All of The Updates

Me:

It’s been a bit since I updated with how I’m doing. Walking is probably the thing that’s helping the most, both from a mental standpoint as well as a physical one. I can’t wait to see the elevation change stats this month for my walks/hikes. There have been a lot of hills climbed in an effort to keep getting stronger and fitter. I feel really lucky that something so simple and that I already enjoy doing is also proving beneficial. It seems to be such an individual journey and I’m just grateful mine has been best case scenario, outcome wise. I have regained almost all my mobility in a relatively short time. I still get tired really easily and some days are tougher than others, but I’m feeling very optimistic life will go on as normal and this will be a manageable injury in the long term.

This little guy is the cutest

Ponies:

Both girls had a bit of a tough week, for different reasons.

Remains unimpressed with my agenda

B has been feeling GREAT. Maybe too great! She’s been working a little harder than I would have liked, simply because she’s too wild to do slow and easy suppling and stretchy rides on a regular schedule. Her day off was supposed to be an easy leg stretch around the neighbourhood, but there were airs above the ground and much ridiculousness. Once B commits to her own agenda, good luck to you. We’re continuing with all the recommended physio exercises but I’ve upped the trot poles, transitions, changes of direction and other diversions to keep her thinking and on task without needing to argue about things - I’m totally using the let-the-exercises-do-the-work-for-you prescription. Honestly, she’s been a little menace and I should be embarrassed about how horribly she is currently behaving, but I can’t help but absolutely love that she’s feeling this good and excited to work. She’s still got all the moves and training hiding in there so it’s a real treat to ride her on a good day. It motivates me to put the same effort into Sophie. 

Is ready to party

Sophie has been struggling a little with spring hormones. It’s also been way colder than normal and she’s not been loving the big temperature swings. Her hind legs have been more active than is polite, and she’s been alternating between wanting all the attention and snuggles, and then taking great offence that I touched her “wrong”. I have a cat who she’s been compared to a few times this week. So, we’ve had reminders that waving your feet and teeth around isn’t what nice ponies do, even if the curry comb is suddenly not to your liking. In true Sophie fashion she says that’s fine, but when I leave the paddock or stall she lets loose on the air around her to let us all know the feelings were still being felt. If this persists I’ll explore options with the vet, but in previous years she’s been OK once we get the first bad cycle out of the way. I’m not super worried, but also I am slightly relieved that my next pony is a boy, lol.

Riding wise, she’s been sharp but has been an angel compared to B. Who would have ever thought that day would ever come?!

Is still cute

Baby Trademark needs a barn name, but otherwise he’s halfway across the country and busy growing and being cute.  Not much to update you on there. I get more excited to meet him every week. 

Property:

Every day has felt like an inside day this week

It’s been super cold and really wet, so the grass turnout situation isn’t where I’d hoped. The girls get about an hour morning and night, otherwise they’re in their paddock, which needs resurfacing. So, that’s not been helping the above energy levels. They really don’t have access to non slippy ground to run around on at the moment. My improvement projects were put on hold when I wasn’t feeling good, but I’m gradually getting back to it and am hopeful we’ll get some of the final bits of fencing and landscaping finished soon. Maybe we’ll even finally move in to the house. I am so far behind in everything.

House with a backyard pony fulfilling 10 year old me’s dream

I’ve recognized my limitations slightly and am getting a contractor in to build the second run in shed. It was already in the works, but with new pony needing a bachelor pad when he arrives I’ve moved it up the priority list again. 

Riding: 

Is happening at home. I’ve had a couple of really fun late spring travel and show opportunities floated past me, but I’m feeling like it’s too soon to commit. I have some fuzzy mid summer plans but for now we’re going to stay local and just focus on getting myself and the ponies back in shape and feeling good. My at home ring is getting the sand added when we redo the paddock footing and at that point beyond trailering out for the odd clinic or lesson I’ll probably be pretty happy to appreciate what I’ve got at home. 

