Pony Updates

My personal life imploded about two weeks ago so I am only now starting to catch up on writing blog posts. If you have messaged me in the last two weeks and I haven't responded, please know that time has had very little meaning to me during this time and I am very sorry! 

Things are getting better though! Plus, I've been riding the ponies and I'm excited to share how things are going with them. 

Look at this guy!

First, I've jumped Sunny a few more times since my last post about it. He's starting to do his obnoxious land and launch bullshit again, so my current plan is to get him fitter so that I can take him over to Kate's barn and have her jump him for me. I can sit his launchy bullshit but I don't love it and last time he did it, he tweaked my back. Serves me right for jumping him bareback in tennis shoes. 

But other than his leaping after the fence occasionally, he's been super good! I've finally accessed another gear in his canter (he only had the one when I started riding him) and wow a compact horse is way easier to put together than TC. I can endlessly circle power through his body and catch it in my seat and hand and recycle it back. Next horse needs to have a short back and be at least 300lbs lighter than TC! 

He’s schooling all of First level now and I even started some counter canter the other day. He’s kind of terrible at it so I’m excited to see that develop. My mom has been so excited to see him go and wants to start riding him after she’s finished with physical therapy (there’s a soft tissue injury in her hip I guess? She lost full range of motion but it’s getting better!). I’m really excited to have her ride him. I think if she likes how he’s going, I’ll keep riding him for as long as I can (still waiting on a new job that will probably take away my flexiblity) and then hire one of Kate’s assistants to ride him a few times a week to keep him going for her. She has this habit of not riding him unless he’s in work but to keep him in work, she has to ride him. So I’ll just keep him in work for her! 

Pretty happy with my bareback position given that
I haven't worked over fences without stirrups in
like 12-15 years lol

In front of the vertical, poll up, ah I love it

So, onto TC, what a freaking rock star he's been lately. I've been wondering if there would come a time when I have my horse back or if I'd be working on his postural issues forever. Just this last weekend though, he finally gave me access to his longitudinal balance. That's been something I don't know if I've ever had access to, to be honest. How does someone get to Third level without accessing the horse's longitudinal balance? No idea. I have a lot of opinions about collection and if it’s *actually* shown at the highest levels, but that’s a post for another day. 

For the first time, I think ever, TC is actually carrying weight behind at the trot. I think all of the work we've done over the last year... the six months I rode him off the bit to reset the connection, the saddle changes, all the long lining and clicker training for posture, all of his PT exercises, lots of acupuncture, all the things... well, it's finally paying off. It seems to be, at least. And I'm not taking video every day (limiting myself to once a week) so I've been feeling a lot less crazy. 

Poll highest point, nose IFV, there are lots of things
to like so I'm happy

The trot is going to take a while but his canter is just stellar right now. I feel a canter pirouette in it to the right, which has historically been our trickier side. The left has been a bit tough recently, but the other day, I figured out that it was just an issue that he wouldn't step to the right rein without sliding through it so we fixed that and then it felt great! I think it'll take a while to gain strength on that side. 

We’ve actually been able to work on flying changes too. In our last ride, we did them and they were straight and clean. He definitely doesn’t understand how to keep the quality of the canter through the change, the change puts him on the forehand, so I need to think about some exercises to help him understand how to jump through the change in an uphill balance. But wow working on literally anything but trotting and cantering in circles has been so fun! I'm excited to be utilizing other exercises for the first time in a long time. 

Hind leg ooooo

That neck!

Obviously it’s been a tough time for me in my personal life and it’s not over yet. I figure this blog may go through dark periods during the next couple of months, so I’ll do my best to write a lot of posts when I’m feeling up to it and schedule them over time. We do have some fun things coming up, like next Thursday I might get to buy a saddle!! After I get the saddle, I want to load up on lessons again. I want to see remote trainer for sure and I want to go back to local trainer, especially because her barn is an option for me for the winter. I’m also hoping to see my biomechanics person too. 

And this winter I definitely want to address my SI issues. I have this feeling that my own SI issues are causing some issues in his hind legs, namely my right leg gets sciatica and I’m not convinced that his right hind doesn’t have some sciatica at times as well. He's always itchy on that side but never seems to be able to tell me exactly where he wants to be itched. If that doesn't go away, I might take him to my lameness vet to work him up on that leg, but I'm hopeful that if I address my own issues and take the time to build his strength, we can get through it. At least with my own sciatica, strengthening my core and back helped a lot. 

So, fingers crossed for the saddle and for continuing along this path with my wonderful horse!