a tale of two rides

Happy Friday, y'all!!! I'm still in the thick of things at the Maryland 5*..... But ya know, the schweet thing about local shows is that.... I can still go home and ride afterward! 

Caroline Pamakcu & HSH Afterglow, winning the 4yo Young Horse Championships

So I spent the day jump crewing the 4 year old Young Horse Championships, hanging out with Sarah, Fair Hill's perennial in gate steward. 

We were privileged to watch a very wide spectrum of horses presented. A really really nice spectrum. Everything from "holy shit talented, but Green AF // Hard to Ride" to .... "Oh yea, this one is gonna be useful wherever it goes!"

Full video of Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Afterglow

Obvi, inspiring as always. Considering.... The horses were all FOUR. And I happen to have a 5yo at home who may or may not (hint: may not) be capable of even hand walking in that sort of environment... 

link to video of doozy schooling

legit the same day as Caroline's 4yo did the above

So obviously I went home and enlisted the help of a friend to nab some quick video of me and Mondeuse --- not least bc this was the final day of our (extended) saddle trial. And it's been a while since we've had any footage. 

Obvi, lol, it's pretty funny/stupid to compare footage from my mere mortal self to a US Team rider winning a young horse futurity class... 

But... Ya know... I'm also stupid proud of my silly red mare who 100% appreciated the extra gravity of a second warm (equine) body in the ring (for the first ((real)) time) with her. 

Small, but also important steps y'all! Full ride recap probably to come later... but for now, just enjoy the vids! TGIF!

well that was easy!

Have I ever mentioned that Fall is my favorite?? Gosh, I just love this time of year. The weather, but also all the activities!!!

it's Maryland 5* time @ Fair Hill!!

As has become habit in recent years, I take a whole bunch of time off work for the annual celebration of eventing that is the big 4* 5* at Fair Hill! This year, I had a super easy volunteer gig on Wednesday: acting as 'crossing guard' while the seven US Pan Am Team riders did their dressage tests in the main arena.  

the US Pan Am team ran through their dressage tests on Wednesday

It was neither a long day, nor a difficult job -- considering the only people really around on the Wednesday before the event are either involved in setting up / preparing, or are themselves riders / grooms / support crew / owners etc. So it wasn't exactly a difficult crowd lol.

when you have to ride your Pan Am horse at 11:30, but jog your 3* horse at 12:00....

Plus it got me on the grounds a day earlier than anticipated, to preview some of the shopping plus watch the jogs. If you're into that sort of thing, the whole 5* class, complete with full view of all outfits, is squeezed into little micro clips in the below 45sec video lol.

link to a super short compilation of all 26 5* entries at the jog

Anyway, again, was a short shift at the event for this day --- esp compared to today and tomorrow, when I'm doing Young Horse Champs stuff over longer days. Which meant it was perfect to get all puffed up with inspiration and whatnot, then go play with the red pony!

lolz not every horse is destined for the FEI jog strip!!

We've definitely got our little riding routine down pat, now. I stop by the indoor on my way down to the barn to arrange all our little exercises and obstacles, then go get the mare, and we proceed in more or less the same fashion. Bonus for this ride was that she was a bit less tense than last time, and we had the whole place to ourselves. 

cross rail is getting a little bigger lol

"Less tense" doesn't mean "Not tense" tho. The mare is still a little touch and go about this whole.... riding arrangement. But she's becoming quite reliable about the actual riding aids. Doozy is a whiz at steering, even when I have to escalate some aids to improve straightness in a turn, for example.

oooh we did a second cross rail too, in a new place, plus our standard trot poles

She's also got the trot transition figured out. Recall in our earliest rides (after restarting the restarting, tho), she'd often kinda spurt immediately from walk to canter. She seems to know now that, actually, we're just going to trot around a bit. I aim to ride a few symmetric figures off each rein, then find an early moment of softness for our first break. Rinse, repeat a few times. 

we've more or less stuck with this array -- i need to break out my #GridProQuo book for new inspiration!

