After ten days out of the saddle (except for my beachside excursion in the ocean!!), I was having some serious withdrawals.
The girls all told me that the Psycho Mare missed me. I could tell by the way she wouldn’t stand for me to mount. :\
I told her, straight out, “If you move it, I’m going to smack it!”
Then, she looked shocked when I did. A few minutes later, she was standing like a champ. *sigh*
The girls said that they probably let her get away with way more than she should have while I was gone. I was just thrilled that they were keeping her legged up for me! =D
We walked down to the pasture with PiC while she caught some horses. A car came up the track leading to the trails. My solid mare suddenly felt more like a deer than a horse. I insisted she stand her ground, so she became all eyeballs and ears. But, she did stand her ground.
PiC then had horses caught so we headed back toward the barn. A car came back from the other direction. It was a ways away, and she must have just barely seen it as it rounded a building, because she nearly dropped to her knees and spun around like a reining horse! (PSYCHO MARE!)
The crazy thing is, it was so balanced, I never felt the slightest bit out of place. When she sat and spun, she carried me right along with her. And, just like that, she got over it. Oh, Psycho Mare, when will you be all grown up?
She pretended that she forgot how to give to the bit. She pretended that she forgot what leg means. But, boy howdy, she sure as heck didn’t forget how to jump! She was all over THAT!
I had intended to work on leg-yield to canter departs, but somehow I was sidetracked into “rubberbanding” the trot…
I’d establish our working trot, then ask her to shorten… shorten… shorten… then l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n!
And oh, holy cow, did she feel fancy!
I would sit for the shortening, and I remained sitting for the lengthening because it was just easier. Like the ocean waves, her lengthening would just lift me up and carry me forward! I could feel the makings of a real extended trot and how to sit it! It was glorious!
The girls all agreed that she looked as fancy as she felt. After that exercise, she was much more balanced for canter transitions, too. She was ready. I mean, we had tangible impulsion! It was the first time I felt impulsion as opposed to speed. The little mare is always happy to go fast, but it has taken some work to explain to her how to ‘go more forward’ without ‘going faster.’
Then something else happened… We got an effortless stretchy trot! It felt long and floaty… I felt her reaching and stretching… I felt her hind legs swinging up underneath her and reaching for groundcover! It was that wonderful feeling of not DOING anything – instead, ALLOWING it all to happen.
After so much time off (for ME, anyway), I never expected to get such quality work right off the bat. Especially considering I had an awful kink in my neck all day!
The mare must have really been enjoying it, too, because she was in quite a jolly mood to hang out with me after we finished!
Yes, that's what happens when you turn teenagers loose at the barn!
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| Eddy the Comfy Couch showed me a great time in the surf! |
I told her, straight out, “If you move it, I’m going to smack it!”
Then, she looked shocked when I did. A few minutes later, she was standing like a champ. *sigh*
The girls said that they probably let her get away with way more than she should have while I was gone. I was just thrilled that they were keeping her legged up for me! =D
We walked down to the pasture with PiC while she caught some horses. A car came up the track leading to the trails. My solid mare suddenly felt more like a deer than a horse. I insisted she stand her ground, so she became all eyeballs and ears. But, she did stand her ground.
PiC then had horses caught so we headed back toward the barn. A car came back from the other direction. It was a ways away, and she must have just barely seen it as it rounded a building, because she nearly dropped to her knees and spun around like a reining horse! (PSYCHO MARE!)
The crazy thing is, it was so balanced, I never felt the slightest bit out of place. When she sat and spun, she carried me right along with her. And, just like that, she got over it. Oh, Psycho Mare, when will you be all grown up?
She pretended that she forgot how to give to the bit. She pretended that she forgot what leg means. But, boy howdy, she sure as heck didn’t forget how to jump! She was all over THAT!
I had intended to work on leg-yield to canter departs, but somehow I was sidetracked into “rubberbanding” the trot…
I’d establish our working trot, then ask her to shorten… shorten… shorten… then l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n!
And oh, holy cow, did she feel fancy!
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| Yes, she felt fancier than this!! |
The girls all agreed that she looked as fancy as she felt. After that exercise, she was much more balanced for canter transitions, too. She was ready. I mean, we had tangible impulsion! It was the first time I felt impulsion as opposed to speed. The little mare is always happy to go fast, but it has taken some work to explain to her how to ‘go more forward’ without ‘going faster.’
Then something else happened… We got an effortless stretchy trot! It felt long and floaty… I felt her reaching and stretching… I felt her hind legs swinging up underneath her and reaching for groundcover! It was that wonderful feeling of not DOING anything – instead, ALLOWING it all to happen.
After so much time off (for ME, anyway), I never expected to get such quality work right off the bat. Especially considering I had an awful kink in my neck all day!
The mare must have really been enjoying it, too, because she was in quite a jolly mood to hang out with me after we finished!
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| Ooooooo! Look at me! I'm a unicorn! |
omg that last picture!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Tell me about it! She hung out with that thing tied to her for probably 20 minutes before she started rubbing at the string. And I think she made the face after trying to drink from the cats' water bowl! She is seriously psycho, but it is mostly in a good way. ;)
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