who wore it better?

Asking because I got to play dress up with and ride both horses!!!!!

i swear this is her happy face

See, my office had big budget cuts this year and, as such, announced that instead of a holiday party we would have a 4 hr long 'Town Hall Meeting.' Um, seriously ppl?!? But it was all a ploy - 30min into the meeting they said "SURPRISE - everyone gets the afternoon off. Go do something special that *isn't* just running errands."

So.... I rode the horses. On a weekday in daylight :)

'we go fast yes? we do the thing?!?' - isabel

And it will surprise exactly nobody to know that Isabel was a super star. She felt so so SO good! We only used half the ring  since they're in the process of putting in new footing (super exciting and likely the topic of a later post) but that was totally fine. It's not like I was trying to do coursework haha.

i'm on a horse! (also you can kinda see the area where the footing has been dug out)

Mostly we just talked about connection and bend and pushing from the hind end into the bridle. Plus she wanted to stretch a bit. Fine fine. Her left side is still more stiff, but my legs also weren't really... legging haha, so I didn't fuss about it.

I felt a bit loose, but not as much as expected. And it was actually due in part to too-long stirrups on my dressage saddle (personally I always feel more secure in a shorter jump-length stirrup anyway).

best mare is the best

And then before I knew it we were cantering a lap or two too, and it was fine!! Ahhhh what a good mare - she felt phenomenal and happy and stepped right into canter despite my tipping upper body (or maybe bc of it - we're moderately codependent when it comes to cues haha), and then actually gave me some nice-for-her canter-trot transitions.

EVIDENCE!!!!

Hard to explain how good that felt, guys. We were maybe only at it for 20 minutes, mostly walking on a loose rein. Nothing super hard or challenging, no fighting. Just enjoying each other's company and testing out which of *my* buttons still work bc all of hers appear perfectly intact.

Then it was on to phase 2 of the day: Balimurphy! And a continuation of my 'fake it til ya make it' plan: dressing him for success. A couple days ago I hit up the consignment store and snagged 4 new-to-me saddle pads for $25. Including my first ever actual proper dressage pad - in this lovely burgundy with silver braided piping and an interesting quilt pattern.

so who wore it better?!?

The pad's a little small but I am not particularly worried about that. What's interesting is that I thought Bali would be the obvious winner with this particular color - ya know, with the whole 'burgundy on a redhead' thing. But actually it doesn't pop quite as much on his coat as I expected, and I kinda like the color on Izzy too. What do you think?

that's one excited ottb lol

Regardless, I think Bali actually enjoyed playing dress up. Every time I go get him from his new field he's standing off completely alone like a little lost puppy. Probably good for taking his ego down a notch so he's less of an asshole to handle, but it's a tad pitiful.

Then again tho I think it makes him happy to come in and be fussed with. He was already MUCH better behaved for grooming than during our spa session over the weekend. (Tho we still had a conversation about whether shaking a hind leg in my general direction is acceptable. Short answer? No. Sill not acceptable.)

the only non-blurry pics i can get are his Eeyore faces

But he was more or less a gentleman for getting saddled up. This is a big deal since his behavior on the ground contributes just as much to scaring students as anything he does under saddle. He is a quick study tho, and I expect speedy improvement with his ground manners. Amazing how a consistent routine alone can fix so many problems.

he says that all this 'being a good boy'  nonsense is harder than it looks!

As far as his behavior under saddle? Brace yourself for a shocker: Bali was the most willingly forward he has *ever* been for me - even more so than our off property adventure at OF. His walk was immediately loose and big stepping - rather than needing 10 min to coax him forward.

In fact, homeboy was straight up feeling fresh. But good. Very good. Probably too much horse for a beginner, but a happy and willing horse. He didn't nap, kick out or suck back once - and I gave him ample opportunity by standing in the center or walking on loose reins chatting with Brita and Kaitlyn, then getting back to work. Typically he's hard to get going after a break, so that needs improvement. But for this ride? He was spot-on.

'wish i was eating my dinner right now' - bali

Canter was a tad too strong, but I'm taking partial responsibility given my weak core and legs. The brakes were (mostly) there tho. All in all I was very impressed with how tuned in and ready he felt. So he got lots of love and life savers and then got to dig into his dinner right after the ride. And I was left feeling much more optimistic about his chances in the program. Fingers crossed!

cats will always find something cozy to lay on. polos, jackets, whatever. they will find it

Riding with my friends again was also surprisingly gratifying. I've been coming out to watch them ride, and going to lessons with them, sure. But to actually *ride* with them... it was pretty great. I got winded quickly and will undoubtedly be sore haha, but whatever. It was totally worth it and left me feeling happier and more mentally refreshed than I've felt since October 24 :)