Year end shenanigans

Here's an update from what we did over the New Year.  Since this (which I have been writing for a week and a half, though you wouldn't know it), I have been to the barn once and took Violet out for a hack.  Due to work, I will not be getting down there again until probably the 28th, so there won't be much to update.  And I have no new media.

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Saturday, we woke up to frost.  It was officially our one (last) night of winter in 2016. I had a lesson scheduled at 3, and the boy was off Saturday and Sunday, so we were making a weekend of it.  By the time we got down there at 1:30, it was short sleeve and shorts weather.  So much for winter. Violet was happy to come out of her stall.  I received a text the night before to let me know to tack up for stadium.  A little different, since we usually do dressage on the first day of the weekend, but then again, it's New Year's Eve and we'll likely be hung over Sunday, so maybe that's the plan.

We get put together, I remember to get the draw reins and hop on the pony, marching our way to the ring, with the boy following behind like our own personal accompaniment.

Marcea was in the ring with another student, so I headed to the warm-up ring to start warming up. Violet is feeling good.  As I came around one corner, she startled and spooked a little, but I have no idea what at.  Nothing major, and I just kept trotting in circles, adding a little canter to keep her moving.

The other lesson done, I moved to the ring while Marcy and Ginny adjusted fences, with Rory bouncing around in the grass after bugs.  It was gloriously sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.  And we spooked again.  And again.  Nothing major.  Just enough to make me go "whoa!"  when she went sideways and look around to find the culprit.

Ohhh, there you are!  Yes, that would be your shadow, Violet.  Yes, it is always there.  And yes, it is indeed following you.  I don't know if it's because she's so fit or bored with Mom's circles, but this is the second time she has reacted to them in the last couple of months.

We spent the next little bit trotting into our shadow, trying to dodge the jump standard shadows, watching the pony ears follow her shadow and basically laughing at her.

Then we started jumping and she forgot about her shadow.  Because jumping is fun, yall!  We did several turning exercises, jumping on an S curve, doing rollbacks, etc, working on keeping the outside shoulder on the line and concentrating on the counter bend to get her straight to the fence.  Nothing too big.  After a successful mini course of 4 fences, Marcy was talking to me about what we did right and working on the bend/line, etc.  She paused.  I asked if we were done.  She hesitated and said "No, but we could be" and I told her let's go, what was next.

It was just a line of oxer to oxer on a bend.  Mostly just to make sure I really seemed to get the exercise, since it was fences we hadn't gone over yet that day.  We picked up the lead and did oxer to oxer with our counter bend.  Violet was fantastic.  Marcy just looked at me with a great big grin and said "Yep, that's it!"  I guess when you appear to have gotten the lesson, there is no point in beating it over and over again.  Then, as we marched out of the ring (because, you know, pony dinner time), she said something about being ready for tomorrow's cross country schooling.

We took care of the barn chores.  The boy had not packed properly, so he wandered around being bored because he didn't want to get his clothes dirty, and we get no phone service at the barn.  After chores, we headed to Marcy's to get ready for dinner.  We had a pleasant night of drinking and chatting.  It was the boy's first time really seeing how we interact at the house.  He was especially a fan of Marcy's bartending skills.  He was not aware that she is a certified mixologist.  Could be part of why I enjoy being there so much?

Anyway, none of us made it until midnight.  I knew I had to be up to do chores.  We were sleeping on the air mattress.  The boy had no problem, but I couldn't sleep because I was worried every time I turned over I was disturbing him.  After the two Old Fashions he had, I needn't have worried.

The next morning I was awakened by my favorite alarm clock, Maddie.  I stumbled out of the bed, made coffee and got ready to go, leaving the boy at the house with Marcy's husband.

We got chores done and got Charlie, Riley and Violet ready for cross country.  I could not think of a better way to start the year!

Nothing too spectacular to report on the cross country.  Violet knew where we were heading from the time I put her bell boots on.  Cross country is the only time she wears them to ride, so she knows what's going on.  We started off with a half rolltop, moved our way through the fields, and ended up with a series of 4 smaller fences, ending with the ditch, kind of derby style.  The only time she stuttered at all was heading to the ditch, because it was pretty far away from the group, but when I felt her say "no I don't really want to leave my friends", I said "yes, I think you do" and she simply said ok and kept going.

When we were done, she was barely sweating.

On our walk around the property after we all had a very fun and positive school, Ginny reminded me that she used to watch my lessons when she was deciding to take lessons with Marcy.  At the time, I was just starting to trot.  That was 6 years ago this month.  I know people go from Beginner Novice to Prelim in that amount of time, but I'm not those people, and it still surprises me that we have come so far.

So here's to 2017 and continuing on our "slow but steady" progress.