I also still like to walk her through all the ground poles first, before trotting them. And we're finally getting to the point where there isn't much difference in how Doozy tackles the poles whether we're going toward or away from the door. 

We added a second cross rail for this ride, and "beefed up" the normal one, raising the poles a little bit and adding a ground line. We did each one twice, with her first tries being a little wiggly, but second tries very business like. She jumped the bigger X super cute, in a nice way where I actually added a little leg, tho in this ride we landed from everything in a trot. 

i think she's ready to not have to ride alone all the time

So, all that was left to do was a little canter in each direction. My canter aids really are not at all very good right now. My position isn't great for the normal feel I get on Charlie, I'm too perched, and my legs hang differently, so I'm kinda all over the place, sorta hoping she'll just get on with it. 

Luckily, so far, she does lol. Tho it still routinely takes us a second try to get the left lead. Nbd. 

well well well, what have we here??

So the 20th ride is in the books -- and I promise I'm done with counting them at this point lol! It is an important milestone, tho, and I really like the feeling I'm getting --- where, actually, the next big breakthroughs are probably going to come from me riding better vs Doozy magically figuring it all out. Feels like the ball is in my court, ya know? Which means.... lessons!!!

big Dooz Nooz!!! first time practicing with the trailer was a non event!

I'm working on a few options for getting lessons at home.... Considering part of why we moved to this barn in the first place back in 2017 was bc we had previously been shipping in for lessons. Things change tho, c'est la vie, but I'm hopeful we might figure something out. 

In the meantime, have trailer, will travel! Ya know, if the mare loads!

link to short video of doozy on a trailer!

And she loads!! I had exactly zero expectations about this first practice session, not gonna lie. We didn't really have trouble getting her into the trailer at the adoption facility, but it did take two (patient) people and a few long moments. 

I've shown her a trailer ramp once since then, without asking her to get on... And I dunno, I just kinda had this feeling that I should be ready to go slow, ya know? 

obvi food helps lol

But I walked Doozy up to the side door first, and showed her the food bucket I'd hung on her chest bar. She was obviously intrigued by that lol. So when I walked her up to the passenger side bay, she took a moment or two to think about life, but then decided to come right on in and get dat bucket. Good girl!!

She'd had a little trouble backing off the ramp when I first brought her home, and seems to do very nicely with a little light repetition. So I got her out of the bucket before she was quite finished, and asked for a careful, slow reverse off the trailer --- which she did quite nicely. We walked a little circle then represented to the ramp, and ta da!, she just walked right on in and finished her little meal. And again just sorta stood there snacking until I asked her to back up. 

all aboard!

Obvi bribing a horse with food isn't the same as "training" them (lol), but eh, I'm a big believer in positive experiences and associations. It's not clear what our first few outings will be, but my hope is to be partnered up with a seasoned horse + rider combo so Doozy will have a good role model and I'll have help if needed. 

We'll see, tho, all in good time! 

edging toward uncountable

Y'all already know that Mondeuse had a pretty big week last week. Honestly, aside from the week when she arrived, last week was kinda the first time where everything clicked together and she finally ascended to the role of 'riding horse.' 

my friend looking fresh as a goddamn daisy after running a cold wet rainy Baltimore marathon

She did 5 excellent days of 'work' in a row, and then got to marinate over the weekend while I was otherwise occupied with a friend visiting for the marathon. 

obvi the next day of "active recovery" was dedicated to playing with the ponies!

Tho, obviously, horses factored pretty heavily into our post race plans --- since this friend is also horsey and actually has worked as head manager and show groom at a variety of farms up and down the East Coast. 

charlie has the best juju for accompanying young horses, it's nice to finally be able to experience it from this other perspective!

And obvi, one of the most exciting aspects of having two now --- especially one as seasoned, experienced, and reliable as Charlie --- is that I can share! 

d'awww <3 <3 <3
(pay no attention to the single polo wrapped leg, ugh #kingofthedings)

So Doozy's 18th ride was another low key stroll around the farm with Charles <3 I was pretty proud of the little red mare too. It was a cold wet weekend and she'd had three days off in a row, but proved what we all know to be true: horses truly do learn from one ride to the next, even if the rides aren't on consecutive days. 

