All is well here at the ranch. Rosie is doing great. The little nut helped me do chores today. She is such a help--she pushes the sled I use for hay and bedding with her nose, she tests out new shavings by immediately rolling--she gave today's shavings her seal of approval. We have snow and I'm not doing any more driving training with her. We lunge occasionally and I may slip in some ground driving if I get ambitious, but for the most part Rosie is on vacation from her driving training until Spring. Winter in NY doesn't usually give up until mid April or so. We just received an early Thanksgiving gift of almost a foot of snow. That was an eye opener. I think everyone forgot what winter was like. OK, I remember--now go away.
Rosie's little nose is just begging to be kissed
Babe is ready for winter, sporting her Weatherbeeta high neck turnout blanket. I joke that I will spend much more for a winter coat for my horse than I will for myself ... but, really, it's no joke--It's fact! But as long as she is comfortable and happy, so am I.
Jerry doesn't need a coat because he has plenty of his own. He is unbelievably hairy. Hairy Jerry!
My riding lessons are going great. I am also riding in between--once or twice depending on how much time I have. The stable is almost an hour drive for me. I wish it was closer. Where I live EVERYTHING seems to be far away. But when it comes right down to it, I'm glad I have this available to me at a time when it is just what I need.
I'm still riding Chocolate most of the time. He's doing so well. When I first started riding him, it was like riding a lumber wagon that stalled out all the time. As I ride him more and more and we get used to each other, he has smoothed out considerably, is listening to me without gawking all over the place, and has become much more responsive to my aids. It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment as well as partnership.
I owe a lot of my riding success to Chocolate. Don't get me wrong--he is a challenge in that his gaits can be very rough, he's very much a push ride (although becoming less and less like that every ride), and he can be slow and rather clunky feeling. At the beginning, I would get to my lesson and think "Ugh, I have to ride Chocolate again." He was a lot of work, he traveled so discombobulated, and I never felt like we were getting anywhere. But, things have really come around for both of us just in the past few weeks. It's like magic! I'm gaining confidence and strength; he's gaining physical endurance and greater flexibility. Both of us are growing.
Chocolate is an older horse--23, I think. He is my riding instructor's personal horse that she has owned for 16-ish years, since she was a young child. But, it's been a long time since he's been used like a regular horse. From what I've learned, he's been used for some easy beginner lessons and that's about it for the last few years. He had good training early on but he is very rusty now.
The great thing about Chocolate is that he has wonderful manners, a kind soul, and is one of the safest horses I've ever ridden as far as needing a horse that doesn't pull any crap. I feel safe when I ride him. He doesn't spook, he doesn't buck, jump around, or do any of the things that can shake a returning rider's confidence. I feel like I owe that horse a lot. And, the special treat is that as I work with him more and more, we are bonding, and I find he behaves like a horse that says "Let's do it!" ... Not "Let's not." like he was when I started. How has this happened? Just being firm but gentle, consistent, kind, and loving him for the sweet horse that he is. I think all horses respond to that.
Sometimes I can't even believe I'm riding almost like a "normal person." I dismount and I feel fine ... next day I still feel fine. It's almost unfathomable to me how this return to riding is going so far. I see no reason that it won't continue. My horsey life is so important to me. I feel like things are starting to come together again--the mini's are wonderful--Jerry is perfect and Rosie is my golden-ray-of-sunshine pony, Babe is doing well in her retirement, and I'm riding again!! Who could ask for anything more!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment