New Beginnings (and Paddock Boots)

Obviously all over yesterday's goal post was that I got a new job! I'm super stoked to get back to an office environment (just in time for winter!), though I did enjoy teaching all summer. I started part time on Wednesday of last week, and then yesterday was my first day of full time work. This job is just perfect for me, I'll be working as a research analyst at a nearby college, so using my degree and what I learned from my previous position. The only downsides are that the commute isn't great (literally took me an hour and thirty-five minutes to get to campus yesterday... death) and the hours might be a bit more rigid than is necessary to get my commute down, but I'm very excited about the work I'll be doing and there's a TON of growth opportunities for my career.

Downside: morning wandering has been reduced to the weekends

What I'm obviously not that excited about is going through the winter with my young, dumb, rehab horse in the DARK. But that's why I have a trainer. TC is going to stay in part time training (I might put him in full training if it gets real bad) and I'll be handing him off to my trainer one day a week during the week. So that plus a day off means that I'll only ride in the evening three times a week, one of which (at least) will be a lesson.

Now that it's over, I look back fondly on part time funemployment. I worked 10-30 hours a week (horse training, yo, it's not steady income) and it allowed me to majorly stretch my emergency fund. I'm not terribly off financially after five months of part time work, though I look forward to being able to ride with Tracey and audit some amazing clinicians this winter, as well as visit some people who are important to me and replace my fucking paddock boots that are basically clinging to life. Seriously I'm having to put part of a paper towel in the back of my right one to make them comfortable enough to wear. Oh and my socks get soaked any time I hose the horse down. But hey the horse got his saddle fit and got his new browband- priorities, amirite?

Wally the cat came running into the arena one day and he was
mostly fine with that.

Gah with goals and 2pointober, it's been a while since I talked about the baby horse. Here's a run down:

Thursday- TC was a piece of shit. The evacuated horses were being ridden, and that was just completely unacceptable. The upside of this was that I wasn't afraid of what he did (two bolts) and made him work even harder. We got some great leg yields, including a few zig zags, great trot lengthenings, decent stretch circles, worked on ten meter figure-8s at the trot, fifteen meter canter circles, and canter lengthenings. The only bad thing he really did other than the initial bolt was leap over a bird's shadow and gallop straight at the court's railing. He kicked it down but didn't go through it. What the fuck, horse?

Friday- I rode with trainer in the covered arena. Before that though, I took TC in the round pen and worked through his asshole phase. Any time he'd go to kick out or buck, I'd really lay into him. We got some good work in there and then had an awesome lesson indoors. In our lesson, we continued to address straightness and some horses left the arena and he was totally fine! Is my horse finally growing up?!

OH MY GOD HUMANS I'VE NEVER SEEN
THEM BEFORE

Saturday- I started in the round pen and TC was immediately super super good. He didn't offer his asshole behavior at all and we had some great transitions in there. I stuck him in the covered arena just to ride around a bit, and we worked on straight lines at the canter into the mirror. Horse is so used to turning that it's hard for him to not turn, but let me tell you... his canter is perfectly straight to the right! Like straighter than most of my client horses' canters. Yay for good basics!

Sunday- I thought TC's leg looked puffy so immediately freaked out. I put him on the longe line and took video, but he was fine. So then I hopped on and rode him and he felt GREAT. We had a minor argument about straightness not indicating that he should just pick up the canter. Then we had some really amazing canter work. I let him wander around the ring a bit as I posted on instagram, then took up the reins again and put him back to work. He spooked at a woman changing her shoes, then decided that it was just a travesty and bolted. Oh well. I got after him and we got some great canter work again.

Monday- TC got a day off but I still went to the barn to feed him and ride a client horse. He normally won't get Monday's off but I figured I'd give him a day off because a) he was ridden ten days in a row and b) I was not about to ride him in the dark by myself for the first time.

So true

Okay, we're all caught up! Tomorrow I have a lesson with trainer after work and hopefully TC will be a good baby horse for his first evening ride.