October 11, 2011

Back in the Saddle

YES it has finally happened, I am back into riding and I am L.O.V.I.N.G. it!

I officially started last Thursday with my first ride on a very nice horse named Mr. Perfect (aka Mr P. or P). I was nervous at first, since I haven't been riding in a while and I was a little nervous about how my boss would react to my riding. Turns out she was understanding that I hadn't been riding since the middle of summer and a handful of times since my surgery in December.

We tacked up and then went out to the outside arena. Mr P wasn't spooky at all and acted like this was just a walk in the park. We walked around the arena and then I got my stirrups where I thought they needed to be, tightended the girth, and looked over my tack again. We walked around to warm up and, oops need to tighten the girth again. My boss gladly did this for me, I guess Mr P as learned how to bloat before riding, which I'm use to haha.

After some walking and trotting my boss asked if I was ever going to canter. I told her that I hadn't cantered much except for on a lunge line. She told me that it was the same thing off a lunge line. I was already really comfortable with Mr P and we seemed to be in tune with each other for a first ride. Before cantering I asked my boss what the cues were for canter again and she said that once I get him into a really nice trot he will automatically pick up the canter around a corner. I was a little wary about this, but I was glad that I had less to think about. So I got Mr P's lazy buttock into a nice trot and just as my boss said, he picked up the canter at a corner. Surprisingly I not only stayed on, I stayed on even after loosing a stirrup and didn't panic! Granted, I needed to work on my control but I was ecstatic that I cantered off the lung line, kept my balance, and stayed on! The ride after that was pretty uneventful. I ended up having to carry a whip because once Mr P decides that he is done working, he stops and won't budge no matter how much you squeeze or kick, but after I got the whip he did much better even though I had to tap him a few times. My coordination with a whip is not the best, I'm not use to having to use one, but I am sure I will get use to it.

TODAY I rode Mr P again and again he was a super good boy! I couldn't wait to work on my canter and today my canter was much more organized and controlled.

Note to self: Finish writing about ride and talk about new horse in the herd!

Thanks for reading!

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