Sun and Smiles

I had a doctors appointment this morning and after looking at the forecast, and considering what I had to do at work and the drive to get there, I decided a mental health day was in order.

My view from the bathroom when I woke up. The apple tree still has some apples that are finally falling and the deer come to eat.

After my appointment (down nearly 10 lb and a whole %age of body fat! thank you stimulants) I hooked the truck up to the trailer and got ready to go out.  The footing is not good where I can ride at home, except maybe the front pasture, so I sought out some local barns to see if I could pay to come ride. One place, only a couple miles away, was open for haul-ins for $15.

If I can swing my schedule right and get out there every week, they offer unlimited haul ins for $45/month. It's really tempting.

Given that I have a big outing on Sunday with Gwyn, I was hoping to use today as a schooling session to remind her that we load nicely. Eric told me that she'd be great for today and a little shit on Sunday because that's how my life works.

True to form, Gwyn didn't run away when I approached, dressed to ride, with her halter. She stuck her nose in. Then we calmly walked out of the barn (Saffron tried to come with) and over to the trailer. I stood at the bottom of the ramp, she peered in, and then walked calmly on and started eating hay.

Oh mare. Don't get me wrong, I love that she self loads like this now. It is SO FAR from where she used to be, where she needed up to three people to get her on. I much prefer this. But I'll bet you now that she doesn't want to ride on Sunday.

 The place I found isn't on Google maps as a farm/location and I had scouted the drive earlier on my way to the doctor because it's all back roads. They were icy. Like the truck wasn't able to stop for a stop sign, icy. So when I went with the trailer I was SUPER cautious. Thankfully the sun had come out and the temperatures had risen well above freezing. The dirt roads were visible!

 The arena at this place wasn't super big, but it was indoors with better footing than what I had to work with. And I could easily practice some dressage tests. Plus, there was a set of three cavaletti set up in a corner and I've definitely wanted to get Gwyn working on that more so I incorporated it as much as I felt comfortable.

Gwyn loves barn kittens

 The lady who runs this place absolutely fell in LOVE with Gwyn. She was immediately talking about how sad it was her trakehner stud didn't have swimmers anymore because they'd be a great pairing.

Okay lady, sure. Not really planning to breed Gwyn presently.

I wasn't too thrilled with the attention she was lavishing on her, but she was pretty familiar with rider biomechanics and if anything, she might be able to help me there. She did immediately notice that tracking left Gwyn falls in on the inside, but also that I am uneven too, and I sink weight into my right foot while my left barely takes any weight and that probably contributes a ton. I'm going to keep that in mind as I go through reading my new to me Mary Wanless books!

She did offer to help with those biomechanical issues, which I'm hesitantly curious about taking her up on. I know I have issues. Eyes on the ground would be very very helpful.

Still agonizing over how to tame this mane for Sunday...

 I started out just working on reestablishing the feeling of inside leg to outside rein and not having a giraffe under me. We lost the connection a little when I moved into trotting, but were able to gain it back. She kept pulling me to the trot poles and did really well in both directions with them.

 Then I pulled up the Intro USDF tests and did a walk through of each, and then a dress rehearsal. They're pretty quick and easy.

Intro A is like a figure 8 of trotting. Enter at A in a trot, X working walk, track right, working trot. You trot circle at A, go immediately into a trot across the diagonal to change direction and trot circle at C, then walk, walk through the diagonal and down the center line at a walk, halt salute.

Intro B has enter working trot, halt through the walk at X, salute. Trot and track left. Circle at E, working walk before A, free walk across the short diagonal (F - E) to change rein, working trot, circle at B, continue in working trot to center line, halt at X, salute.

 She wasn't as forward as I wanted and I think I'll carry a whip on Sunday. I tried asking for some canter at the end and she just was not having it and porpoised several times. It has been a few months since I asked her to carry herself with any regularity so I finished by asking for a nice forward trot circle without snide commentary from her. We got that and I called it done.

 Afterwards, we headed over to pick up a prescription I needed and Gwyn got to play the "Standing on the Trailer while Mom goes in the store" game. She got a giant apple for waiting.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the work I got done today with her. I'm really excited for Sunday, and hopefully I'll be able to get media. The friend who was going to meet me isn't able to anymore. My fall back is to stick my Go Pro on a tripod before I go in for my test. If it's charged I can just leave it running since there's only one person between my two ride times.

I really want her to have more experience in a legit dressage ring and Sunday will provide that! Now to clean tack and my tall boots!