Rode Bailey today. After another awesome groudwork session (okay awesome by MY standards, probably not awesome by Fawn’s or Buck’s!) By that I mean she didn’t get tight about the cinch, didn’t come close to offering to buck AND I could visualize where I was asking her foot to go and it would GO there. The session included backing up and coming forward off the halter knot, flag work, tarp work, saddling and more flag work and tarp work and backing up and coming forward off the slobber strap… after all of that Bailey looked ready to ride. She grumped a bit about me getting on and I ignored that the first time and stayed on. I had to get off at one point when the neighbour drove down the driveway – when I got back on I waited on getting her to where she was more respectful and accepting of me mounting. The first time I got on she tried to bite my leg when doing a one rein stop – AGAIN. This stopped me the last time I tried to ride her – but this time a voice in my head calmly and firmly said, “Get to her feet!!” I got to her feet, after blocking her biting with ‘crazy toe’ and then let her dwell when her feet came loose. Asked again – another ears back attempt but got to the feet sooner that time. Once more we sat and dwelled as thanks. Next ask (with as light a leg as I could manage and then getting effective) and we had no more ears. Bailey really tells me that I need to start light, light, LIGHTER than I think light is… then get effective in a timely manner. She respects and appreciates that, or so it seems to me. We rode up and down my long driveway, working on staying between legs and reins, getting her lighter off my leg to go forward until just a roll up to position 2 and opening my legs with core energy would get a trot. Lots of one rein stops, then, working on lateral flexion as rest and reward after we’d get good effort at “go” and maintaining gait. Still an initial ‘ears back’ at the trot until the very last time (the one I quit on) when I thought to myself… I need to ask her EVEN LIGHTER than I have been. Yep. That worked. We did work on short serpentine some, before I got the ‘go’ good… next time, I’ll check out ‘go’ first, then work on the short serpentines.
After turning Bailey loose in the paddock, I then caught Maya using the bridle – surprised the heck out of her, I can tell you, not what she was expecting at all! We just did some quick groundwork to see that she was in the mood to let me get to her feet and then I hopped on and we toodled up the road and home again bareback. I know Buck says that bareback is only for children and porn stars… but well, I’m still a kid at heart. I wasn’t planning on getting anything accomplished horsemanship-wise, except having a fun short ride on my pony and proving my balance. We did that for sure. She rocks. I was ready for a canter but felt that wouldn’t have been fair to her because of the rocks on the road that were already bugging her at the walk and trot. I didn’t have time to get to the soft path on Verigin Road, so I’ll save that for the next bareback ride!
Feeling pretty positive about the ride on Bailey today, and feel like I’m ready to hit the trails with her, at long last (overprepared, much, anyone??)
My helmet broke today when I was adjusting the ‘retention system’ at the back for better fit. One of the clips busted off. I’ve probably only used it 30 times and hardly ever adjusted it, and I’ve made sure to treat it well – so I took it back to Greenhawk and they’re going to order me up a new one on warranty. Have to wait a couple of weeks, so I’ll be back to my old helmet if I ride Bailey in that time. Sure would like to, it was going good and I want to keep that progress going!