Current “footing” is actually the gravel base…pony feet allow this to be a thing.

One of my hiking routes passes the pit the sand is coming from. Tempted to ask if I can trailer B in for a test run first ;)

Strength Building

 Thanks for all the love on the last post. It's been a week now since I signed the contract and I might even be more excited than before. This seems like it's going to be one of my very few life decisions that feels completely right. Given my tendency towards worrying and second guessing literally everything I do plus all the uncertainty of the past few months years, it feels really good to have 100% certainty that this is how I want to move forward.

Going to be bribing you with foal pictures for the next few months while I ramble on about Sophie and Bridget. He's getting bigger!

But, for riding goals? Said decision means I'm a few years out from actually having a new pony to ride, which actually is OK. If I had found the perfect riding age pony, logistics would have said Sophie would be looking for a new job/home and I'm not quite there yet. I've come to terms with the fact that looking for years for a new riding pony produced nothing because a) I really just wanted a Welsh D and b) I wasn't ready to make any decisions regarding Sophie.

Just some generic cell phone pics this week, but look at how much she filled out over winter! She finally has a chest and pecs and not just a place where both legs come out of. 

As for Bridget, she continued to feel not great the last couple of weeks but in a nice case of good luck, there was an equine bodyworker traveling here. She is looking to set up a regular schedule of clients to visit.  Seeing as I've been finding physio visits and appropriate exercise so useful for myself, I figured B might benefit too.

Because we all know how much B loves exercise. Here's an inspirational one for her (non existent) fitness account on Insta. The poles and the tack and the late afternoon sun imply she worked very hard this day, right?

We gave it a go, and the feedback validated much of what I've been struggling with. I was left with some homework, and once I read into the exercises, a fuzzy memory of a book I once bought for another horse came back into my mind. I pulled said book out and yes, it is exactly what I was hoping it would be and includes my homework, plus some.

A lot of the book is the more commonly advised things I already do practice: hacking, up and down hills, raised poles, transitions, etc. I love that there are suggested programs for different scenarios that incorporate a variety of exercises. The exercises that I want to add are some of the patterns over poles, and honestly quite a bit of the groundwork ones (I raise my hand as the person who only does groundwork if I'm addressing a specific problem, not as a regular check in or exercise). 

This week I placed out various poles and patterns and gave a couple of the ones suggested for strength building and proprioception a go, and oh my...things that are seemingly simple on paper are difficult for B right now. Also, a huge wake up call for how imprecise I've allowed my riding and spatial awareness to get...nothing like a pattern that doesn't involve just cantering or trotting over the center of the pole to show you all the places you're falling in or out or just generally not in control of.

So, my 'warm up' turned into the focus of my ride on Day 1 because it wasn't at all the 15 minute easy strength and agility building experience I thought it would be. Bridget's tendency to lean into everything came to light, both with her pushing through my leg and hand and also with her just smashing through poles rather than moving her body in the way the pattern asks. (Don't worry, I know Bridget is finding it hard because it IS physically hard for her right now so I'm not out there drilling, just trying to pick an appropriate exercise for the day, get a few good steps to build on and then move on to easier for her things). 

Bridget is equally excited about the groundwork parts. Why do I even with this pony? lol

Out of curiosity, I tried the same with Sophie and again, some interesting things came to light. While she physically finds it all easy, her attention span and energy levels make her struggle with me asking for more precision, particularly in walk. 

Do I even have horses at home if I don't let them graze the front yard now and then?

All in all, an experiment I'm going to keep up with...I think a few minutes before or after each ride would benefit both girls immensely.

One more foal pic for tax <3

In which horse shopping takes a not so surprising turn and I buy a foal

I know, I know, buying something already going makes so much more sense. I said this time I was going to buy the unicorn that already does all the things, but nope, I am no good at taking my own advice. I wrote out an entire long saga of a post justifying this decision, but meh, you know what...if you've been here any amount of time me buying a Welsh Cob foal is probably about a 1/10 on the scale of Big Surprises :) 

What you really need to know: I like ponies. I like baby ponies. I like bay Welsh Ds with chrome. So I got one. He's cute. There are photos.

