Lots of updates because I've been lazy.

Yeah. I totally didn't write about last Wednesday's lesson. I guess I'll do that now.
I started out on Aussie. I don't hate him like everyone else seems to. Sure, he's lazy, but there's nothing wrong with him. I can get him going really well with just a few taps from a crop. His saddle leaves a lot to be desired, but most of the saddles at the school's barn are like that. Jeff's saddle is even worse. I rode Jeff when we switched in the middle of the lesson. He was really good for me last time, but he was really fast this time. We did an exercise where we cantered the long stretch of the arena and trotted the short. It was absolutely impossible for me. It'd be a different story if I were on Stella, but Jeff didn't appreciate our little exercise in control and flat-out refused to break a trot when I asked. Oh well.
I went home this weekend as well. It rained a lot and was too muddy to ride. I played with Stella a lot, though, and we had a lot of fun. I sat in her stall for a long time and talked to her. She's so wonderful. I also hugged on her and took pictures of her lips, which were colored a funny pink because of her new supplement block. I played with her in the paddock on Sunday. She kept biting baby Jessie, and I kept telling her to stop. She didn't listen. She was shedding a lot. I'm sure she's glad to have her blanket off now!
Larry called me early on Saturday morning and asked me if I wanted to come get Abby and keep her for the day. I jumped at his offer, not realizing that she was absolutely covered in mud and bouncing off the walls with that pent-up Australian shepherd energy. I took her for a very, very long walk. We were gone for at least two hours, just walking and talking. First, I took her to the "nice" side of town, all the way to the creek. The only place I could find that didn't make me feel like I was blatantly trespassing on someone else's property was a plot of land that had a real estate sign on it. I was going to let Abby jump off the docks, but then an old man pulled up in his blue BMW and made me feel awkward. I eased away from the water, but then Abby broke loose from me and tore through some gigantic puddles. She ran into a very nice yard, and I was scared that someone was going to call animal control to come tranquilize a coyote. She looks like one when she's wet and nasty :D
I eventually caught her, and then I realized that the old man was still watching me. He didn't look pleased. I yelled for Abby to run and we bolted off out of sight. We met an older lady with a spotless white cotton ball of a pup. They didn't seem pleased either when I allowed Abby to jump into a gigantic puddle in a ditch beside the road. She definitely shared the love, too. I was soaked, Abby was soaked, and we were both very happy. We walked down to a convenience store, but we couldn't go inside because I'm broke and the owners just don't understand that speciesism is wrong :P Instead, we strolled down to a closed-up restaurant with a doggie theme. I thought it would be cute to get Abby to sit on the doormat, which has a dog on it, and get a picture. They were really cute pictures. We both sat on the doormat for a while, waving at passersby. A little kid saw Abby and squealed with delight. We headed out even farther, making it all the way to the vineyard. Abby frolicked in the open field and at the base of two gigantic corkscrews, the distinctive monuments that set the town papers ablaze. We started heading back, all the way to the park. I turned her loose on the tennis court, which she loved. Since she's so amazing, I let her run loose in the park too. She found some kids that she absolutely adored. The kids didn't like her very much, though. She jumped on them and got them wet and muddy, so I had to call her back. Abby was very disappointed that the kids didn't want to play with her! We took a drinking break at the fountain. I took her back down the first road that we took, but I didn't go nearly as far. I let her play on the beautiful grass at the inn (truly the nicest grass I've ever felt) and then we went back home.
