So I have to admit I hate wearing a helmet. I didn't grow up wearing helmets (doing anything - biking, on a motorcycle, horseback riding etc.) we just didn't do it. But last year when I expressed interest in doing endurance riding my loving husband and step-daughter gave me a helmet for Mother's Day. His comment "Don't ask me to help you when you are steering your wheelchair with a straw if you don't wear this." OK point taken - he kinda likes me the way I am and understands that this might not be the safest sport in the world, especially when you are traveling at fast speeds.
The kids got their pedicures and new tennis shoes put on Saturday and I once again had to threaten my sweet little boy, JW, with pony torture (AKA the clippers) as the girls got haircuts without any fuss. The only thing good he did good for me was stand for the farrier (which he always does really well for thank god!). The drama that ensued after that with our little 4 horse herd was pretty ridiculous - Blue the new guy has bonded with my step-daughters pony Milly, and it was a crying mess when I tried to catch her. Storm (resident herd boss) was all done with her haircut/pedicure appointment so she was "helping" me by herding Milly away from Blue, which was the opposite of any kind of helpful, especially when she would go into the paddock that I was trying to get Milly to go to, and check and make sure that JW was OK during his pedicure. Needless to say I gave up and went and switched spots with my husband. The farrier finished JW and then the pony torture was next. While Storm was "helping" my husband all while making as much fuss as possible - I can honestly say I would have been laughing my rear end off at the whole situation if I had been watching. All said and done - everyone got pedicures/haircuts, no one got hurt and they were all pretty tired from running like idiots all over (humans included).
Plan for Sunday - trail ride at 11am. 5 of us will be going just around the barn. We had Lewis and Clark out Saturday afternoon to make new trails into the back 100 acres so we had to check them out. My plan start at 10 and make sure Little Johnny doesn't come out making me look like an idiot. We've been working really hard on rear lateral movements and speed control in the arena. I haven't had him on the trail for about 2 weeks now and I was curious to see how this was going to work. I wanted to lunge him and also make sure he remembers what I mean when I want his back end to move over. So an hour later we were all ready to go.
I did wear my helmet this time because I really didn't know how it was going to go and it gives me the confidence I need to give him a little "encouragement" to listen to me as needed. I've also realized that its a nice way to run through low hanging branches too with out getting your hair pulled out - so either way I should have a good ride!
We stay at the back - we rode with a couple non-gaited horses and one of them is a OTT TB that really doesn't like to "lose" on the trail - plus he carries Clark (the trail breaker/boss) so its just easier. If we are out front it's a really fast trail ride which we don't even want to start... we know our horses can go fast, its the slower paces they need to work on :).
Everything went really well and better than I expected - my forward cue worked like a charm on Freak-Out Corner. We have a problem there EVERY TIME we go through this trail (which is going on 2 years now)...we have no idea what it is, but he will spin around like something is behind him and ends up either backing me into a tall pine tree or wants to jump into the cornfield. I am super proud of how I handled it this time, I DIDN'T let him flip around like he usually does, I kept him away from the Pine Tree of Hell and also didn't take ANY corn stalks down. I kept moving him from side to side of the trail and then when he wanted to flip around I give him the go forward cue and he did - WHEW!! After that we only had Heart Break Hill to go down (the one he likes to ping- pong me off of trees to get down - ugh!). When we came up on the hill (we go down it typically and it is pretty steep but very doable). I did the same thing - kept directing him off my legs and made him go forward - WHOHOOO - this ride is now a success in my mind!!!
The only part of the ride I wasn't impressed with was when we were going down the actual road and there were black bags of garbage at the end of a drive way (which there always is) and he put us in the ditch because he was pretty sure they were going to rip his legs off. His spooks are usually pretty predictable (jumping sideways and then spinning around to get a really good look at the scary object while performing a perfect sidepass) and I'm getting pretty good at riding them out and making sure he faces his fears afterwards.
We got a little gaiting in at the end - which his flat footed walk is still a little bouncy but he works out of it eventually and I love feeling his switch gear into his running walk - it seriously throws you back in your seat like when you step on the gas in a car - he's so much fun to ride when he's behaving!!!
We have a lesson on Wednesday afternoon so we will see what we can do about his snotty head throwing - because that is getting a little old. I thought he was getting better but I'm sure he was really mad when he actually had to listen to me the whole time. If anyone has any suggestions about how to fix that I would greatly appreciate it!
Happy Trails everybody!!