Is already a unicorn, can learn to do all the things later

He's named Trademark. I probably won't decide on a barn name until I meet him. He's currently just over a week old. His pedigree is like so:

Castleberrys Aeres! We all remember her lovely self from Jen at CobJockey. Little guy should have lovely movement for my future dressage goals

I had been on a waiting list for a while and exercised all the self control by passing in 2021 and 2022, but when I ended up with an option for this guy it felt right.

The logistics of him living halfway across the country mean that I'll be waiting a while yet to meet him in person. Luckily his breeder has provided tons of pictures to share.

Ready to event, such a huge ditch and brave pony :)

I told Bridget she's adopting a mini me this fall. I have a feeling she'll approve.

Doing Some Things

 Despite yesterday's snow, it's started to feel like spring around here. In pony owning world, the main sign of spring is the massive drifts of shedded hair floating around the place for a month on end. Remind me to clip them next year - they both outfit themselves for the Arctic despite living on the rain coast.

My blogging and social media updates have been slow to materialize. I have a good day and want to tell you all about it, then I have a bad day and want to hide again. However, the general trend remains positive and upward.

In 'good day' news, I spoke to a saddle fitter about what I need and bought a new (to me) saddle and I love it. Mechanically speaking, B is round, and I have short legs and a funky back and there is just no comfortable way for me to ride with my legs and butt under me in proper dressage rider style right now. My hips just aren't that wide by nature and my back/hips are way too tight at the moment to forgive it. So, I've moved to a jump saddle and am much happier.

B modelling new tack. It's an Ideal on a hoop tree and I would really recommend as something to try, especially for people with cobby, round ponies. As a brand in general they are british made and beautiful quality if you're into wool flocking and not french leather ;) They're also much more reasonably priced than similarly constructed saddles with bigger name recognition here in North America *cough County cough*.

Like me, B has been having good and bad days. I'm interested to see what the vet thinks when she comes back. The bad days are not "OMG don't ride the lame pony!" bad, but I'm definitely feeling some off and on asymmetry behind the saddle again. It's hard with her as one of her default evasions when she's tired or bored or even spooky is to kind of waffle around rather than moving truly forward, so perhaps it's just that combined with being out of shape, or perhaps she's sore somewhere and thus not wanting to move out confidently, it's a chicken and egg thing, maybe. Long time readers will know that's been a constant struggle as she gives the illusion of forward and connected from the ground, but as a rider it has always been a lot of work to keep her together and straight and not just pretzeling her body and legs wherever. Anyway, neither of us is in any way fit so that's where we start. It's currently 15-20 minute rides, mostly in walk, a lot of quiet hacks around the neighborhood.  This week we added in ground poles under saddle. I've been reading a lot about how great stepping over poles is as a low impact way to aid topline development and spatial awareness, both of which B could currently use some assistance with, so I've added that in when I longe her and once a week under saddle.

B not a fan of longeing over raised poles. But I think a good idea to help her get fitter without needing to pack me around every time

Sophie has been...Sophie. She's a lot of pony some days, since everything she does is 110%, but that also means she's the most fun, the most cuddly, the most involved.  I've been consistent about getting her out and she's been for a few tours accompanying me as I ride B. She's also been longeing and walking over poles and doing different groundwork exercises at home, mainly to keep her focused and interested. She naturally finds it easy to figure out her feet and body - kind of the opposite to B. I actually have been hopping on Sophie on the quieter days or to cool out. She's much more comfortable for me to sit on and far less complicated to ride,  but also I'm aware she's not the portable couch B is and I have work and healing to do before I can ride her regularly again. (Soon though!)

We trailered to the club grounds last week and she explored some obstacles in hand while I rode B (and got zero other media)

With B not getting in foal, and me experiencing some setbacks, I've been keeping feelers out for that perfect pony who is able to do all the things and look after their rider as well, but that's the same pony everyone else wants so I'm not holding out any hope of a new arrival appearing soon. I'm also ridiculously attached to the pony dynamic I have so although one-pony-to-rule-them-all is a logical wish, three ponies in my back yard would likely be the net result of said pony purchase, so I tread carefully. Most days I just try to stay positive that I will get to a place physically where sticking to Plan A of doing all the things with Sophie while Bridget stays semi retired will be a reasonable outcome.

Glamour Shots of fluffy ponies

Positives

Bridget passed her soundness exam with flying colors. I was very happy to see her looking so well! Part of me wants to be skeptical because we’ve been here before, but I’ve been encouraged to set the worries aside and ride the pony I have now, which is a sound one. The vet has no reservations about putting her back in work, and we have a fitness plan for her. I’ve got a follow up booked in two months when B should be well into proper work, and we can delve deeper then if any concerns present themselves. (Please no, let this be the end of it)

Fuzzy pony portrait

B and I are on week 1 of walking straight lines. My body still feels a bit fragile and uncoordinated, and that right leg still doesn’t always do what I tell it, so 10-15 minutes of riding at a walk is about where I’m at too. We are in this together, except I am much more excited about it than B 😁 

The rest of my free time consists of lots of hiking and physio exercises and making sure Sophie doesn't feel too left out or bored. I’m feeling grateful I’m back to being able to do many of the things I like. I’m especially grateful for Bridget, she is pretty beginner safe and quiet if you bring that energy. It's when a more experienced or motivated rider gets on that the fire breathing pony sass comes out. So far, she's reading the room accurately and being an excellent babysitter. Hopefully we'll get fitter and sassier together :)

Apple face. She sucks them into a pulp in the back of her mouth so you get this face for 5 minutes and she literally cannot focus on anything else while that is happening.

Getting From A to B

 Things have been progressing well over here. The big thing that has helped so much was being able to walk for a reasonable amount of time. Walking makes everything feel better physically and mentally. Some days are still very much a struggle but I'm getting good at recognizing the boundary of pushing through for long term benefits vs 'you've made a terrible horrible mistake you're going to regret later!'

Getting back to regular riding is very much on my mind, and with some hard conversations being had, I have to agree Sophie is not an appropriate mount for where I'm currently at. I mean, she's obviously an angel, but that means she does sprout wings now and then ;)

I swear B enjoys toying with her. Sophie gets a bit worried when B leaves, so of course B plays hide and seek around this corner whenever I groom her.

I have had all the time on the world lately to process all those regrets I would have had if riding was going to be limited. So, the target of where I want to get is clearer than it's even been. How to reasonably get from my current Point A to the envisioned Point B is the question.

I know a bunch of you are reading this going "Slow down, you're only just getting better, don't rush any decisions!" because I've had some real life friends with the same (valid) input. On the other hand, there is a lot to be said for having a path to start on and some goals to work towards (gradually!)

So, Bridget is getting a full lameness work up tomorrow. If nothing else, just to give me a baseline for what is fair to ask of her and what our current options are. I have a feeling this appointment could go either way - she's dropped fitness since she's had time off and honestly that's really not helped anything. It would be nice to have her back in a higher workload for a while to help me get back to where I want to be as a rider, but her wellbeing comes first and keeping her as my trail pony is great too.

Don't let her fool you, I had to resort to using a training aid (I know, I know, humor me because this is a temporary keep-my-back-safe thing with ponies suffering Spring Fever) It's as loose as it goes and prevents her completely getting her head up and bolting off when I'm actually just wanting some walk trot around the arena.

We are all obviously very attached to Sophie. Sophie is quirky, but far from difficult and I think it's far too soon to put long term limits on my riding aspirations. Sophie fits in perfectly with some of those Point B goals I have. Any decisions regarding our partnership will wait longer term.

