Back to Work

I spent the last week wandering around the east coast. I finally got home yesterday from Virginia (where I was for like 18 hours and it was an adventure lol) and I immediately wanted to go to the barn. Well, actually I wanted to nap. Because I got 4 hours of sleep the night before. It was kind of a shitty day all over, I was sleep deprived and finding stupid shit to get stressed about (like being on the plane thinking that bf didn't text me back and then realizing that he... can't... I'm on a plane. I also had a panic moment about TC's flying changes, which we are not working on, for no reason at all).

NO. I kept waking up feeling like my
alarm wasn't going to go off, ugh

On the way to the barn I stopped at my favorite boba place. Caffeine + boba + food that isn't fried? Hell yes. I'm getting tacos soon too. A week is too long to go without my staples. But I walked up to the door and they were CLOSED.

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

An hour later I had found an open tea place, taken a quick shower to get the cigarette smoke off of me from the night before, and was driving out to the barn.

I got on TC and immediately was nervous. He was super spooky. Normally his spooks don't bug me at all, but without riding for a week and being so so so so tired, I did two short laps around the ranch, then went to get his longeing stuff.

We got into the round pen and sure enough, as always when I give him a week off, TC was short on his left hind. I think I'm going to call chiro-vet out and talk to her about that. But TC just stretched himself out, slowly took bigger and bigger steps, and was totally sound within about five or ten minutes. I mean honestly I was quite lame when I got off of him to longe even because my hips get tight when I don't ride.

He will trot around like this all day long... but yah a little short
on the left hind at first, still, good stretchy pony

Then he picks himself up when he's ready and he's a lot looser

Once as he was properly warmed up, he took the time to gallop wildly away from a lady pushing a wheelbarrow that he's seen a million times. As I was reeling him in, trying to keep him out of the deep footing, the lady starts yelling to me, asking me if she spooked him. In my crazy state I was like "um I mean yeah but he's had a week off so he's a nut" and then thought that like... why does it matter if she spooked him unless she had a time machine to go back and not spook him? My horse spooks at shit. Granted, she's a midday rider and I'm a morning rider, so she probably doesn't see him very much.

The cool thing about longeing was seeing how he's going. I mean he had a week off so theoretically wasn't moving as well, but he looked pretty good! His canter has changed so much, he was a touch mechanical, but I could see how he was really starting to be able to sit down in the canter and elevate the front end.

He basically plods around stretching at the trot on the longe, but he got all sassy at one point and showed me a fancier trot. That and then walking him around the ranch as he snorted at stuff made me feel like I had one of those super fancy dressage horses, rather than a dork.

So today hopefully he'll be feeling more normal. Even if he isn't, I'll be feeling back to normal and I mean, nothing he offered yesterday was all that bad. This was our most intense moment (other than the wheelbarrow bolt)...

Coiling up for the BIGGEST BUCK EVER

Wait for it...

Nah

You be you, TC, never change. Please. Do not learn how to buck (I mean he can and does buck a liiiiitle bigger but this is a signature move when he's squirmy).