It's Hot Out! Drink Some Water!

My morning started off alright, I slept in and dreamt Ginger and I were riding with Carl Hester and he thought we were awesome. Ha ha, no idea where that came from, but thank you subconscious mind!

Oh hi, Carl!

I ran a bunch of errands in the morning, and was a little late leaving for my lesson. I was also STARVING. Quick options along the way to the barn are pretty limited. Especially for a vegetarian. I'd heard Taco Bell is terrible, but I hadn't ever tried it and figured if I was picky about what I ate, it couldn't be THAT bad. (PSA: If there is actually anyone else out there in North America who has never tried it - don't. Just don't.) After about an hour, that stupid burrito was trying to claw it's way back out of my stomach. Stomach ache doesn't even begin to describe it. I was nauseous and sweaty and miserable. I was thirsty but scared to drink any water in case it made the sickness worse.

              (this is where I would put a Taco Bell related picture is only the idea of it didn't make me feel so yucky)

I got to the barn and realized I had forgotten my boots, so was stuck with the awful blistering Mountain Horse ones that live behind the seat of my truck for emergencies. At least I remembered my new gloves!

So cute for summer! Elation Crochet Back Gloves. www.greenhawk.com

This face makes me happy.

Our usual coach was away, so we had the lady who usually teaches the upper level riders. It was a bit of a back to basics sort of lesson - she's much more detail oriented than our usual coach and we spent the majority of the lesson taking turns over single fences at different angles and/or pace. I still need to work on keeping my shoulders back (surprise, surprise), but my heels and hands seem to be finally sorting themselves out. It was a great opportunity to really learn, particularly as she sent the jumps higher/wider than what we normally do. (I'm thinking around 2'8" or so, as our 'normal' is 2' to 2'3" with the odd 2'6"). I was still dying though, feeling sick and dehydrated and she was really making us work. It was really hot out too! Splash was in slow mo and I just wasn't feeling overly strong or motivated today. I love him when he's feeling a little more peppy - not so much on the days where he's just not into it. He was a little intimidated/spooky by a couple of the jumps and we had a couple of run outs where that lack of right bend/shoulder ducking really came to light. We worked a little on it (just me needing to be more aggressive about getting it right further before the jump) and finished up really well. He got some serious air time over the 'spooky' jumps and it still felt totally fun and safe - not scary at all. Still, I felt like I got way overheated and was going to pass out, so was pretty happy when we nailed our lines a couple of times in a row and got a pass to just hang out and watch the other girls. This coach really demands perfection and we went well over time as she made people repeat things until they got it right. I wish I was staying around longer - I'd look forward to moving up and riding with her eventually. While I was hanging out, I noticed my hands were super itchy -  my new gloves gave me some weird allergic reaction between my fingers. Combined with the lunch mistake, the lack of water in my system, and the gigantic blisters on top of the old blisters my heels, I have to say today wasn't the best of days. Still, any time in the saddle is better than out of it!

Getting a deserved treat

Back to the 'fat pony' dry lot to hang out with his buddies. He's impossible to catch so he wears his halter.