Also wearing the longeing aid of shame last night. She was actually an angel though and didn't need it, unlike her big sister

Relive App

 In more good news, I'm feeling almost like myself again. I've been doing little hikes again, and my app says I get faster every time. I am feeling like I am the slowest person on earth right now, so it's nice to have data to dispute that (last week's T is now likely the slowest person ever recorded in the history of ;).

I'm using the 'Relive' app right now and I would recommend - it makes these fun little videos of your adventures, but also creates a static map and charts distance, speed, and elevation per use but also over time. I've set myself a goal of 100km this month, we'll see if I get there.

I thought I would share because while it's not equine centric, it would be perfect for trail riding! It's easy to share the little videos and any photos you take pop up through the video in the appropriate place. I'm finding it fun to send G a little recap of my walk as a jazzy little music video. It's the little things :)

Happenings

You know what I hate? Discussing personal medical stuff...I don't know why I have such an aversion to it, but it's making it hard to blog when I kind of need to mention it. The good thing about this space is that I can write directly about how it's affecting horses and riding, which I find much more comfortable than explaining to curious coworkers or acquaintances why I'm hobbling around :)

Anyway...this week's really great happenings are that I'm feeling much more myself in every way. I'm still struggling to stay where I need to be physically and not be frustrated I can't do all the things immediately, but there have been massive improvements in mobility and pain levels since my last post and I'm feeling so much better. I walk every second day and do physio exercises on the other day and each week I am able to do a bit more without regretting it later. I'm feeling super positive about being able to get back to a really good place.

You've never met someone who enjoys every moment of every day until you've met Sophie

I sat on a horse (Bridget) for the first time in 6 weeks and went for a little walk around (OK, my husband led me while I wore every safety item I own because I'm not physically quite there yet...but also, mental health needs consideration too). Using stirrups and navigating mounting with a saddle would be a challenge still, but toodling around in a bareback pad was perfectly comfortable and something I think I could be doing solo soon. I was joking that this is B's penance...99% sure a very impolite post jump pony maneuver and my resulting tumble a couple of years ago is where I got hurt. If not that, probably one of our other misadventures through the years, so she can do some time as pony rehab :)

Part time physio consultant in addition to her full time job as Sophie discipliner

I think I might be at a place in life where any of a long list of setbacks might make me take a second look at my life choices, but this has certainly made me reevaluate what I'm doing. I am currently feeling like I'm pretty lucky (fingers crossed for further smooth sailing) . A mix between 'time is short and anything can happen, live the life you want now!' and also 'my body needs to last so I need to be more responsible about looking after it'

Sophie again demonstrating YOLO, is less concerned with looking after her body since annoying B too much never ends well for her

With the chat last month about riding as a whole, or at least some riding activities possibly being off the table, I realized very quickly I had a whole giant bucket list I hadn't accomplished (and not even like I tried and didn't do it, more I just felt like I had all the time in the world to get to it...some day). This experience has done wonders for clarifying exactly what I want and need to prioritize doing.

S would always like to be invited along for any adventure.

It's too soon for some decisions, others have been no brainers. I'm not sending B for breeding, because I think my need for a Bridget 2.0 will be more immediate than the 5 or so years out I'd need to wait for a foal to grow to a rideable pony that can do much. Also, I think I'm going to be feeling less flexible about what I want and need, so at the very minimum I need to be looking at youngsters already on the ground and doing some things. 

B has been very snuggly lately - very unlike her!

Anyway, we move on and I'll check in when I have good updates to share. 

Good and Bad

 Let's start with the bit of bad, then move on to all the good that's happened since the last time we chatted.

The bad? The test results and specialist referral did not go the way I hoped, which led to a downward spiral in which I spent many hours wondering just what the future was going to look like (and why I couldn't just have less physically taxing hobbies.)

So, that was fun. 

But the good news is that I'm doing way better in real life than they thought it looked on paper, which means maybe I'll be lucky and that trend will continue.  Yesterday I was able to navigate stairs solo, the feeling and strength is definitely returning to my legs and I'm a lot less wobbly walking around. I have another round of scans as a check in (and surgery if needed/I choose to) scheduled in two months-ish. Hoping for no surgery!

