Jones

Jill got the standings and ribbon results about the show but not all the info she really wanted: did they really have fun? did they do their best?

She wanted to write back:

Never mind bringing me a choreographed routine for next year's pre-Regionals practices!

I want to start now working with the girls and the ponies on things like straightness, impulsion, RYTHM, corners, and consistency/correctness of the figures and transitions.

When I use my stop watch to time a circle it shouldn't sometimes be 40 seconds and sometimes be 20 seconds, right?  How you can you choreograph to that? ha.

She really wanted to provide LIVE music.  How would that be for the rule book?

But before any of that, the riders needed sound mounts, argh, right, etc?
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The handsome that she hoped would be there turned out to be a good mover buddy, like a farm co-worker mover buddy really, even though he was a musician.

And, he looked so good in red, ha.
His mom had a horse farn? Is that what he'd said? Jill wish some of her other friends had been there so they could tell her.  All she could tell them was that now she was seeing spots, and jonesing for appoloosas all of a sudden.

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It was 2 or 3 seasons ago now that she had gone south with a string of horses on the Canadian Eventing Team, where she was getting paid a small fee to ride 3 or 4 a day of the Team coach, while others were paying thousands of dollars to ride their own one or two.  Lucky Southern soul, ha.

Those horses were like fine fine sportscars.  It was such a blessing to be given access to them and the scenic roads... she felt at home in the saddle.

Oh for some morning hacks past a burn pile or alligator pond!
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Even when she wasn't doing anything horsey, she never really ever shook it off entirely.
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i backed into a tree the same weekend someone sideswiped my parked car. i'm trying not to complain about the damage the second caused when i got by with the first scott free, because it only seems fair.

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i haven't been riding. but i still can get life lessons out of the sport.

i remember how stoney would never chip into the base of a jump when i first start riding him, and he had the scope to leave out a frightening number of strides in front of a fence if i asked too early by mistake, while he also had the scope to jump anything from a standstill as well.

katie taught me to let HIM sort it out. the take off point. my job was to just sit up and wait with my leg on. and, right now i am learning to sit up and wait for the obstacles of my life, instead of taking so many fear inducing flyers...
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i liked how my rider buddy acknowledged mr. timer when he said one minute. she gave him a nod and the thumbs up from where she was walking, so he'd know she heard and he appreciated it, i could tell. she was the first rider of the ten or so i saw start who did so...

More Time with Farah-the-Fave

"We'll make room for you" Jill said, cantering past the entrance to the sandring one more time and then changing the location of her small circle in front of her teacher. A longstanding student and boarder was standing there waiting to enter. The mother of two of Jill's students.

"Don't worry, I'm watching and learning" replied the next rider, to Jill's delight. They were leg yeilding around the top part of the circle at a walk and then striking off into canter for the rest of the figure and then making another transition back to walk within the 15meters, in order to leg yeild some more.

It was an interesting and effective exercise she'd never tried before and was a result of her request to the teacher to give the school horse a "tune up" since she'd been ignoring the leg of the students in classed Jill'd been teaching that week. Jill enjoyed the ride and was also proud when the teacher said as she was leaving how well she'd ridden.

Maybe she wasn't as rusty as she thought. and, her pony friend had such a good work ethic too!
*They began and ended their ride playing tag with the fearless 4 year old, the head coach's son, a game including opening and closing gates and barriers into the arena. The horse was so brave, agile, responsive AND sensible, the games were just great!!

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Jill had a another private lesson on Farah. They worked on forward (even though she's a speedster) around and around the sandring in every gait for nearly a half hour; then jumped a couple poles in a really rhythmical and relaxed way.

The next time we went out, it was a practice ride after the b-day party.

Since the hay in the big, back field had just been cut, they had a little handgallop along one side, trotting the rest in each direction. Then they trotted around the manure pile field treeline, and trotted around the shed paddock twice.

Then they joined the group lesson yesterday SHE WAS TOTALLY AWESOME. so soft and quiet and collecting!
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5.7 pg 41 Dressage in Harmony
The Good Ride Danger
When you have a good ride one day, it is wonderful, but it also very dangerous. On the next day, as soon as you mount, you tell yourself, "I hope it will be as good as yesterday..." And the rider expects the same performance of the horse immediately. If the rider tries to get the feeling he had yesterday right away, then he will start to get tight. I cannot expect to start my search for a butterfly with him already in the net! I have to wait for him." etc etc. we trotted around the manure pile field treeline, and trotted around the shed paddock twice.

then when we joined the group lesson yesterday SHE WAS TOTALLY AWESOME. so soft and quiet and collecting!

5.7 pg 41 Dressage in Harmony
The Good Ride Danger
When you have a good ride one day, it is wonderful, but it also very dangerous. On the next day, as soon as you mount, you tell yourself, "I hope it will be as good as yesterday..." And the rider expects the same performance of the horse immediately. If the rider tries to get the feeling he had yesterday right away, then he will start to get tight. I cannot expect to start my search for a butterfly with him already in the net! I have to wait for him." etc etc.

New Love

Some of the parents in the barn said "We felt sorry for you out there having to shout in the wind, dust and sun."

"You feel sorry for me?" Jill was flabbergasted. Wasn't it obvious? "I LOVE it out there! You should think I'm so lucky!"

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Two white tailed bunnies crossed their path and then a blue jay and bright yellow bird passed right in front of their faces, as she hacked Farah-her-new-favourite around the farm fields. She was working up the school horses at the new academy individually and the little Apoloosa Clyde cross was the one who's spirit she most enjoyed. Although she did not stop whinnying the entire time Jill was riding. Just who on earth was she missing? ha.

The highlight of the day was finding a nice deep puddle when out their trail. The sometimes spooky, speedy, stubborn mare was very sensible stepping through it 20 times, deep part, shallow part, murky muddy etc. etc.

Pulling the girl's mane now, THAT was a different story. When the farm owner stopped in the barn Jill tried to highlight the positive and enthused on the adorable roan's ride outside.




"She's going so well. Who's been riding her?"

"EVERYone is talking about how well she's started going. I thought it was you."

"Oh, in that case it IS me." Jill was joking but also realized as she spoke it, it was true, ha.