i have a little sway when he starts walking, and hold my reigns too loose, but otherwise, it went well. he is a sensitive horse and took hardly any effort at all to get going.
he rides himself,nicole said.
just the gentlest brush of my foot against his belly would send him walking. i tended to want to watch my girl as she's posting stirrupless around the arena, it's something i've not seen her do, but then i'd lose track of where i was supposed to be and there was a third horse in the center of the arena, the owner was trying to desensitize him, and had him mostly just stand there while we did our thing in circles around him.
when we left, hours later, the owner still had the horse by his side stopping and starting with a crop in hand, out in the parking lot. i waited to start my truck because i knew he'd startle, and he did. but the owner smiled and nodded at me to go, the horse was not ten feet in front of my truck at that point. i think the owner put him there deliberately. pretty intensive training, if you ask me.
i wear this giant silver and turquoise belt buckle and didn't want to scratch the tack while i was dismounting so i kind of leapt out of the saddle. i think next time i'll take off my belt to ride. the horse is so huge, it is probably safer for me not to catch air as i glide down.
the big guy was so gentle after, he was a joy to groom.
and before we rode, nicole showed me how to put the bridle on the right way. of course after getting a good laugh watching velvet yawn (at least eight times) and wag her head in a figure eight when i'd go right, she'd go left.
then nicole said,
suzanne, look.
and led me through it, step by step. and the bridle went on easily.
it was nice to be able to do that, and just the position of your body makes all the difference in the world.
since i rode with my girl, we didn't muck stalls before the lesson, so we did it after. she was wanting to go but i refuse to let her ride and do no work.
if she can't do the work when it's voluntary, she can't do the work when it's mandatory. that's how i see it. and i reminded her of that today.
she loves going there, grooming and jumping on. but she wants to own a horse and i'll be damned if i'm doing all the work. no, she has to accept the responsibility of horse ownership and not think it's just an easy gig. or we don't get horses, simple as that.
i don't know. but i told her,
we rode two horses, we muck two stalls.simple as that. we're not doing a fraction of the work horses require, but she has to be up to it, even just this tiny sliver before i'd even consider the half-lease she's trying to butter me up for.
born yesterday, i was not.
but i'm tired now and belly dancing was a flop.
the teacher i love has had a lot of different things going on this semester and a substitute was there (i stayed long enough to ensure they hadn't replaced her), and then bugged out.
one thing i cannot do is choreographed dance. i hate it.
i suck at it.
i don't know why. i just lose interest and don't even try. i would rather do interpretive dance or not dance at all.
so here i am, beat as the entry rug after spring cleaning.
time to veg.
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