Relaxation

So today is all about the work that I need to do! Pip is doing well, we're solid on the trail, and I've begun working on arena stuff. Today I decided to ride a training level dressage test. Amanda was going to call it for me. Sadly I didn't bring my test! So I did my best to try to ride what I remembered. Which wasn't tons of things, however, I did most of the movements. Pip and I struggled a bit, mostly because he hadn't been ridden for 2 weeks, and also because the other horses (except Tango) were out in the back pasture, having fun. Tango was the sacrifice to Pip's sanity, just to keep things kind of normal.

Considering all that, Pip did pretty well. He was rushy, went toward the pasture quickly, went away slowly, and didn't listen great, but you know, it was about dinner time, he was the only horse not having a great time in the field, and I had had a 3 beer lunch a little before this. So while I was relaxed, I wasn't quite as accurate in my position as I would have liked. And of course this was the day I had my camera! So I included the best photos from the bunch. Sadly the delay on a digital camera meant there were lots of missed shots. But oh well!

I think he looks pretty dang good! We're getting more relaxation from him, and he's just dang cute in his dressage togs!

Other People's Horses

So today, instead of riding Pip, or even one of Amanda C's walkers, I rode another friend's quarter horse and Arabs. This is Fancy and me cantering. Fancy is very fancy as you can see, and she is just my size, about 14.3, 15 hands maybe, and built like a Cadillac. She's a little shorter than Pip, but heavier, and longer. She had a really nice jog, and her canter was nice, even though she did buck a bit. She was a bit upset at having to work, she's been of a few months. I know I would also be upset at having to work if I'd been lounging about for months.

One of the Arabs is a large, big moving dapple gray, who's built like a tank. He is broad and tall and just lovely, with a big bouncing stride that was very hard to sit. His canter was great, huge and rocking horse.

The other is a little chestnut who is so well trained, I rode him bareback, and the entire time felt as secure as I did in the saddle on the gray. WE didn't canter, as I was not feeling completely secure in my seat, but I'm happy to be getting lots of bareback practice, as I think it will help me and Pipper. Especially with my being a bit uneven. We'll see.

But it was great because I got to ride really well trained horses, both of them, and got to practice a bit for MY riding, as opposed to building Pip's skills.

And I have to say, I think I"m a better rider than I was before I started Pip, that's for sure. I'm less perchy and my hands are quieter than I remember. So it was a really great experience, not even including the fact that Pat's horses are just plain sweet as pie and lovely to work with.

Stealth dogs!

If you walk, cycle or ride in residential neighborhoods you know what I'm talking about. Many people have dogs, and a lot of people in the western US have dogs. I live in the western US. I have dogs. When I take them for a walk in the nieghborhood, we usually encounter other dogs in their yards, barking to alert me that I am not invited to their yard. As these dogs well know, if they didn't bark and carry on, I might just sneak in there and well, do something. So these guard dogs are really the first and best defense (in their minds) for protection against marauders. When I trail ride, Pip and I encounter a lot of these types of dogs, the barky warning dogs. That's fine; the horses may spook a bit, but it's all good.

Then there are stealth dogs. These are much less common, and much scarier for horses and people. These are the dogs that don't bark, they just quietly get themselves where they can rush you and scare the snot outta you. We found two today. We were riding along, the horses were already on higher alert because we'd caught an old, napping horse by surprise and had a mutual scare. Amanda C was riding Fiona off the trail, and by a fence, because Fi had been worried about it earlier. I had taken Pip down there, but was moving back to the main trail, as there wasn't really a lot of room for two horses.

Suddenly Pip and I were moving very very fast away from that property and toward the ditch. Then that time slo-mo thing happened, where you say "holy crap! I'm not falling off, and I'm not going into that ditch!" and you get yourself organized and do an emergency stop. Pip stopped, turned to look, and I saw two red dogs slinking back to the property next to the one we'd been riding by. they didn't look espeically proud, more like shocked that their plain of eating horses hadn't gone so well.

Happily, neither myself nor Amanda C. fell off, and the horses were fine, if very jumpy for a bit after that. And the great thing is, by the end of that ride, both Pip and Fiona were fine, relaxed, moving forward, listening and happy. Yay for a really, really solid horse!