She had her best under saddle stream crossing yet --- plus did a little loop around the open field with only a mild attempt at trying to zip back to the gate. We'll take it! Charlie was obviously perfect, if occasionally confused by Doozy's antics lol. 

just photo spam of walkies around the farm with my two sweet ponies plus a friend!

The next day was just back to the normal (gosh I love that word) 'grind,' with ride #19 so mundane that I didn't even take a single picture in the entire barn visit. Guys, that's how you know we're settling into the routine LOL. 

I had stopped by the indoor to set up some more poles and stuff --- the line of 3, spaced at 9' apart. A pole across the short end on the far side, a little x-rail. Standard stuff. Let the mare fill up on some hay while getting brushed and tacked in her stall. Then headed on up to the indoor for the first time in 4 days. 

guys she crossed the stream ahead perfectly!! zero hesitation!

There was a pony and kiddo inside the ring when we arrived, and they left shortly after. This was a little challenging for Doozy, since they left through her favorite door (from which we had arrived), and she had a little trouble settling. But only a little. And ya know... this is the stuff, right? 

Part of what makes our boarding barn so interesting is that... it's huge. I don't even know how many horses are there, but estimate about 70+. At any given time of day, there could be horses in any (or all!) of the 3 arenas, plus cruising the driveway, plus out in the xc fields or in the woods. 

some pretty views along the driveway

A big part of Doozy's early training is going to revolve around learning to #cope with unexpected horses who come and go at random. And for this ride, she basically did that. 

We repeated all the same exercises she learned last week --- walking and trotting, including 20m circles in the middle and ends of the arena. Plus a fun little walking course of all the ground poles I set up. Doozy understands now to stay straight and centered thru the lines of poles. 

and out for another circuit thru the fields too -- and Doozy was pretty good!

She also jumped the little X again, a bit casually lol and knocked the rail --- but landed in a pleasant canter that we carried on for a couple laps. Then changed directions and did some laps on the other lead. Then walked another little 'course' through all the ground poles just to establish that we don't bail immediately after cantering. 

And it was all good. Not as good as some of the highlights from the week prior, bc the mare was more tense and less settled. But, for all intents and purposes, it was a good ride where the mare answered every question more or less correctly, and practiced new skills. 

charlie obvi was the best tho, ugh love this horse! even tho he twisted off another shoe this week

I sorta half-joked to a friend that this is basically our life now. We can officially walk / trot / canter / jog little x-rails --- so, ya know, we'll basically chip away at kinda sucking at the fundamentals for the foreseeable future. 

And in the meantime, we'll hopefully get more experience with ring traffic etc. Clocks change in just a couple weeks, which means more folks will gravitate toward the indoor at peak riding times. I think we're ready, tho. 

Our schedules might be a bit unruly this week and weekend, since I'll be doing a lot of volunteering plus, natch, tailgating at the Maryland 5* (are you going??), but I'm hoping to not miss too many days with Dooz. And we *might* sneak in an actual proper lesson, maybe, hopefully, cross your fingers!!

And in the meantime, for any of y'all who found it tedious to count every single ride... I think we're just about done with that. Doozy officially crossed the threshold I set for her after her 30 Day Review ;)

to stand, or not to stand?

Ok y'all, Happy Monday! I have a random question that I'm legit curious what people think. Like, I actually have pretty... set in stone opinions myself, but... am curious. 

I wanna ask about: manners at the mounting block. 

this is a post about mounting blocks and such, so obvi i searched the archives for representative photos. here we see the absolute focal point of that mounting block, almost dead center. obvi. just gotta look past the joyous kiddos, saintly pony, and snoopervisory kitten

So I'll start with some of my own past experiences, anecdotes, and opinions. 

In my early days, where I learned to ride, you walked the horse up to the block, it was your responsibility to position them accordingly, and then get on, independently. I don't remember much of a focus on horse manners at this farm bc... All the lesson ponies were saints lol. 

and here, another mounting block!! put to its alternate use --- prevent emma from breaking her leg AGAIN from somehow failing to stick the landing upon exit. (really tho) (yes i'm wearing shipping boots, so what lol).

Things got a little sharper when I went to college. Good lesson horses were fairly protected with limited jump heights and capped weekly ride counts, so eventually the more experienced riders ended up on more green horses --- both to keep it interesting for the rider, and to help said greenies get mileage. Obvi these green horses were... less saintly lol. 

and, another block. guys, charlie has always been a little weird tho

One such mare, Ellie Mae, my first red mare flame, had a bit of a rearing problem at the mounting block. We worked through it with routine consistent practice over time, but never lost sight of the risks involved. 

Bc... Guys, actually, putting a foot in the iron of a saddle attached to an antsy animal, while standing atop a platform... is actually kinda a compromising, risky, vulnerable operation that can go very badly very quickly.

we love giant heavy tall wooden platforms!

One thing stuck with me from Ellie, tho: Onward! There would be no boxing her in, no holding her in place, no claustrophobia. Once aboard, we proceeded as needed per mare's request, end of story. 

In time she normalized and in fact became reliable enough for full integration into the lesson horse program --- and even did a few IHSA shows (tho I always acted as her handler). But given it was one of my earliest experiences in "horse training," it stuck with me.

this block is legit excellent --- just make sure the barbie dream horse mare (just slightly visible above doozy's neck) isn't #hangry

And proved massively useful with Isabel too. Long timers will remember Isabel was basically feral when I met her. There were days in our early years where... I legit couldn't actually get on her. 

Again, over time and with practice, we got better, but I always kept my focus on the main event: be safe enough for me to take that most vulnerable step --- shifting from the block to the stirrup iron, and whatever may come next. Let me arrive safely into the saddle, and the rest is history.

after years of challenging isabel, and tall charles, these plastic blocks give me anxiety. doozy is shockingly.... great tho

Charlie, notably, being a sweet gentle kind tempered, albeit giant, gelding, has been among the easiest horses in history at the block. Or the fallen log. Or random xc jump. Or like, fence post. 

You could probably paint a giant "X" in the grass, stand him there, go get into a helicopter, parachute out of it, aim for said "X", natch with Charles still standing there, and land astride --- ready to get on with it. 

lol that time i ordered a janky step stool off ebay for horse shows etc and y'all lost your shit on me

And so far, Doozy has been a bit of the same flavor. She's been good. But... I don't make her stand. She lets me get on, I let her walk off. We seem happy. 

Tho a few folks have asked me why I don't make her stand yet. Like we had a ground person the other day who stepped in to help, and then wanted to hold the horse in place after I was already on, and we sorta had this weird moment where the horse was confused bc I'd changed the rules, the person was holding the horse, and I was trying to explain, "actually, please let go" and then Doozy spurted off a bit offended. 

sometimes we dismount onto blocks too!!

And I dunno. To some people, standing at the mounting block until being asked to move is like, an absolute fundamental requirement. The 11th Commandment. But to me.... eh, I've never really cared? To some horses, making them stand at the block seems like a straight up antagonistic way to start a ride, and to others... an unnecessary formality. 

I need a horse to be good at the block. Obvi. It's gotta be safe. But I also don't want to make a big deal out of it. Kinda just wanna get on with it. 

My green horse's first experience with being asked to stand, but I actually really mean stand, and I don't care how you feel about it, will happen separately from the mounting block. Bc those are two separate questions that I definitely don't want to bleed into each other. Tho ya know, a seasoned horse can realistically be expected to respond to any request for standing, at the block or otherwise. 

But I'm curious... Again, bc I know to some folks my ambivalence seems more like blasphemy. Do you care if your horse stands at the mounting block. Or maybe a difference set of past experiences that have influenced how you feel about it? Or are you kinda like me, basically indifferent so long as the main event happens without a hitch? 

important milestones: doozy's quinceañera

Ok ok, it's not Doozy's birthday, and she was born in New York, with both parents from Kentucky. But you know what I mean, c'mon --- we celebrate all important milestones around these parts, big and small. 

