"nobody said there would be ponies"

I've been really reluctant to buy more stuff for Doozy, mostly bc... Let's be real, I already have a LOT of stuff. #borderlinehoarder over here, not gonna lie.

shires 200g neck. would have preferred 0 fill... but for $20 in excellent condition, it'll do!

But I also wanted to be really intentional about prioritizing the stuff we really need and will use. Which I think has paid off. 

Over the last 6 months since Doozy arrived, she's gotten a fly mask, halter, rain sheet and shoulder guard new, and has otherwise gotten all her blankets used, plus all her tack repurposed from Charlie. Except for that used Beval jump saddle she wore for 2 months to get going before she gained enough weight to fit Charlie's monoflap L'Apogee. 

HKM cob-sized leg boots, super airy with lots of protection -- really happy with how nice they look!

I do love buying new stuff, tho haha... Plus got a few gift certificates to our local consignment shop, Maryland Saddlery, for my birthday and Christmas. So I finally polished off the remaining credit this weekend -- with another neck attachment, a nice pair of show gloves, shipping boots, and front and hind boots for Doozy!

Back on Track hind fetlock protection, bought to match the pair of brown Professionals Choice open fronts i already have that fit Doozy...

I'm really excited about those white HKM boots, which will get used for xc and look super flashy omg! Let's just hope I can keep them clean tho.... I'm less excited about the Back on Track fetlock boots tho.... 

fast forward to a post ride pic, however: these are not a fit and will either get returned or sold to somebody else. interested for $25?

They're super pretty and would nicely match the brown open fronts Doozy inherited from Charlie... But the fit is just not right for her dainty little stems... Oh well, it was worth a shot!

all dressed up and ready to play!

Anyway. It's fun to dress this pretty mare up all nicely, esp when we go out in public and kinda embarrass ourselves LOL...

descending into "death alley" following brave Punky lol --- there's just so much stuff down in this little clearing, can be spooky!

Like on Sunday, when we thought the lessons were done for the day, and could not have been more wrong. The jump ring was crowded with kids and ponies and parents and various spectators...

we thought lessons were over but noooope --- there were SIX cantering and jumping ponies in the ring, including Candee Kisses (top right), which blew poor Doozy's brain that her field friend also existed in the riding universe too lol

It was a lot for poor Doozy, not gonna lie. Especially considering one of the ponies is her pasture mate and she got really distracted and magnetized with trying to go say hi. Never mind that Rosette is also a pasture mate now and was with us... That's old news, bc we ride with Rosette all the time... But Candee??? Omg, earth shattering lol.

the atmosphere chilled considerably once the lesson finally ended!

Doozy held it together shockingly well, tho. Like, on one hand I was disappointed bc it was clear that we might have to abandon our plans for jumping around bc of the lesson... But, eh, this is real life and Doozy's got to learn to cope. And she did! Like, sure, we had a couple unexpected dance moves and a few sideways shies and bolt attempts. 

fun with artsy shadow shots lol

But none of it was nasty. And in fact, most of it was more or less unobserved by the crowd, including my riding buddies. Which is further proof that Doozy is learning to be a bit more self contained. Even when I feel her vibrating with tension, she doesn't necessarily look it. Good girl!

doozy's first helmet cam clip!

And ya know, the ponies eventually left after about 30min, and the vibes chilled wayyyyy down in the ring. And our little trio were finally able to fully focus on our objectives for the day. Amy was trying out a very nice trial dressage saddle. Katie wanted to pop a couple fences up to height. And obvi Doozy wanted to do some little cross rails too -- with bonus helmet camera footage!

chillin like a pro after we finished, while i caught video of my friends

It's been a LONG TIME since I did anything worthy of the helmet cam haha... and I'm not even sure this ride really counts lol. But it's a nice helmet camera, I like using it, and maybe it's fun to switch up the perspective every now and again!

also a pro about the hack back down to the barn!

Doozy for her part jumped around just fine. The cross rails were the most boring part of the whole endeavor, obvi lol, but we were able to string a few things together and I'm starting to get a feel for letting her take a more forward step to the jumps so long as she's steady in the approach.

and a pro about this stream crossing too!!

Doozy really impresses me in her ability to recover from extreme tension or anxiety. Like, I'm still sorta learning about what triggers her, how she reacts, and all the related implications and all.... But it's becoming clear that she CAN recover and move on after being upset. 

Sometimes it takes a good long while (like when I hand walked her for 60min at Kealani for her first Sally lesson)... But knowing that a meltdown doesn't necessarily mean game over for her helps give me confidence to be patient and let her work through the new experiences.

she's real sweet, guys <3 <3 <3

So ya know. Yea, my heart kinda sank when we realized the lesson was happening and we maybe wouldn't get the ride we planned... But maybe it turned into an exercise of getting what we needed instead of what we wanted. And we got to do all our little jompies eventually anyway! 

Feels like a win, in the grand scheme of things. And another solid experience for Doozy lol bc that ring was 100% as chaotic (or more, let's be real) as a warm up ring. And we lived and eventually performed! We'll take it lol...