Weekend update: And a beautiful weekend it was!

We had one of those rare spring weekends here in Florida that remind me why Spring is my favorite.  And it didn't start out that way.

 What seems like all week, we had been in the midst of a N'oreaster.  I know that seems strange for Florida, but we get a few of them each year here in Jacksonville.  Gray, misty, icky, coldish, wet, very windy.  Just not good weather.  As a matter of fact, when the boy and I tried to go for our beach walk on Thursday (part of the new exercise routine) we only made one mile.  It was blowing 25mph and colder than all get-out (not really, just felt that way in Florida attire and wet windiness).

Handsome man walking on a better weather day

But the barn is 2 hours away.  South.  West.  Not right on the coast.  Yay!

Saturday I headed down to the barn in the afternoon.  I knew Marcy was at the show with Riley, but there was some hope she might make it back to the barn.  But if not, that's no problem.  I haven't been on in three weeks, it doesn't matter if there is a lesson or not at this point.  It was very strange to head into the property, as I have gotten used to people being all over the place and it was empty.  Not even any schooling ship-ins.  Probably because most everyone was at the last show of the Florida season at the Florida Horsepark.

Dwerpy pony, I think you're wearing that wrong

So I get Violet all tacked up and no Marcy, so I head out for a long walk around the perimeter of the property.  It was such a beautiful day, clear and breezy and cool.  Breezy enough that I could feel the air coming through the vents of my helmet.  This is a feeling I love, strange as that is.

I had the whole place to myself.  And it was beautiful!

After our walk around the fields, I checked the barn and still no Marcy, so I went and played in the sandbox a bit.  Violet gave me what I have always called the "big trot" right off the bat, which is truly refreshing.  I used to have to work for 40 minutes just to get 5 strides of that trot, and now, unless she's mad, she goes right to it.  We worked on half circles on and off the center line, with my keeping the inside hand up and towards the neck instead of leading.  We worked on getting true leg yields without fuss off the quarter and center lines, with reaffirming circles once we hit the wall.  We worked on true 15 meter circles instead of 20, with the leg yield step out into the outside rein.  She was fantastic.  Sometime while I wasn't paying attention, it got cloudy.  

We got one fantastic canter transition on the right lead, did a circle with me concentrating on not collapsing to the inside and pointing my chest to her outside (left) ear while keeping her going by putting leg on with the lead.  We did a circle at the end of the ring, then rode the long wall and worked on getting into the corners without breaking.  She was fantastic!

Then we started to do the same on the left lead.  About the time we got partway through the circle, the spitty rain started coming sideways.  This is one thing that is very distracting to the pony.  She does not like water on her face.  Ever.  Not from a hose, not from the sky.  She does not appreciate it.  Needless to say, she broke a couple of times, and our transition was not very good.  So we worked on that until she gave me a good balanced canter with a bend and with her ears indicating that she was listening to me, and not being pissy about the rain.  Once I got the good canter and she was back with me, we worked on our stretchy trot both directions.  Then we were done.  

This was the first time that I can remember that she has been so with me from the time I got on.  Was everything perfect, no, but you can sure tell that someone that knows what they are doing has spent some considerable time getting some buttons installed, and she was willing to accept my fumbling around.  I was proud of myself for insisting that she came back to me in the rain, and that I remembered all that stuff.  Nice to know I haven't completely lost it.

And after all that, she was barely sweating.  Pony is very fit.

When I got back to the barn, about the time I was starting to clean tack, Marcy came in with Riley and we got her all unpacked and repacked, got all the chores done and headed to the house for dinner, beverages, cards and laughter.  This is becoming a habit.  I think it's one I can get behind.

Sunday morning came early.  We headed out to the barn and got everyone in and fed.  I pulled Violet out and tacked up, including the draw reins, per instruction.  We have started using them on jump days.  Now, I know I was always taught you don't jump in draw reins, and I would never consider doing such without the oversight of someone who knows better, but we don't use them to draw her head down.  We kind of use them like side reins in that they are a way for Violet to fight against herself instead of me.  Sometimes she gets to where she just doesn't want to listen when jumping.  You get to the jump field and she is all excited and just basically says "I KNOW THIS PART!  YAY JUMPING!" and totally ignores what you are trying to say.  Once you get going, correcting anything in a line results in her throwing her head in the air and saying "I KNOW EVERYTHING, BUG OFF!"  and can lead to some very interesting jumping efforts. The draw reins help this.  They also help me stay soft and light on her and are teaching me a bit of tact.  So really, they help us both.

Anyway, I started warming up alone.  Marcy was doing me a huge favor by coming out and giving me a quick lesson before going back to the horsepark with Riley to complete their event.  V warmed up great, and we started by trotting poles.  We worked on remaining ridable and me being able to go with her when she gets to the poles without anticipating, and get my eye looking for the next pole.  As Marcy says, she doesn't expect anyone to see a distance 6, 7, 8, 9 strides out.  She expects us to be able to feel the rhythm and feel the horse leave the ground, no matter what the distance is.  We need to be able to ride the canter.  So then we started cantering the poles.  We did three on the right lead, then would halt and back up a couple steps, then pick up the left lead and canter another.  Once we did that successfully, we added in an oxer instead of the last pole.

Poles only

After the fact, I thought to myself, awesome, I went from cantering poles to a 2'6" oxer with no other fences between.  You know, usually you do a couple crossrails, then a vertical.  Nope, straight to the oxer.  

Adding in the oxer

Anyway, we did that, then we switched directions and did pole, oxer to oxer.  Then we did pole to bending line.  Then we did bending line, oxer to oxer.  Always halting and backing up whenever we changed leads.  Not over asking for the canter, and concentrating on looking at our fence until I found the line, then looking to the next fence while keeping the current fence in my peripheral vision while riding the canter and staying consistent and making sure I release enough (I grab a lot of mane...every time.  Big fear of hitting my sensitive girl in the mouth.)   After about the fourth time, we had done really really well with it, and that was it.  Lesson took about 30 minutes, and Marcy was loaded up and down the road by the time I made it back to the barn.

One variation of the jumping, although it's not really drawn right.  And we did other versions, switched directions, added in more trot poles, etc.  I'm just having trouble remembering how to draw...

It was a fantastic two days of lovely horsiness that I needed oh so badly with what all is going on here at work and at home.

You has treats!?

Then I went home, ate lunch, and headed out to the softball field for my first game of the season (I missed the first two).  Um yeah, I haven't played in two years.  I can still catch and throw (good thing, since I'm the catcher), but batting?  Yeah.  Not so much.  I mean, I've never had any power, but I could usually connect. I actually hit the ball on my first up to bat, but it didn't make it past the pitcher.  Second time I went down swinging. Ouch.  No worries though, we lost 20-2 and that wasn't because of me.  We have a history of starting out slow.  And having to scrounge players from other teams, since our players tend to not show up. But it was a beautiful day, and I was doing something other than sleeping on the couch.

Beautiful day for softball.  Not so much for beach walks.

I got home, the man shortly followed, cutting my weekly call to my mother short (thankfully.  I can't stand when they run to the normal 3 hours, ugh).  We went out to the beach to try to walk, but the tide was up, and it was windy and cold again.  I hope this weather pattern breaks soon.  We try to get out there 2 or 3 times a week, and were working on 3+ miles a walk, but this weather is killing that.

Then we went home, ordered stromboli and greek salad and got caught up on Bates Motel and Scandal. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend!