I forget how valuable it is to:
A. ride a different horse than your own and
B. let someone else ride your horse (whom you trust of course)
A. ride a different horse than your own and
B. let someone else ride your horse (whom you trust of course)
I did both on Saturday.
E came out to ride, which this was her first time back in the saddle after loosing her beloved Justin.
Very proud of her, she is a BRAVE girl and is healing. So happy for her! (and me! to have her back)
She rode with the pendant that I had made for her so Justin could be with us. I had kept some of Justin's mane in my pocket for a few rides as well
She rode with the pendant that I had made for her so Justin could be with us. I had kept some of Justin's mane in my pocket for a few rides as well
.jpg)
The pendant turned out so lovely. I purchased it from the cutest Etsy store Nakisha
The artist herself had horses in her past, works VERY fast, creates a perfect piece and it was very very affordable. I highly recommend her and her jewelry. I have a pendant of Laz that I wear when I'm out of town traveling. It's one of my favorite pieces.
Onwards!
I was talking of riding other horses!
Here is me with Red (one of the barn owners horses), the little pony sized 13 yr old OTTB who was quite dancy prancy and caught me off my game a bit. I didn't end up connecting well with him, like on our last ride and it was 100% me.
He's a good boy, and I ended up just not using my seat right and wanting to use my hands too much and actually started firing him up. We changed gears and headed out of the paddock and ended on a good note just walking around the (icy!) property on a loose rein.
E and I switched around on the ponies!
She was on Red for a bit, I on Lazaroo, Pito just followed around-cute!
.jpg)
Then I asked if E would mind riding Laz.
She's an excellent rider and very gentle/soft so I'm 1000% comfortable with her on Laz.
I've been having issues with him picking up his right lead, and she couldn't get him to do it even though he was 'thinking' he just opted for his left lead.
We ended the 'ask' so he didn't get frustrated, which he didn't at all...but we didn't want to get to that point. I wanted to read up on how to ask him based on our training (a la Parelli), watch video, etc so I'll try that method this weekend hopefully if footing isn't frozen/icy
Laz has really been 100% trained (loosest version of that word EVER) by me (after his racing career) so I try my best to maintain my requests to be clear, fair and fun.
Not confusing, pushing, or aggressive
.jpg)
And while I sat on Red, I looked at my chunker bay OTTB and felt so lucky to have him.
He's quiet, he's sensible, he knows me, I know him, we have fun.
I missed him while I sat 10 feet away from him on the back of another horse.
It just reminded me that even when I think there is an 'issue' with our training/riding/rehab/whatever it is, it is sooooooooooo small compared to how much joy I have with him.
And....E is entertaining the thought of getting another horse, so stay tuned!
So excited for her!! (and again, Laz and I, so we can all train/ride again together)
She got accepted through CANTER for a possible OTTB, or there may be a WB lease in our area as well...lots of pony pictures have been emailed back and forth of possible next partners for her!
She is the type of owner who should always have a horse, she has so much to give!
She got accepted through CANTER for a possible OTTB, or there may be a WB lease in our area as well...lots of pony pictures have been emailed back and forth of possible next partners for her!
She is the type of owner who should always have a horse, she has so much to give!
Poor E. :-( How did I miss that she lost Justin? So sorry, for her, for you, and for Laz--I know they were good buddies.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to get back into it when you lose one. I know after I lost Mac I didn't ride for 8 months. Good for E for getting back in the saddle and maybe giving an awesome home to an OTTB (!!!).
How nice for her that she has you and Laz and to help her through this rough time. :-)
Ugh it was awful Frizzle...I was there with him while we put him down. So sad :(((
DeleteIt's heartbreaking, but I know some people just can't stay, and of course it's nice for the horse to have a familiar face and a kind voice to see him/her off. I've stayed with several friends' horses while they were put down, and it was very difficult, but I always think that if I were the horse I would want a friend with me. So, thank you for being there for sweet Justin and making sure he had good company when he took his last breath. You're a good egg. :-)
DeleteWow, she came back fast:) I DO give her big credit for sure! I sooooooooooooooooooo love the pendant. I will have to sooooo get one of Kaspin:) All very cool! xoxo
ReplyDeleteShe's doing great, obviously tons of moments are very hard for her but she's pretty much always had a horse so I think the comfort of having one in the future is very healing :)
DeleteMy riding instructor would have us switch horses durring group lessons. While it was good to get me on different horses, it always made me miss Piney seeing someone else riding him even when I was like 10 feet away. They often used him for lessons because he was not a speed demon, and I would sometimes watch people riding him. It made me both proud, and sad, and jealous. Proud because my boy was such a great lesson horse for timid riders, sad because they didn't know his buttons like I did and couldn't get the same riding experience I had with him, and jealous because someone else was riding him instead of me.
ReplyDeleteOh and, AND, Red is adorable! I LOVE red TB's with crooked blazes!!
Smart instructor and yes, it hard watching someone else on your horse BUT so good too!! Made me SO appreciate him that much more. Like homesick, or horsesick ;)
DeleteRed is very adorable. He tries so hard, just has so little training/time but he's awesome.
Good for E for coming back to the barn so soon after losing Justin. That pendant you got for her is awesome--a something I'm sure she'll treasure.
ReplyDeleteI always see my horse completely differently when I see someone else on her. usually part of what I am thinking is: WOW! She IS so amazing! I am so lucky! We are ALL SO LUCKY, aren't we???? Yipppeeee, I love horses of all kinds! If I had a million dollars, i buy a whole truck of them!
ReplyDelete