Anyway, funny/happy things:

My husband is the best. And he likes the ponies. He's been doing all the pony care for me the last couple of weeks (and spoiling them rotten) which equally makes me feel super guilty and also teary with gratitude.

Good ponies

The ponies are amazing creatures. Much as husband likes them, he's not an overly experienced caretaker and yet they forgive him everything and are very patient and kind to him. Sophie especially can have some serious quirks and opinions but she's been an angel. The other night he was trying to let her into her stall (that had dinner ready for her) and she just stood quietly outside and wasn't going to move a step closer. I had to remind him to move well out of the way of the door first, because she was just saying she wanted to be polite and not crowd him when she walked by <3

He's somehow house trained Sophie? He's been annoyed at her stall habits for years (and I was like, it's horses, it's how it is)  and somehow he's solved it.  It sounds like she thought about peeing when he got there one morning but he made her go outside first and just told her what a good girl she was when she peed there. And now it's a bit of a thing, she pees before she goes in at night, and first thing when he lets her out in the morning. If you haven't guessed they're pretty much besties at this point and I'm told if I ever want to sell her I can't, he's keeping her as a pet.

Well, This Kind of Stinks

 Slightly whiny post ahead, with the disclaimer that I'm well aware I generally live a pretty charmed life and really have nothing to complain about.

Basically, I've had a sore lower back off and on for a while now. Then, about a week ago I was walking around and my foot wasn't going where my brain was telling it to and I had very little strength in that leg.

That's a bit of a red flag, so off to the doctor and a CT scan I went. I very naively thought there would be some magic thing they would do that would fix it as fast as it came on, but no, that's not how it works. 

I was hesitating to post this because I thought about waiting until I have more input and what the plan moving forward sounds like, but on the other hand, it sounds like at a minimum 6-8 weeks of no (or best case limited to walk) riding is on my calendar. If there was ever a group of people who 'get' how it feels to have riding off the table or limited for an indefinite time, it's you!

As to how I did it? Your guess is as good as mine. I had a pretty painful fall off B maybe a year ago where I landed on my back/tailbone, but also it could just be a lifetime of wear and tear and riding...the internet tells me lower spine compression and slipped discs are actually pretty common rider specific injuries. So, if you're like me, a rider with on and off lower back pain, go get checked out before it becomes anything serious. I waited so long that I'm not getting any guarantees I haven't done permanent nerve damage.

I've got input from a specialist coming next week. As it stands, I'm hopeful for time being the answer and being back in the saddle in a couple of months with no/minimal pain. At some point I'll need to wrap my head around what my riding and goals will look like. No matter who I talk to it does sound like there will be some limitations and things to consider in the future, but I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. For now, I just follow the medical advice and see how things evolve.

 

Off Course

(Or, staying calm in the face of a not so great week)

As much as I’d like to say it’s all sunshine and roses for us over here, tthat’s pretty unrealistic. Much as I’d love to bring my best self every day, I just don’t. My lovely banana pony has her moments. Sometimes life just happens. This was one of the weeks where I really had to work for it, but it was also a week where I feel like more progress was made because of the challenges.

Looking for monsters. It’s been cold and dry, with a hint of spring already (the grass is growing!) Cue the crazy ponies! 

This week we did a lot of transitions. A lot of halts. A lot of turns on the forehand and haunches, walking out into spirals. So many changes of direction, giving and retaking of the rein. Emphasizing being precise and responsive and not just looking for monsters and bolting off wherever her feet want to take us. She surprised me by being quite angry about that at first. Something to ponder for sure, but given I’m coming off not being the confident rider she needed, I can see why there might be some confusion as to who’s in charge when things get interesting.