After our walk, we were very hungry. We ate lunch together. Abby ate some fortune cookies and some bread and some hamburger (That PROVES that I love her.), and then I had to take her back to the barn because I ran out of stuff to feed her. Larry was back with four 700-pound bales of hay. The dogs were fascinated with these gigantic bales, so they decided to climb on top of them and wrestle. I was also fascinated by them, so I climbed on top and sprawled out for a little rest. Larry came over and started to fuss at me about the date of my next chiropractor visit, and then he "encouraged" me to get up by hitting me really hard and putting Jack on top of me. I almost fell off the bale. It was hysterical, but it didn't do much for the hip that concerns him so much :)
Yesterday, my sister and Elizabeth wanted to go out in the boat. Elizabeth didn't want to go get the paddles from her garage, so she decided to use a stick instead. My sister and I had the intelligence to skip out on this particular boat excursion (I sat in the boat for a while when it was still tied to the tree), but Elizabeth worked her way out to the middle of the pond...and realized that recent rain had made the whole thing much deeper than it's ever been. She was basically stuck, so my sister waded in and towed the boat back. She's so good to her friends. Had one of my friends done that, I would've made THEM get out, get wet, and tow the boat back. That's amazing, considering Mindy and I promised that we'd jump in the pond in a heartbeat to save Abby when we were "teaching" her to swim and retrieve sticks from the pond :) Of course, it never came to that. She may be a herder by nature (and she herds the horses quite well!), but she's an even better swimmer than Jack, who's half Labrador and has cute webbed feet.
I started out on Mersea today. I was so happy. Mersea is the little wonder jumping pony that everyone loves, but he's got some nasty ground manners. He's a tad headshy, but I understand that completely. Being headshy is a fear-based behavior, not misbehavior. Mac used to be terribly afraid of anything touching his face, and he would react violently whenever I'd try to comb his forelock or put on his bridle. Eventually he trusted me enough to let me do all of that stuff pretty well, but... This isn't about Mac, is it? Meh. Mersea also tried to kick me, which prompted me to say something very inappropriate very loudly. He tried to bite me a lot too, so I just bit my tongue and smacked him on the shoulder.
Mersea's so lovely to ride, though. He was a bit slow today, but we had a nice ride. We worked on the flat for a really long time. Mersea's canter is absolutely amazing, by the way, as is his trot. And his walk. I was starting to wonder whether Teresa had forgotten that it was our jumping day. When we switched horses, someone asked her about it. She had forgotten, so I jumped on Jack and we started jumping. Jack was giving his previous rider a lot of trouble, so I stayed alert. I really didn't want to jump him. If he were my horse, he would still be on the flat, improving his response to normal aids. I personally don't believe that a horse who won't come down to a halt in a reasonable amount of time should be jumping, but I also don't believe that beginning riders should be allowed to jump without developing an independent seat... I jumped him anyway, though. He wasn't so bad with the first crossrail. In fact, I was quite pleased. He's a wonderful jumper. He just gets overexcited, rushes, fights, and throws himself around in a tantrum when he's not allowed to continue cantering. After the first crossrail, he got feisty and I brought him back to a trot. He had a tantrum and started throwing himself around, but I made him walk and let him trot to the next two jumps. He was really rude during the first "course," but he was much better for the second. I made him walk to the crossrail and only allowed him to trot a short distance before. I let him canter to the second line, and it wasn't bad. The final jump, however, was really strange. He jumped HUGE, and it was one of those moments where I thought I was going to plant my face into his neck. I'm glad I didn't, though. After that final jump, Jack decided to squeal a little and took off. He rounded up and started swishing his tail like he was going to buck. I think he knew better than to buck with this bronc buster on his back, though :D I can't believe I've gone almost nine years without being bucked off. So far, Stella is in the lead because she's almost bucked me off twice that I can remember.
Oh man. I've jinxed it. I'm getting bucked off on Wednesday now. I just know it. Uggggh. I bet it'll be a little pony, too.