And to cap off a big week, we're marking Doozy's 15th ride! And 16th and 17th, lol.

assembling the squad!

For the 15th, Doozy's third in a row, naturally, we embarked on a little hack ride with a few barn buddies -- one of whom competed over the weekend, and the other who had just done an xc lesson with Sally. So both their horses would be nice, quiet, and tired. Bingo!

gotta love a nice group of babysitters! 

Doozy has already proven to be quite nice for little walks around the farm, including out in the fields and whatnot, but ya know. It still all feels very new and unknown to me. I admit to being nervous. That's the nice thing about riding daily tho -- helps feel more secure!

happy with how this saddle's seat fits. flaps aren't perfect, but maybe also not too bad?

Once we get farther into fall, all the gates and whatnot in the big xc fields will be open for easy long meanders. For this ride, tho, nobody really felt like dealing with gates (or the herds of horses still turned out), so we stuck to a few smaller unoccupied pastures. 

"smile!"

And natch, Katie got a couple shots of me in the trial saddle!! 

Overall impressions remain positive. Tho it's definitely not a forever saddle. I'm reserving judgement tho, and plan to request a trial extension. I wanna keep pushing myself in the saddle, plus give Doozy a chance to surface any sore spots.

doozy doesn't really understand hacking yet lol

I'm inclined to like it, tho. Overall, Doozy is such a different horse to sit on from Charlie, she's so much narrower thru her barrel. So my legs just hang in different ways (tho obvi I still tend toward wanting to cling). Plus, my position can definitely be described as a bit 'defensive' right now. 

but she's a good girl!

In my experience, it's best not to try to make too many excuses for the saddle tho. Like I want to be realistic, but I also don't wanna spend a few hundred dollars on something that'll prove to be not workable in just a couple months. So we'll see. 

hacking down new paths! 

We basically kept up the same momentum for our next ride, which won't have too many associated words bc 1) hallalujah, we are approaching redundancy from ride to ride. Heck yes, routine consistency is finally happening!!! Also, 2) zero media lol, the fuel that powers this blog. 

from the 16th ride, and no i still haven't dusted off the mirrors lol -- but you can see our slightly larger cross rail in the background!

It was a very good ride tho. Almost the same exact routine as our previous indoor ride, except I focused more on the types of figures you might see in a dressage test. For example, we practiced walking a few center line turns. And I tried to be a bit more precise to the letters with our passes across the diagonal. And we started doing more circles in the middle of the ring vs in the ends. Small stuff, but important. 

pictured: slightly larger cross rail!! she was SO GOOD, tho may or may not have landed "bucking" from both of our little efforts. eh, we'll take it (for now) 

Tho obvi we also still played with the same ground pole set up, and finished again with another little cross rail --- slightly larger this time, and slightly more exuberant Dooz. Wasn't perfect, but I definitely liked it!! And also felt super comfortable and secure in the trial saddle!

from #17, when we had the judge's booth opened up. this might be the nicest pic i've ever taken of her neck

Last ride to get us back up to present time: #17, OUR FIRST LESSON!! It wasn't like, a "real" real lesson, per se. Our resident FEI steward is starting up with her fix-a-test series now that the competition season is slowing. I seriously considered doing a test with Doozy, but ultimately decided it wasn't appropriate to squish her through a full pattern yet. 

So instead it was like a guided feedback session. Our judge is... a judge, not an instructor, but she had great feedback on how we are going, and set up a few ground pole exercises for us. And Doozy got the experience of... 1) having somebody in the center of the ring calling out directions; and 2) coping with her longest ride yet! 

oooh brown ears!! we had a bit of an equine emergency in the barn last week where the key players needed a little space, so charles and i led a little walkies trip with our younger barn mates to clear the zone for work on the horse in crisis (pony mare got trapped in a bee swarm, had a very bad day, is now itchy but recovering <3)

And Doozy really nailed it. We practiced lines of poles on the center line, vs the quarter line where I've been setting them up. So we got to practice those 10m half turns, plus alternating directions of approach. AND!! Doozy did her first on-purpose canter transitions, both leads! And NICELY!! Like, not perfect, and a little 'run into' the gait. And it took two tries to get the left lead, with porpoising. But. Yess, can canter basically on cue!! 

