whiskers, dapples, and hot chocolate

I just love this time of year. Lucy's chocolate-coloured winter coat peeking through her sunbleached summer coat, the bugs subsiding, the cool weather sliding in, the humidity level falling, and the leaves on the trees hinting at golds and reds all make me feel nostalgic and content.

Lucy has been so good lately. With the cooler weather, I always worry that Winter Lucy will return. While I'm sure that she will perk up once it gets really cold, for now she seems simply content and happy to do whatever. We've been keeping a good balance between ring work and hacking out in the fields and on the trails. Earlier in the week I took her out for a breeze through the very field she bucked me off in not too long ago, and she was superb. I even rode her in the snaffle! Today, we had a short and sweet 20 minute school in the outdoor ring. I think she is in heat because as soon as I started asking things of her, she pinned her ears and gave me some attitude. I stayed consistent and didn't waver in what I was asking and she got over herself, but the attitude thing kind of surprised me, since she has been so happy to work lately. We'll chalk it up to hormones and hope it subsides in the next few days ;)

mare 'tude...I was like, you are preaching to the choir, Lucy!

that's better.

Here are some more photos from today - she got to have some fun in the paddock. She is a pleasure to watch move. I sometimes look at her and think, wow, she is a NICE horse. She looked so happy and free out there zooming around tonight.

I just love her whiskers

that horse can move!

ninja moves out in the field

Today was the first time I have gotten launched since moving to my current barn, which was back in January. I think that's a pretty good stretch of time! Best part was that it was in the field, and we were having a nice gallop when she got a little excited, and started hopping through the air, and it was like riding a trampoline. I more or less got bounced right out of the tack and I landed on my FEET! I think that's only happened once or twice before. It was totally awesome. I felt very ninja like! The not so awesome part was that she spun around and galloped away from me, toward home, throwing in MASSIVE bucks as she hauled a** back to the barn. Kenny had come out to take photos for me and he was closer to the front of the field, so I called him to let him know that Lucy was heading in that direction. Unfortunately she had already gotten past him and was heading out to the road. She galloped down the main road toward the barn (WHY didn't she go down the trail?!? she has never even been ridden on that road!!) and of course it caused a huge ruckus with traffic. The police were called and someone managed to corral her into a large parking lot on the side of the road, by blocking the road with his car. Kenny was right behind the horse (he took the motorcycle to the field) and caught her and held her for me since I was on foot walking to the parking lot where she was.

Anyway, long story short, she's fine, I'm fine, a cop showed up and we explained what happened. Never a dull moment!

When I got back to the barn, I tied Lucy to the barn while I cleaned her stall and fed the other horses, then I worked with her on the ground for about 25 minutes. I didn't want her to think she could be naughty and then come home and get fed.

At least before I got tossed, we had a great ride. I spent about an hour and a half out in the field yesterday building some new jumps, and today we tried them all out.

mini tantrum after the first jump. she was just really excited!

"I love you despite your craziness"

I had to get off to fix a part of the jump - she was very good about
standing there quietly while I worked.

these two jumps worked out to be a perfect two strides apart. we had a
lot of fun jumping them as a line!

she was unsure about this jump, just a pile of rocks with a thick branch
over the top.

with a nice, confident ride to the base, however, she jumped it fine.

velcro butt strikes again: not even sure what to say about this nonsense

I decided to take Lucy on another little trail ride yesterday. I wanted to get some photos of her in the field with her boots on so my friend followed along with the camera.

It started out well enough:

we hopped a little log on the trail

looked into the sunset together

had a nice cruise around the fields

Lucy wanted to RUN. I said no. She was annoyed.

but overall she was listening well.

she was moving great thanks to the hoof boots

Then I asked her to trot up a little embankment and things got a little nutty:

we trotted up and across the little hill, and on the opposite side she pricked her
ears at something off in the distance, arched her neck, and then...

off we went! here I am whispering sweet nothings into her ear..NOT

we sproinged

we bounced

we leaped

I was beginning to think we'd been cast in the War Horse sequel and no one
told me.

or maybe Lucy had been cast as Tigger in a Winnie the Pooh movie.

Just like Tigger says, Lucy was so happy she felt like bouncing!

more sweet nothing aka words I cannot mention on a public blog

she was doing all of these fun moves right on the edge of a good-sized basin.
every time she'd come down from a rear, bam, there was the edge of the
embankment. I finally got her to land with her front feet down into the dip,
because I knew it would be next to impossible to rear with her butt above her
head.

looking back at my friend like, did you just SEE THAT?!

when I recovered, we tried again. how's this for defensive riding position?

she was pretty good. she tried to get a bit silly but I told her to knock it off
 in my most growl-y tiger-like voice.

then she got a pat, though I secretly wanted to smack her right upside the head.
BAD HORSE.

I was a bit in shock still here, I think

then I got off and hand walked her all the way home

She was not trying to get me off. She was exuberant, feeling good, feeling very sound and happy to be out. Still, this was 100% UNACCEPTABLE. Rearing, in my opinion, is NEVER ok. I was caught way off guard and I am beyond happy that my heels have this ridiculous defense mechanism of locking when they need to keep me anchored into the saddle.

Thank you to my childhood hunt seat trainer for developing excellent heel position.

I lunged the snot out of her today, and she went in a bit for the first time since she injured her mouth. Everything's completely healed and she clearly needed something to think about. I put her in a Herm Sprenger KK jointed snaffle and she did really well. Tomorrow I will lunge again and then ride.

YEEHAW!