fo' snizzabel

Aside from sitting around feeling slightly panicky bc my horse was out of commission again, I've actually mostly been chuggin right on along lately.

Mostly boring stuff, as I'm sure you've already figured out. Lots of soaking and wrapping Charlie's hoof, and lots of quality time spent grooming him in the meantime (not that he doesn't still look like a mud encrusted orphan for all my efforts....).

But I also got to do some fun stuff! Like going with my friends to Loch Moy! AND!! Going back to Isabel's barn to visit with her and get to know her new lease rider!!

had to order more vet wrap. got a sweet multi color pack. hopefully will never have to use any of it ever again ever, but if we do, at least charlie will look fabulous?

Her former lease rider M was such a great fit and did such a nice job with her (pretty sure Izzy loved M way more than she ever loved me), but ended up getting a horse of her very own last Christmas. This was great for M, but not so great for Izzy, who has been sitting idle ever since.

But she's got a new lease rider now - a college student new to the area. And naturally Isabel wanted to pull all the same tricks on this rider as she did with me during our early days all those years ago. Acting like she was feral, being a bear to bridle, and just generally giving off vibes of being a wild, spirited, untamed beast -- rather than the seasoned professional we all know her to be in reality.

also tho, seriously can not say enough of these syringes!! highly recommend!

So I got to go and visit and tell the new rider, O, all of Isabel's little secrets. Namely: if you visualize everything she does through the lens of her reclining on a chaise longue while servants fan her with palm fronds and feed her sweets and treats, all her behavior starts making a lot more sense. In other words, she's a princess.

Plus naturally there were many tips and tricks about getting the princess groomed and dressed in a manner that befits her royalty. New rider O found this very useful, having not yet been able to bridle Izamonster on her own without help. So we got that taken care of.

it's an Isabel!!!!!! with her new rider!!!

Then I also got to hop on for a little ride to see how Izzy's doing and give O some pointers. Squeeeeee Isabel!!!! 

The mare is honestly kinda a hot mess right now tho haha. Like, last lease rider M did a fabulous job with her, but hasn't ridden her in a couple months now. The mare's just been sitting. So she felt very rusty and weak. It was so cool to be on her again tho! To start moving her around, asking her to give this way and that way. To stretch and be soft, but not curl or get behind my leg.

It was tough bc we were in the small narrow (narrower than 20m) arena and the footing was really bad - deep and soupy all around the track and short ends of the arena, and Isabel protested this very much. But we couldn't really stay off the track bc then the turns all got too tight and Izzy really isn't strong enough to hold herself up in tight turns right now.

oh memories <3

We worked through it tho and I rode her for maybe 15-20min. Mostly at walk and trot, working on her straightness and pushing her out, from her natural tendency to fall in. We did a little canter tho and it was a hot mess haha. Oh Izzy. You a fancy mare, but your canter's got nothing on Charlie!!

It's funny tho -- last time I rode her, when helping M first get started, it felt like coming home again after green green Charlie. This time? She felt familiar and comfortable to me -- but no longer felt like *my* horse. Maybe bc she's so rusty, she's not really going the way I like right now? Or maybe bc Charlie has come so far in his training that now *he* is the horse who goes exactly to my liking?

Who knows, whatever the case it was fun to ride her. Fun to aim her at the little cavaletti that she jumped every time adorably even tho I only wanted her to trot it haha. But it was also just as fun to hop off and hand the reins to O, and give her a little mini lesson on Iz.

ooooh but there's my boy!! under saddle!!!!!! and out hacking too!!!!!

Bc.... as much as I love that horse, and as dear as she is to my heart, and as invested as I will probably always be in ensuring she's safe and successful with her riding partners..... She's really not my horse any more.

Ultimately, Charlie's my guy. And my feeling of "coming home again" was last night, getting to sit on him again finally after he got all his shoes put back on!! And he's basically sound!!! Yay!!!!

This was naturally so exciting to me that I hauled him filthy out of the barn, having just knocked the crusted mud off his back and picked his feet, and hopped on for our first real ride in two weeks!!! And in daylight too!! Yay!!

It was like 80* tho (weather, go home, you are drunk) so we just did a cursory w-t-c before wandering out to the xc fields to hack around in the setting sun, wading through the water and walking up and down some little banks just for shits and giggles. Yessss. Feels good, man.