So... Guys, it's SO NICE to settle into a routine with the red mare. Five rides in a row!! Especially bc Charlie keeps doing Charlie things. 

walkies with charlie is always a nice time <3

After the little misfire with his most recent shoeing appointment, and resulting lameness... He started getting back to going on little walkies again -- woot woot! 

but, classic charles, then he twisted a shoe.... ugh!

Then immediately twisted a shoe again. Naturally, on his left front -- the foot of Apocalyptical Abscess notoriety... I suspect the shoe was already a bit compromised bc the farrier had to loosen a bunch of the nails to get that dental impression material out. 

 

stop breaking our hearts, charlie!

Plus the horses just changed turnout schedules -- meaning they spent about 24hrs out (just coming in for the meal, then right back out again. So now they're out during the daytime, and in the barn overnight for the winter. The horses always get a little unsettled when schedules change, so maybe it was the perfect storm for making poor choices with his feet. 

In any case, luckily the shoe wasn't so badly twisted that I felt like it had to get pulled immediately, and instead Charlie was able to wait a couple days in a paddock to get it reset. 

he is so loved tho, lookie at the little birdie hangin out with him! 

So ya know. Things are chugging right on along. It's nice to at least start to feel a little busy tho, esp with trying to keep up with updates here --- bc things are finally happening, yay! 

This was legit the busiest blog week around these parts in years... But I promise it'll lighten up -- my friend is in town to run the Baltimore Marathon this weekend so Doozy will get a little breather, and Charles will keep being Charles. 

Virtual cookies for all y'all who stuck it through this mega week of Mondeuse finally ascending to the role of le riding horse!

you could say it's getting serious

Guys, Doozy really came through for me this weekend -- with a few much-needed impressive experiences, plus more 'firsts' checked off the list. Including cantering! And jumping! (ish, lol)

ready for action!

The hard thing about not being in a consistent routine is that... it's hard to plan from one ride to the next. Doozy was fantastic for our previous ride (#13), but it was a bit unexpected, ya know? Like, I didn't even know if she'd be sound, first of all. 

And secondly didn't even really know what to expect just from a normal riding perspective, since... ya know, we have such limited experience. So I didn't really have a game plan. 

desperate times call for desperate measures: i set my helmet cam up on the arena wall to *hopefully* catch the action lol

That all changed for #14, tho. I was so excited about the good feeling I'd had from the previous ride. Plus, now we had this new saddle to try. So I wanted to be super prepared.

small wins: can take off jacket and drop on barrel, no shits given

This included bringing my helmet camera along to try to catch some footage, since we'd be alone again. It also included me stopping by the indoor on my way into the farm to set up a more intentional array of 'obstacles.'

can walk out

It was always really useful with Charlie to have physical landmarks strategically placed around the arena to help him focus and concentrate -- things like ground poles etc. And that's proving to be true for Doozy, too. In the absence of any external stimuli, she's happy to be completely consumed by a preoccupation with the exit LOL. 

can walk thru 9' poles!! and learn about straightness along the way, ahem... 
on a sad note: my footage missed all our trotting through these

So, I basically set up 4 main cardinal points: a series of ground poles spaced @ 9' on one long side, a ground pole between standards at the far end of the ring, a teensy cross rail on plastic risers on the other long side, and a barrel in the near end -- as something for us to circle around. 

crossing between standards = also fine
also did this at trot, not on film womp

And Doozy is definitely getting the idea. Actually, I suspect she might be more comfortable with various obstacles and landmarks vs just wide open blankness. Something to keep in mind... 