Even more of a confidence boost on the most unlikely horse ever.

I talked about how I felt that I still need more confidence over fences in the last entry. I'm feeling a little better after two successful jumping days. Jumping Stella is a pretty big deal, but jumping a horse that I didn't even want to ride on the flat--Archie--is even bigger. Yes, my heart dropped when I checked the list at the barn and saw that I had to ride Archie in today's lesson. I'm so glad I got the opportunity, though, because I learned a whole lot today.
I gave Archie "the talk" when I got into his stall. I explained to him that I was loaded with painkillers (Generally, if I pop a pill before I ride, some horse somewhere is going to get "the talk."), that he should behave himself, and that I'll try very hard to understand him. I guess he listened to me :)
I focused on keeping my hands soft and keeping my entire body relaxed as we walked around the ring before the lesson started. I've been told that my hands are amazingly soft, almost to a fault, but I know I have a habit of locking my elbows and clenching my fists when things get crazy. That scares Archie...as it should. We moved into a relaxed trot, and then I think I had a small epiphany. I don't think I post straight. I think I always bring one hip forward just a little bit more. It could be because my hip is messed up, but it's likely just one of the many flaws in my equitation. I know that I often sit slightly "off" when my hip isn't just right, so it's likely.
There were a few times when Archie would speed up, but I didn't allow myself to stiffen. I tried to use my seat as much as possible, and then I turned to very slight half-halts in order to help him slow down. It worked quite well. He still does that nose-tilt thing, which is really odd. I've NEVER seen another horse do that like he does, and I have no idea why he did it a few times today.
Trotting went well, but I was a little worried that the canter would be out of control and absolutely dangerous like it was last time I rode Archie. He did get a little uppity when he saw the other horses springing into the canter (You can tell I'm one of Larry's students; I always take my time moving into the canter to plan my departure and set the horse up correctly.), but he was fine once we were going. He rushed the departure a little, but I was able to get him to relax and we had a very, very nice time. He has a lovely little canter once he relaxes. I kept my full seat and made sure my hands were wonderfully soft for such a wonderful horse.
We also had to jump a small vertical as we trotted around the arena. I hoped that he wouldn't get too uppity when he saw that we were going down the quarterline to a jump, and he didn't. We actually had some really nice jumps. After two passes over the vertical, Teresa got us started with gymnastics line. By this time, I wasn't worried about Archie at all. We had so much fun with it, too. There were four jumps in a row. They were all small, but that's okay.
I started losing my stirrup in the middle of the jumps one time around. I also started losing my stirrup just before the first jump one time, but I went anyway. I felt wild and crazy and very happy :) I think Archie also felt very happy.
Ahhhh. What a day.

Amazing weekend at the barn.

I didn't do much on Friday because I got home late, but I did play with Stella a little bit and chat with Larry and Jean in the house. 

I cleaned stalls on Saturday, and I also got a chance to ride Stella. Stella was a very good girl. She was really excited about cantering, though. She broke into a canter a few times while we were trotting, so I decided to let her canter and canter for a long time. She was very, very happy. She knows that I know what she wants. We had lots of fun, and I really let her go. There's nothing quite like that feeling, really. Our right lead canter was a little bit better than our left, probably because of my hip. It's slowly going back to what it was, so I'm probably going to make another appointment with the chiropractor very soon. I don't want to go back to limping and hurting every time I ride. 

I also rode Tatiana for a little bit. I walked her and trotted her around, working her off my leg (Yes, I could actually use my legs!) and getting her to soften up. She has such a lovely trot. One day she's going to make a lovely western pleasure horse for Jean :) Jean actually rode her for the first time yesterday. I just longed her, schooled her a bit, and then Jean walked her little girl around. She seemed like she was having fun, and I'm sure it's been exciting to watch the little filly she bought at a veterinary college grow into a nice riding horse. 

I had a great time today, too. Larry brought Mindy over to ride. My sister, Elizabeth, Mindy, and I schooled in the arena for a while. Stella was being very, very good for me. I also felt really good. We had a few of "those" moments. It was beautiful. Then, Mindy and Elizabeth went out to jump in Elizabeth's yard. Since Stella and I were having such a beautiful ride, I wanted to stay in the arena and work on our flatwork.

Larry started to fuss at me after a while and told me to bring Stella out to the jumps. I really didn't want to, but I did anyway. 

This is really hard for me to admit, but I don't feel confident over fences yet. I'm not afraid, I just don't feel confident the way I do on the flat. On the flat, I know that I know what I'm doing, and I've worked through just about everything a horse can throw at me. Over fences, I just don't have that self-assured feeling yet. 

