It's not a video of impressive accomplishments. No no, the jumps are small and we're riding inside the tiny dusty indoor in the depths of winter/spring.
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| pretty mare bc pretty |
I love watching Isabel's face as I bring her to a halt and hash it out with my trainer. Then, as if it were nothing, she just picks up her canter and proceeds like a rockstar. Like if it weren't for my erroneous piloting skills she'd just be winning literally everything haha.
Charlie will be like that one day -- tho admittedly he'll never be as nimble and cat-like as that fancy schmancy pocket rocket arab mare!
Do you ever have favorite moments that? Maybe not the earth shattering major accomplishments or whatever, maybe instead they are the small inconsequential moments in between.... but they say so much more about the partnership or the horse?
I had those moments all the time with ahem out on conditioning rides. Moments she’d pick up this amazing all day trot and fly down the trail requiring no input and then I’d make anwrong turn and have to stop and turn around and she’d get so so mad at me. She knew that if the monkey in her back had just gotten it right we would have won. Never mind it was just us two out conditioning. Competitive Arab mares are the best.
ReplyDeleteThey really are tho haha. Isabel was never the kind of horse I would have chosen for myself, but damn did we learn a lot together and have a ton of fun while we were at it!
DeleteThat's a very interesting course and use of arena!
ReplyDeleteI probably should have linked to the original post haha - but yes it was a very cool jump configuration for making do with the confined space. Diagrams are included here too:
Deletehttps://fraidycateventing.blogspot.com/2016/02/blurry-brown-blobs.html
Oh small, sassy mares. My favorite ;-)
ReplyDeleteOne day, Charlie will be like that... and it might take you MONTHS to notice that he is that level of "broke".
ha ain't that the truth! tho i'm skeptical he'll ever be as catty as little 14.3 isabel.... that arena in the video is only 20x40m!!
DeleteLove those memories that give that feeling!
ReplyDeletedefinitely, they're always worth holding on to <3 <3 <3
DeleteTotally love the video. She's all sassy at the end, like "let me just do this my way"
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, that feeling of not having to think ok, pick up the correct lead, at this pace, and don't lose it, is quite wonderful. Things are just automatic and we take them for granted because we are always working on the next thing
yessssss -- not having to think about each and every step. that's what's so apparent to me in that video was how in tune and almost symbiotic izzy and i had become with some of the basic communication and aids. charlie isn't "automatic" yet but hopefully soon!
DeleteI love how creative trainers/riders need to get when relegated to an indoor ring. Like seriously love that exercise looks like fun and you two as a team were great in a different but equally awesome way as you and Charles In Charge.
ReplyDeletei'm so grateful that my trainer has such a deep treasure chest of interesting exercises for the months we end up relegated to the tiny indoor. this one was especially fun!
DeleteThat video makes me miss jumping lessons - that exercise is just the kind of thing my coach sets up mid winter, too. Love how Izzy is like "Back off everyone, I've got this!" Lol
ReplyDeleteha seriously! and yea it's super fun to switch it up every now and then too - instead of just normal course work, or normal grid work, it's fun to do these completely different types of exercises too!
Delete❤ so nimble and adjustable! My moments are usually when I'm on the ground--shiraz following me around the arena like a dog when I am putting away equipment but standing like a statue when I say whoa. But lately it's those four or five strides of collected canter that I replay in my mind.
ReplyDeleteoooooh i love when we get that fleeting feeling that sticks with us, proving to us that it *IS* in there and waiting to be brought out more and more. exciting that Shiraz is showing you that with her canter now!
DeleteYes, the in-between moments are what it's all about! My favorite is when I walk into the barn and say, "Hi, Duke!" and he snaps his head up to nicker at me. It melts my heart. Or the times when I find that scratchy spot that feels soooo good and his lips twitch. Or the moments when I feel him see a scary jump and question it, and I put my leg on and he just goes for it because he trusts me. I love it.
ReplyDeleteawww yessss, and it's all those little moments that are really the fruits of all our partnership and trust building labor <3
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