Upswing

Thanks everyone for the kindness and support you’ve all shown me after my last post.  Right now, I still haven’t made any major decisions, but our situation is looking a little bit better. 

Even got to ride my old lease horse Ricky when Libby sprung a shoe Saturday

 I stopped one of my antibiotics, and have since felt much better.  I’ve actually been able to ride everyday since Tuesday, and was even able to fit in a lesson on Thursday!  My first lesson at the new facility, and my first time jumping since the last show with my old barn in the beginning of July.  I can only ride in the early mornings, before it gets hotter then 85, and I have to take a lot of walk breaks to get my breathing back to normal, but if that’s what I have to do to be able to ride I’ll take it!

Beautimous

My lesson went really well too.  We talked a lot about bits, I’ve actually been riding in a hackamore, a lot about my position, and a lot about how were going to proceed with Libbys training.  Of course a lot of it is what I’ve always had to work on with her.  Making her use her hind end, and engage.  But now were doing more exercises to keep her calm and confident. 

Where’s the treats?

My new trainer, I’ll refer to him as J,  and assistant trainer/rider, A, both really feel that Libbys tendency to be what my old trainer considered ‘hot’ is more so stemming from her being quite nervous over fences.  Which makes sense to me.  She’s super quiet and dead on the flat, but immediately when jumping would get involved she wants to lay on my arms, and drag.  So we’ve been working on getting her confidence up, and doing a lot of little jumps, which have been helping tremendously. 

What I’d done at my previous barn, just dealing with her freshness at the moment she’d act out, helped at the time, but we want to get to the root of the issue, and what we’ve been doing has really seemed to help her.  It also helps that I’ve been able to ride her more.  Not to say that I’m any better of a rider then A, I’m not AT ALL, but I think Libby really trusts me and is much less nervous when its me up there.  Shes not bad when someone else rides her, I just think shes more trusting of me and my distances because she knows me.  But she’s already trusting A more and more so I know she’ll get better and better.  Mares…

We didn’t jump too much in my lesson, just a line to a single oxer, but my eye was on it, and she was listening and being responsive.  I’m sure we’ll be getting those changes in due time, and hopefully, once I’m able to get a job, and feel up to it, we’ll get to show a bit.

Oscar the grouch catches up on his beauty rest

In other news, my new bonnet came in!!  I don’t necessarily need it now, but I’d ordered it after I completed my last class when I was feeling particularly awful, so its a gift to me of sorts.  And strangely enough, I did it in green because thats my favorite color, but its also the color for Lyme Disease awareness.  Coincidence?? Regardless I love it and can’t wait to take pictures of Loo with it on.