brave and cantered. She did the right lead pretty nicely and we had one buck I think, but... nothing bad and we carried on. Then we tried the left lead. And oh my... it took multiple attempts. She kept cantering but it was the right lead. And I know I was making it worse. I was tipping her, collapsing... doing all the wrong things I think. But, she eventually got it and held it. YAY!!!

   

We finished up and were talking a walk break when Laura walked up. GOOD timing... I was a little afraid she would have walked up while I was cantering and spooked us. Funny did stop and stare but then realized it was just another horse coming up. I did ask Laura to watch us trot both ways and canter both ways before she did anything just to see what she thought. When we went to canter to the left, Funny saw another horse and rider walk by and they sort of popped into view and she spun hard! I almost came off and my saddle was tipped sideways  but I didn't. I let her stop and look and then we carried on. And it was awful getting her into the left lead, but we did get it. Laura said that she maybe looked a little weak on the left hind but she didn't look lame. So... yay!

 

After that I was done so I just let Laura play while Funny and I sat around. Although I was videoing her and at one point... I don't know if Funny tried to lay down and roll and caught herself or if she spooked at something and dropped, but as I was videoing... my body sank about a foot or two and then we lunged forward. Girl!! What on earth? After Laura finished that particular jump course, I decided I should just get off Funny. She worked hard and it was hot and I was going to take my saddle off so she could roll in the lake anyways, so... I hopped off. She kept pawing and acting like she wanted to roll so maybe that was it? Laura finished up and we went back to the trailer so I could pull off Fun's saddle and my boots and put the bareback pad on. I was brave and left the rope halter on. We hacked to the lake and Funny had a grand old time rolling. We were wet. She splashed a good bit too and then we went for a decent hack. She was a little jiggy at times and trotted a few times to catch up with Smarty but she kept up with him mostly. And at one point, Smarty was kicking and bucking up a bit at a horse fly and the look on Funny's face was hilarious. She was behind him and was so offended that he was kicking at her! I told her "no... it's the fly, not you'" and she was like... Oh... that's acceptable then. Ha ha. We walked Laura home and she showed me her new trailer. And then Funny and I had to leave and go home. I tried to go the long way to avoid the pipeline construction and at first Funny said no! She liked Smarty! I had to take two attempts to get her leave but we finally did. And once she was marching again, she was a good girl and we made it home uneventfully. :) 

 

  

Whoo hooo!!! I'm so hopeful that either she didn't like the thorowgood saddle or she just tweaked something and is feeling better now. Now to pray hard that she likes her new custom saddle I just bought her because... it's a bit blinged out so I'm not sure it'll be an easy sell if she doesn't like it.