I have been riddled with a horrible plague since last Thursday, but I have fought through it to entertain company from across the continent and managed to ride Kiki twice. Friday was a gorgeous day, and I had already planned to take off from work, but my cold was just beginning to kick in, I decided to have my lesson regardless. I think the mare knew I wasn't 100% and she didn't challenge me in any way. The barn was full of horses so we were forced to cross tie (sort of) which made for a good opportunity for more ground training with her. I always expect the worst from her, especially with something like cross tying (she's not exactly known for standing still) and she's easily distracted. But I had all my ducks in a row, tack ready, helmet close, etc...so I wouldn't have to abandon her on the ties. The cute part of all of this is that, since she is bonding with me, she wants to follow me now! But that makes for a tough lesson on the cross ties. I only hooked one of them up and draped a lead rope around the left side of her so she "felt" tied. She stood like an old school horse save for chewing on the cross tie. Seriously, this mare who you could barely get near a month and a half ago was standing without a care in the world, relaxed, and resting a leg. It should be noted here that I am not training a horse whose never been touched...most of this is a refresher course for her, but she was in a pasture for the last year after her last attempt of getting back into to training. It is encouraging to see her "get" things. She is smart and willing and I think that's what I like about her most of all.
We tacked up and headed in to the arena for our lesson. She was just a lamb for everything! I asked B to start my video camera (I won't bother posting the video here -- it's long and boring and features a good 5 minutes of me trying to get my new stirrup leathers right), but it was really nice to watch it later and see our progress together. Another women who owns a gigantic thoroughbred cross that she bred and raised, was riding before me and I let her do a couple of dressage tests so Kiki and I had to stand quietly in the corner while they passed by. As I said before standing still is not her strong point, but she was fantastic! When they finished up, B had me work on some leg yielding at the trot and some 20 meter circles in different areas of the arena. The other woman riding said that I was a lovely, soft, quiet rider! This means a lot coming from this lady! She was excited to see Kiki go (as well as everyone else who rides there -- Kiki's reputation precedes her). We finished up the lesson doing a couple of basic dressage tests (boy am I rusty with the arena letters!) and I was really proud of her for staying focused throughout. She was being such a good girl that B suggested we go for a little cool down walk outside! I was a bit worried about Beauty (the grey filly mentioned before) calling to Kiki and distracting us, but even when she did and with Kiki responding she never reacted in a bad way. No spooking, jumping, bolting, just calling. I guess I can handle that. Baby steps, right? I brought lunch and ate next to her pasture and when I walked up to give her a treat she whinnied at me! I think I felt my heart melt.
Saturday's ride was more of the same, perhaps a bit shorter as it was in the upper 80's. We rode for the first time with the big side door of the arean wide open (it faces her paddock). She never tried to run through it, but she did lift her head and get distracted EVERY single time we passed it. I was proud of her for staying with me.
*EDIT: Another big moment for Kiki on Saturday was being "cross-tied" while a friend's mare was being reluctant to load on the trailer. She stood quietly while the mare panicked, backed up, and goofed around, all about 50 ft in front of her!
In a little over a month, me and some of the other girls at the farm are heading to Virginia for a riding vacation. I am super excited and I am thinking that I just might purchase a pair of tall boots and maybe, just maybe a show jacket. You know what that means?????? Mostly, I just want to get Kiki a new bridle to match her shiny martingale. I cannot wait to go on this trip...we are learning to play polo, ride side-saddle, and best of all, we will get to school cross country on some fantastic horses!
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