I did end up jumping Stella over the jumps once or twice. I decided to end on a good note. We did actually have some nice jumps. I felt like I was riding pretty well. She's also very athletic and she jumps beautifully. If I can fix my hip completely, get a little more experience under my belt, and convince Stella that jumps don't always bite, we'll be unstoppable. I'm glad I got out there and gave it a try. Things would be so much better if we were in the arena (at least for my poor little mind), but today was a much-needed jumping confidence boost. 

We also rode bareback when we got back to the barn. I walked Stella around bareback for a little bit, but I really didn't want to trot because her withers hurt really bad. Mindy and I switched horses after a while. She wanted to race Stella around the barn with Elizabeth on Sydney, so I got on lazy Tina. We did lots of sidepassing and a little bit of walking, but we really didn't trot. She's lazy. I did place an order to Pizza Hut while sitting on her back. The woman thought I was insane, but that's okay.

We all ate pizza on the porch before I had to leave. It was fun :) Before we rode, we also made a water balloon (AKA latex exam glove filled with water) catapult with a shovel on the top rail of the fence. The "water balloon" didn't go very far, but it was absolutely epic to watch it explode.

Who will I ride tomorrow?

(Oh, and I rode Jeff and Calibur for our flat lesson last Wednesday. They were both very good. Calibur was a little faster than Jeff, and he also couldn't walk a straight line to save his life. They were both pretty tall, and they were both bay geldings.)

Two rides on Jasmine.

Last week, I rode Jasmine for our flat lesson. We actually went out into this huge field in front of the school to ride, and it was very fun. Jasmine was a little silly, but manageable. We did lots of trotting up and down a small incline. I didn't get to canter very much. As soon as we started, someone got bucked off and we had to wait until she was standing and someone caught her horse. The girl was okay, though, and everyone started riding again. It was a pretty fun ride, even though I wish we could've gone on a trail ride instead. The trails at the school are absolutely amazing.

I also rode Jasmine for our jumping lesson yesterday. I think we had a really good ride on the flat. For some reason, my posting was really funny. I think it's because at school they force me to force my heels down, which forces my lower leg forward and causes tension, which causes my posting trot to be a little funny. It's not bad, it's just different compared to doing it at home. It also could be because I'm constantly on horses of different body types and almost always in saddles that don't fit me properly. At school, I definitely sit the trot better than I post it. 

We also had a very good jumping lesson. We started out going over poles, then added a small jump after the poles. That went well, so we started a course. I ended up doing a whole six jumps in one go, and it was great. I like jumping on Jasmine. She's a fun pony. It was absolutely exhilarating to jump her around the course. She's so fast and such a good jumper! 

I can't wait until tomorrow for our flat lesson.

Spring break and...freedom.

It snowed a lot over spring break, which sounds ridiculous even though it's true. I only got to ride four times the whole week. 

Our first show of the season was at a therapeutic riding center. Everything was inside because the weather was absolutely atrocious. It was cold and rainy and muddy and windy and terrible. Stella was pretty decent when I longed her in the arena, but she got really upset as I mounted up outside the ring. I could barely get on, and Larry had to hang onto her so she would hold still. To make matters worse, my hip was hurting a lot. Larry led me into the ring for my first class, and Stella exploded. She started backing, spinning, ducking, and whatever foolishness she could think of. I'm sure she was afraid. She halted and started to lighten in the forehand--not in the good way. She was trying to rear. I managed to fight her out of the ring so that Larry could lead us away and so I could get off. 

I cried. I know I shouldn't have left and gotten off, but I couldn't handle it. I knew my hip couldn't handle her silliness, and that unforgivable sin became absolutely necessary. 

I longed her for a while in the outdoor arena, and then I popped on and rode her. The change was dramatic. We had quite a nice ride. A woman who was watching the gate even stopped me on my way out and said that she thoroughly enjoyed watching me school. 

