Feral to Fancy

 Oh Funny!!

Surpisingly you ended up being the good pony today. ;) Ha! Well, Lyric was good too, but Lyric did have a bucking spree and you did not! But I was expecting it. 

We had two lessons today at the farm. I rode Lyric first. I got on Funny and still had a good 25 minutes before my lesson so I figured I would hack her to the lake and back. I got on and we headed off and she was on edge! Very much on edge and jumpy. But calm. Not jigging or anything. Just... like she was looking for any excuse to spook! She was alert where we had seen the three dogs the other day but maintained her cool. We got close to the lake and I realized that there was someone sitting there on the swing with his three unleashed dogs. Or maybe it was two. We didn't stick around to find out. We were able to turn around quietly and sneak away without getting noticed. Phew! That was not going to end well for me as jumpy as Funny was. So then we walked back in the culdesac and I debated going into the field but didn't want Jean's horses running up to us. So we just headed up to the arena. As we got there, Rob was leaving and Jean's dog was trying to escape, so there was a lot. Plus Jean had two horses in the arena. We hung out at the side for a bit and meandered a little bit but then Jeans' dog was put back in the pasture and he started barking and jumping at her young horse in the pasture and she was yelling at him. So... Funny got amped up again. Jacel told me to just come into the arena so I did. She had Jean jumping and for whatever reason that rattled Funny so she spooked and squirted off. I felt so bad cause I didn't want to ruin Jean's lesson. She pulled up once or twice but then Jacel told me to just trot Funny around the arena on the rail to "move her feet". So we did that. She was on the muscle and power trotting and quick but I managed to keep her on the rail and out of Jean's way so that she could continue her lesson without interuption. Funny bounced into the canter a few times and did some squirrely moves but no bucking, bolting, or rearing, so yay. Jean didn't take too much longer and then they left and Funny finally settled. Jeepers... girl... we've gotta learn how to handle ourselves if we want to start going out in public! Jacel even made the comment about that. Ha ha. I KNOW!!! We're working on it. But it's hard to succumb your neighbors and friends to that. Although she's been pretty good in the arena with Marvin... and was super in the cavaletti clinic and we even survived the cross country cavaletti clinic. But I do need to try to do more things. Slowly and incrementally. ;) 

So she had us trot around so more and then told me to just let her canter. She commented that she got the impression that Funny is not a horse you can pick a fight with and insist. Nope! You are correct ma'am! That's not a good plan. But she also said that she suspected that if I was willing to compromise some, that Funny would also meet me in the middle. Yep... If I can convince Funny that my way is fun and ask her to join me, she often does and we get along great. But trying to fight her isn't wise. Except occasionally I will have to dig in and pick a battle or two. But not today. Today we let her canter. And Jacel made the comment too (She knows me and where my brain goes so well) that I was *allowing* her to canter! I wasn't pushing her to canter. I was allowing it. And it was more likely that she would hurt herself if I insisted she walk instead of letting her canter. BUT... she didn't get to canter around like a banshee. She could canter but I was to sit and make her carry me and then we had to do some circles. Polite circles. And it worked. She took a breath and we had some nice circles and it gradually got better and better. Yay!

So then she set up a half cross rail and wanted me to trot it... then leg yield to the right of the jump straight ahead, go around the jump, and then trot back over the half cross rail and then leg yield left. I asked "what happens if she canters?" and she said we'll come up with Plan B, but she doesn't know what Plan B is yet. Ha ha. Of course Funny launched it and cantered. So... I basically brought her to a trot, circled, and tried it again. And again we cantered, but we kept up with the pattern and eventually she got to where she would trot it or sometimes canter it but land and break to a trot easily a few strides after the canter. I didn't punish her because she doesn't know what to do yet, so... I'm letting her figure it out. As long as she's polite. We managed to get some nice leg yields too! Going to the left is definitely harder. But we got a lovely one at the end! Smart girl! 

So then Jacel set up a few small jumps and had me trot the one in midline, then leg yield out a bit to make a nice turn to the one perpendicular to it, then leg yield out to make a nice turn to the one kind of in between and then back to the beginning and do a circle and go the other direction. She wanted us to trot them though ideally. It started out a little wild and rowdy and Funny ended up taking charge and just bowling through. Okay.... no ma'am! We laughed at how the girls are so different! Lyric needs time to process. Funny doesn't have time for that. She's got things to do and she's just going in hot! I laughed after she plowed through one again and said she's like Chuck Norris... those poles will get out of HER way... she's Chuck Norris. ha ha. So we had to do a few walks from canter... walk a few steps, then trot.. and then carry on again. It took multiple rounds, but... by the end... she got it! She was so polite and trotting on the softest of contacts, in a nice round "frame" and trotting the jumps. She didn't get chargey. It was awesome!!! And it didn't really require any manhandling from me other than a few times when she got too chargy. She just... trained herself because we gave her the exercise and gave her time to figure it out. YAY!

So then I was asking about how she is still figuring out her distance and I was thinking of putting a pole on the ground and just cantering in a circle over and over it so she can figure out her timing. Jacel said not to do it that way because I was a perfectionist and would start to try to control her. Instead she literally picked up poles and starting flinging them around the arena. Like literally throwing them. Funny didn't care! (Granted she was hot and sweaty and probably a bit tired by now but still, I think she's just not that spooky when she isn't looking for reasons). So we finished off with a few canters around the arena just cantering over poles and cross rails willy nilly. I just let her figure it out. BUT how I could help was to keep my shoulders up and my core tight... I kept throwing my shoulders at them. They aren't jumps Holly! You don't have to jump them. And don't confuse her by indicating that it's something she should change/panic about. And sure enough, when I stayed upright in my core, she was much smarter about cantering over them politely and more correctly. Or at least in a better balance when she hit a funky distance. 

It was awesome!!! Oh, the other thing I learned is that I have to turn my shoulders and belly button to get better circles. And sit up in the transitions (thanks Beth) and Funny tends to be a sneak like Dan. She convinces me to tip forward a let her bulldoze on her forehand. But when I stayed strong, she was starting to lift in her withers and back. Yay! 

I'm so proud of her. (Both girls really). She was the most rideable today she's ever been and considering how feral she was when I first got on, this was huge. And it didn't require much on my end... just giving her exercises where she had to use her brain and letting her figure it out. She LOVES that kind of ride. 

After we got done we walked back and then I went to hose her off. Poor girl was sweaty. It's so warm and humid still and she's so hairy! So I think this weekend I'll try to clip her. But I realized that after I rinsed Lyric off, I left the hose on! Oh my! It's been on and spraying into my washrack for 75 minutes! Whoops. Darnit! Oh well. 

Good ponies!!! I'm so grateful that I have both girls because they are so much fun. They are so different that they are educating me so much more than if I was just riding Dan. They are making it easier for me with Dan being on stall rest again by giving me fun rides and distractions (and babysitting). And I'm so grateful for Jacel. I adore her! She's the perfect teacher for me. She teaches how I love to learn. She appreciates each pony individually and tweaks the lessons to best suit their needs. She let's them be them and doesn't punish them for their quirks.. just works with them. And most importantly, she brings out the best in them in a slow and methodical way. And while she's not what one would expect a "classical dressage" trainer to be...she really is classical. More classical than many! She focuses on the body and moving their barrel and then the head and connection just happens! I've NEVER heard her say "make her more round" and she rarely has me touch the reins other than to occasionally unlock. And not that she has me going round on the buckle.. but she knows I know enough that she doesn't have to say anything and that I don't always remember to ride the body, so she focuses on that. And it's making my horses very happy and very correct. It's so exciting!! So yahoo!