In any case, we spent a long time walking around warming up over all the various components (except the little X), all captured in the helmet cam. Sadly, I couldn't remember which light meant 'recording' and which meant 'standby,' so I kept periodically stopping to hit the camera's button, and tried to do all our riding stuff twice, so that hopefully we'd catch most of the important details. 

when your trot transition is actually a perfect walk to canter LOL

And, more or less, we did! Like, capturing Doozy's first "trot" transition above lol. Let's call that a work in progress haha. Basically, we both just sorta need to calibrate ourselves to each other. 

Tho I was pleased with myself for not reacting as rigidly as the first time she took off into canter instead of trot (as she did in #10). In fact, I considered actually riding it out a bit... Except, well, in the case of #10 we suspected she was cantering/trantering bc she was too uncomfortable to trot. And since I wasn't sure how sound she'd be on her second ride in a row for this #14, I didn't want to risk it and brought her right back to trot. Wherein, hallelujah, she was sound!

ok but we can actually trot!

And so we trotted and trotted, first mostly with figures and changes of direction. At one point, Doozy broke into canter again, and this time I did ride it out (in the longer video below around 4:10). I admit to being very defensive in my position -- as in, very high hands -- bc I'm definitely relying a bit on the running martingale to keep Doozy where I want her... 

But, eh, that's ok, right? I'm allowed to not be perfect, just like she is. We are learning together lol. And, in this imperfect, slightly improvisational way, we had our first little canter together! 

downside to helmet cam snapshots: serious blur, womp

Tho in our first break, I hit the camera button again, which unfortunately turned it onto standby whoops. So we missed the whole next little session of trotting, wherein we trotted the 3 ground poles, and did more work with the little pole between standards. 

link to super short video of doozy's first jompies!!!!

Finally, I aimed Doozy at the tiny little X!! And she just... trotted right on over like the goodest girl! Even tho it didn't have any standards! Obvi we stopped for much petting and praise, plus a cookie, and I opted to cruise by the camera to hit the button and repeat again, just to make sure at least one attempt was captured. Bc media junkie #4lyfe, obvi lol

dramatic reenactment lol... whaddagoodgurrrrl

Lucky for me, the second attempt was what ended up captured on video --- and Doozy actually did a little jompy, ermagerd!, and cantered away!! Plus, naturally, cantered a little circle to finish before being absolutely praised to the high heavens <3

telling her she's wonderful

Obvi she got a cookie and we called it a day with that very nice effort. And I was just so so pleased with her! And, honestly, a bit relieved, too. There's been a significant amount of self doubt these last 2 months about my life choices haha. 

ok ok, i'm a sucker for casual candids

But this is the kind of routine I live for. Just small steady practice and a growing history of shared experiences. It's ok that I'm not perfect for all of it, that I can be just as reactive as she is. And it's ok to pick myself apart a little bit with videos like this, connecting how it feels with how it looks, so I know what I need to work on for myself and the horse next time.

full (ish) ride video

For example, I need to continue looking for moments of soft release in the contact. Doozy is not exactly super trustworthy in that regard yet -- and will exploit the release a bit. But I still need to keep giving her that chance, and that space, and she'll learn. 

our matching expressions haha... i swear we are both happy redheads!

It's actually pretty interesting, bc so far... Doozy isn't super subtle in her 'moments.' She kinda telegraphs them, but seems easily contained with just heightened contact and more intentional positioning on my end. Which means... using my whole body for turns, staying upright and tall in my position, and not letting my reins get long enough for my arms to do weird things lol.

happy 'n relaxed for the long walk home

Anyway, tho, I'm trying not to take anything for granted, but am legitimately excited about the work that lies ahead of us. Excited to finally start logging experiences that make the idea of "lessons" not feel so distant. 

First impressions of the trial saddle are good, too! Tho I'll reserve judgement until we're farther along in the trial --- to give Doozy a chance to protest if it starts bugging her, and give me time to hopefully get normal media (as in, not a blurry fish eye lens) to evaluate myself in it.