A few days later, Larry made me go in the house and wouldn't let me out until I scheduled an appointment with the chiropractor. He got the phonebook out, threw it on the table beside me, verbally prodded me until I dialed my phone and scheduled the appointment. I really didn't want to go, but I had to or I wouldn't have been allowed to go out to the barn :) 

The guy was very talkative. He asked me lots of questions about what hurts, what exacerbates the pain, what I do, and all of that stuff. I told him about riding, and he asked how long I've been riding, how much, what I do, and how many falls I've had. He examined me when I was standing up and said the entire right side of my body was higher than the left. He also told me that I had something weird going on with my ribs (I didn't exactly catch what he said.), but he told me that it wasn't causing any problems because I was able to touch my toes without a problem. 

Once I was lying on the table, the fun started. His first reaction was a sudden, "Whoa..." Then he told me that my left leg was at least an inch and a half shorter than the right. There was a lot of tension in my back, so he worked that out for me. Then, he popped a bunch of stuff and made a lot of terrifying sounds. I thought it was funny when he had to throw himself onto my hip two or three times to get it to pop. 

When I was all done, he reexamined my body and had another "whoa" moment. I had to take off my shoes while he looked at my right ankle and foot in comparison to my left. He actually asked me if I'd ever had some kind of serious injury to my ankle because I was rolling it in funny and I had almost no arch in my right foot. He said that I had to get a pair of arch supports for my shoes or else I was going to destroy my knee. I...uhm...didn't tell him that I was already having terrible knee pain...

I left and immediately went out to buy some arch supports for my shoes. I only have one set, so I just switch them between my regular shoes and my riding boots. I've already noticed an amazing difference in my back, hip, and knee. I feel like I'm walking straighter, and people who know me well have told me the same thing. Larry also said I look like I'm riding differently now--a better different :) I feel different too. No. I feel amazing. 

I rode Stella twice after my chiropractor visit. Neither time hurt. My hip didn't catch at all, either time. I didn't have to cut my ride short, and I didn't have to compromise my riding to make up for the pain.

I feel free. I no longer feel like the pain was mostly in my head. That's what happens to chronic pain sufferers sometimes. It's one of the worst feelings in the world when no one can pinpoint a cause for your pain and the only way you can feel a little better is to take a few painkillers that mask the pain for a couple of hours. I'm absolutely ecstatic. I'm walking a little taller, not letting even a single gimpy stride slip in. I'm riding more easily. I'm not fighting anymore. Today, I jumped an in-and-out with a rollback one-handed. In those last two rides with Stella, Larry actually said I looked good and said I looked balanced. I just can't begin to describe how happy I am. 

I think I'm finally fixed. Hopefully my chronic pain and my limp are behind me.

I forgot one. Oh, and today's ride! (I'll talk about break in a separate post.)

We rode again on Thursday before break. I don't even remember the name of the horse I rode at first. I think his name was Rascal. He was big and headstrong and I was nervous about jumping him. Some girl referenced him as "the demon pony" as I was tacking him up, and that didn't make things any better. I also couldn't keep a grip on the reins because my hands were sweaty and the reins were slick. I didn't have any gloves, so I rubbed my hands in the dirt to try to get a little extra grip. Then Teresa was merciful and let us switch horses. I got to ride Popsicle--the opposite of the first horse. Popsicle is so lazy, but she'll take a jump for you. 

I rode Popsicle again today for our jumping lesson. We did a lot of flatwork before beginning to jump, which was wonderful. I actually had a great ride on her; Teresa dished out quite a few compliments about my riding. I rode a lot with one hand today because I needed to keep the crop behind my leg. I even jumped a few times with one hand. It was lots of fun. 

We didn't jump anything really big, but Teresa had me do an in-and-out coupled with a rollback. It was fun. Some people in the class jumped a big oxer, but I didn't because Popsicle just wasn't able to do it. I had a great time at this lesson, and the beautiful weather made it even better!

Why was I able to ride so well today? You'll just have to read about my spring break in the next entry...