back at it like she never missed a day

I hinted yesterday that Isabel has officially gotten back under saddle!!! So exciting!!! Austen was generous enough to come play around with the mare a bit - and that's definitely not an offer you say no to. Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion that Isabel secretly likes Austen. Shh, nobody say it out loud, but mare kinda likes getting all fancy ;)

mare stare complete with fancy new bridle!

I'm facing a couple more weeks in the boot (but am pretty much weaned entirely from my crutches - yasssss!!) but am hoping to quickly settle back into a routine once I'm in the saddle again. As such, I've asked for a little help in getting Isabel a head start on rebuilding her fitness.

"this one spot right here. yes. this is an acceptable way to touch my face. but only this." - isabel

A barn mate started long-lining her recently (the same barn mate who taught me how last spring), I've played with her in the round pen, and it's time for her to actually move out again with a rider.

watching her go is almost as fun as riding her

And seriously, I think Isabel missed it. For all her mare glare and expressive/opinionated/aloof behavior, I genuinely believe she likes getting fussed over. She likes being the center of attention. And really, she's just just such a trier - even when it's hard or confusing, she still ultimately wants to be good.

seriously, what's not to love?

The mare looked REALLY good from my vantage point on the ground. Loose, relaxed, happy and seeming to understand and enjoy the 'job' (tho Austen wasn't drilling or demanding anything - just asking for a nice ride). She just seemed soft and connected, not at all fussy, and for all the world like she hadn't missed a day - let alone 5 weeks.

even the huskies want to go running around with her ;) (or maybe they just want their mother haha... whatevs)

Austen seemed to have a positive impression of how Isabel felt too - saying her back felt relaxed and swinging (yay long lining!) and that she was steadier in the connection than last time she rode. Sure, some things didn't magically fix themselves over her vacation (looking at YOU, canter transitions!), but eh, we'll get back to work on them soon enough.

she still remembers how to stretch, sorta kinda momentarily haha

Really tho, I think everyone involved is relieved to see the light at the end of my broken leg tunnel.

video here

They worked for right around 20 minutes, maybe a hair longer, before I got to love on the mare a little bit and stuff her with sugar cubes before returning her to the field. Sigh. Seriously. Cannot wait to ride again. Soooooon!! 

i'm just so happy to spend time with her again!

And now that Dan is on his way to Aiken for the season (tragic that I missed the last few lessons before he left... boo) we're shifting our focus slightly. Sure, we'll still go to weekly jump lessons at OF, but I want to get serious about dressage this winter. Trainer C is so close, and her farm is so lovely - we're gonna do our best to make weekly lessons happen. Exciting!

dis her self-satisfied face

Just watching Austen ride this time vs last time also went a long way toward reassuring me that we *have* been on the right path, we've been learning and improving and the foundation is THERE now. Time to start really building on that!

and huskies too. even if they were pissy about the wet soupy sand

And as a way of thanking Austen, I suggested she hop on my ear be-fuzzed buddy Bali!!!

it's a Bali!!!

Because that's the kind of friend I am haha.

"Here, come ride my super fun, agreeable and talented sports car mare!!!"

"Ooooh and while you're at it, how about riding this green, moderately soured asshole OTTB too. He's pretty much the cutest! Don't worry about him threatening to bite your face off - idk if he can even bite like a proper horse with that parrot mouth ;) "

he wears fancy bridles too

I'm, um, not exactly sure that my enthusiasm for this gelding is contagious. But all I see is ear fuzz. Everything else is noise. Just ear fuzz. All ear fuzz. I luvs it!

and that tail tho!

Tho I did warn Bali's lease rider (who was helping with lessons in the arena) that some serious ass kicking was likely imminent, and that it was probably not a battle Bali would win lol.

looking fancy!

Really tho, Austen did a very nice job with him. She pinpointed the same basic approach for him that I had settled on: don't worry about where he carries his head and neck - they're gonna swing around every which way, but it's essentially all in an effort to balance himself. The real focus is: FORWARD. Always and forever, amen.

looking..... opinionated?

He's got a lot more power in there than he's immediately willing to unlock. You can parse it out a little bit at a time, but it requires working through some, erm, resistance.

at least he's an ambidextrous tool bag? 

And Bali definitely challenged Austen's commitment to forward (eventually prompting her to further shorten her stirrups for easier pony club thumping haha, since I had neglected to grab spurs for her). All the same, it was really interesting to get her take on him - especially as she was able to better identify some ways to help get him moving better, as well as suggesting where I should focus my efforts in making him more comfortable.

there we go - more of this plz bali! 

Still, tho. It was probably *not* Austen's favorite ride of the day. Lolz. Poor unloved Bali. If I had thought ahead (and the ring hadn't been so sloppy) maybe we could have sent her over a fence or two and she would better understand the horse's attraction. He's WAY easier to jump than he is to flat! And FUN :)

video here

Oh well... maybe next time? For now, tho, the countdown is seriously on for my return to the tack!