Offensive Furniture

Knowing that the rain was coming on Sunday, I opted to give TC a turnout on Saturday instead of riding. He had SO much fun galloping around and harassing the pasture horses next door.

Making friends! Look at that neck, sometimes he looks like a
real horse

Sunday morning it was sprinkling so I zipped out to the barn to get a ride in before the rains really started. I broke out the water proof quarter sheet, which TC has worn once on my saddle. I thought it was an intelligent idea to put on his tack without his longeing stuff, then to put the quarter sheet on his butt, then to jump on as if he was Rico. Things went well until the sheet was falling backward so I pulled it up. It felt like something jumped up his butt. So I flapped it around (while on him because why get off to despook your baby horse? It was sprinkling after all, the ground was wet and my boots aren't waterproof) and we went on our way. 

I decided to go out on the trails to warm up, mostly because I wasn't sure how much rain we'd be getting and whether we'd be able to get back out there before the next storm. To get to the trails, we have to go through two gates. At the first gate, I slammed my finger in it. It was my dumb mistake, not TC's, although TC isn't the best horse to open additional gates with when one finger is bleeding profusely all over your saddle, jacket, and quartersheet. But we managed through the second gate, and I rode him one handed until the bleeding stopped, which basically took our entire trail ride.

Derpy pony

Once I managed to get back in from the trails without destroying any other fingers, we headed into the indoor arena.

TC started out really excellent. Nicely relaxed and really into the contact. I worked on adjustability at the trot, getting him to move forward and back off my leg and seat. We also threw in some spiraling in and out and leg yields to work on the lateral suppleness. There's not much to say about his trot, it's just awesome when he is relaxed.

He did get a little heavy at one point, but when I released, he actually stretched way down in an almost legitimate stretch circle. I bet after the lengthenings on Friday, turnout Saturday, and trotting up the hill before our ride, he was ready to stretch out that back a bit. Good pony!

We played a bit in the canter, which actually prompted someone to tell me that he looked good! Yay for not having people run away from us when we canter anymore. Although it's getting to the point where I have just enough control to LOOK like I'm in control but not actually BE in control where then people blame me when he almost runs them over. Okay no one has deliberately blamed me but I can feel their judgmental gaze. I feel like I'm not always constantly having to apologize for us though, so we'll call that progress.

He wants to go on those trails but the one on the
left is really steep and the one on the right makes
me feel like I'm going to fall to my death

But really the canter, which is always going to be an uphill battle with this horse, is getting better. I usually avoid one side of the arena because the footing is so hard, and on Sunday I felt fully capable of avoiding it at the canter. He also stays on the bit, it may be a bit on the muscle and short in the neck, but his trot used to be like that too. He's also learning how to canter a bit slower, which is nice because the covered ring is small and we basically go three steps down the long side and have to turn.

After cantering, we wandered around at the walk before I picked him up again. It was about twenty-five minutes in and he had decided that he was going to be wild. What is wild in terms of tired TC? Spooking at a chair that has always been just outside the arena on a platform.

Now, let me clarify. This chair has ALWAYS been there as far as TC knows. It was there when he moved in, it was there when we started our ride that day, it was there when we ended our ride, it remains there today. Not once has it moved or done anything other than literally just be a chair. After twenty-five minutes of riding by this chair, leg yielding toward this chair, walking down the long side and looking at this chair... suddenly the chair was VERY OFFENSIVE.

Looking down on the barn

He would mostly just shy away from it and zip off, or dart sideways (not into anyone, phew) away from it. TC doesn't spook at things very often, and not usually without reason. This was one of the first times where he spooked at something without any reason, something he'd seen many times before, just because he COULD.

So we did a lot of work on that circle near the chair until the chair became less exciting. And then we ended with some lengthenings because I can't just not. They are so fun to ride. Which I know means I shouldn't work on them and should work on trot canter transitions and lateral work instead. But they're fun and riding should be fun.


He got yesterday off and today I'll be heading to the barn after work to ride in the dark. Hopefully he continues with his awesome attitude and work ethic from this weekend! But I know better than to think that this upswing is permanent, it's nice to get a few good rides in a row though.