Media on point, accurately portraying the chaos levels of the banana pony

Here's an article through an Equitation Science lens that gives some exercises you can use with spooky, anxious horses. I’ll be honest, though, all along it’s been hit or miss whether I’ll ride if either of us is having a really hard day. They don’t happen that often in the grand scheme of things, so she might get a nice grooming or a fun walk instead. I try to walk a line between respecting what she’s saying, how I’m feeling, but also giving us both something rewarding to do. Even so, sometimes life happens and the tough day coincides with a clinic I’ve paid for or my only day off work, or in this week’s case, when we’re already mid ride.

On a hot or spooky pony, most of my past coaches would have given similar advice as the article linked above as far as keeping pony busy and focused and between your aids. Some extra advice in that article (and that was given to me at a clinic last year) that I found valuable is that anxious/spooky/looky/racing off pony I ride some days has the same issues as the one who's lazy and behind the leg on other days. Same exact problems with steering and stop and go, usually due to a lack of clarity or confidence as to my expectations. Checking in on the basic buttons is appropriate for both situations and either case is a strong indication I really should go to my basics before proceeding. 

An almost square halt and standing still gets a pat. Sorry for the quality, it’s a Pivo screenshot and it was getting pretty dark out

I've had instructors advise to 'let her move out/let her move her feet/burn off some energy' but I think we've all ridden horses where that doesn’t necessary work. Sometimes faster = more excitement/even fewer hamsters left on the wheel, rather than the 'phew, thanks, OK got that out of my system'. 

Just random screenshots, I need to find a non painful way of extracting actual relevant clips from 20-40min videos. Any suggestions for apps or software (preferably free) , tech savvy readers?

The idea for me is to keep it calm and methodical, really focused on having a defined path I’m riding, and having influence over exactly where she is placing each hoof on that path. I’m reminding her what's an acceptable reaction to a half halt or whoa or go cue (3 seconds delay max to reliably associate cue and reaction is what research tells us). I still want to harbour doubts as to whether things like walk/halt spirals are really an appropriate exercise on a hot distracted pony (so many years of Bridget and being desperate not to shut her down or kill the forward) but this is working. I think because I am encouraging her to move her whole body and it’s actually hard physical and mental work for her, even ‘just’ in a walk or trot. We buckled down this week with some alternating shoulder in/haunches in, spirals, and even played with walk pirouettes because why not. (Keeping it real, she’s still pretty green so when I talk about these exercises I need to be clear I’m happy with a few correct or even “you tried your best” steps and let her walk on before we do another few steps. This isn’t fanceroni pony stuff (yet) over here)

What Pivo sees: Happy, ears forward pony doing her job, nothing dramatic at all.

Bridget enjoying an appetizer while I rode Sophie was probably the final straw the other day. Can’t fault the logic, because we all know B is a machine and Sophie’s fears are real that B could clean out the entire winter hay store in the 20 minutes she was busy with me.

I had visions this week of continuing to bring her back to work with lots of walk on a long rein, maybe some nice stretchy trot circles mixed in. Easing into it, relaxed and happy and low expectations and demands. This didn’t turn out to be the week for that. We got there some days, but other days a prompt and square halt felt like a good place to celebrate. 

Anyway...to avoid this becoming a novel - the positives to the last week and a bit:

- Got on a couple of times this past week even when I was feeling a bit out of my comfort zone. BUT I kept thinking and acting calmly rather than reacting emotionally. Big win over last year.

- I trusted the plan. (And I was calm enough to recall the advice and plan how I was going to use it/imagine what my coach would be saying in my ear re: me being perfectly capable of riding this pony on this day and doing it well too)

- It felt awkward and horrible and all sorts of uncomfortable and the gremlins were in my ear this week telling me I can't do this/this will not work/something is wrong with pony/something is wrong with me/I need an easier pony. Pivo says it just looked like I was actually riding my horse, and Sophie looked pretty happy to be there.

- We made some pretty good progress on square halts this week. Spirals, square corners too. Having a Sophie that is starting to stay where I put her and wait (even on the 'bad' days) = increased rider confidence.