Hot to Trot

It was dark and gloomy but the rain held off enough that they agreed to proceed with the planned cross country school.

As they headed out the farm manager announced he was upping the skinny thoroughbred's grain. He was so hard to keep weight on! Jill wished for fattening that would not make him any more hyper.

Off the trailer and warming up in the stadium ring the horse was strong. Jill looked forward to the future planned outings where they would unload and only do CALMING flat work but that was not the plan for this time. First the coach popped them over the small white picket, then the small planks to a 1 stride combination. And then they were off to the big fields! Yikes.

She knew the pre-training course and went to between 3&4 to make the turn that Jill had not even planned to make on showday. Busted! They did it first the easier fence around the corner and then repeated the exercize with the tighter turn to the pre-training fence. d o n e. The tip of angling it right to left for a bit more time to turn was very useful. The teacher could totally relate to Jill's need for tricks for such a fast beast... her only horse not listed for the Equestrian Team was much like Jill's mount.

Then they were sent on a gallop all the way around the biggest field. The coach, groom and owner watched as he really tried to take off, including little rears, hops and his rooting down hard on the reins trick. Jill thought she did an okay job of riding the rhythm instead of fighting him, and not collapsing when he sucked back and then forward to try to yank her out of the saddle. ha.

Her teacher had once called this game "survival of the fittest." and suggested Jill take up skipping as a way to cross train between rides. Jill was motivated enough to actually do it, for her own protection. "The healthier you are, the less hurt when you fall. Right?"

**

Then they did a tiny log-drop and turned a sharp left for a gallop stretch.
Then they came back and did a bigger log-drop with the same sharp left up a bank.

He was good.
But the teacher asked afterwards "was he in control?" Jill answered YES, thinking they must have been fast.

how about letting the teacher get him down the step? he begins to freak out, even though he'd done it fine on showday, which freaks Jill out because she's terrible at drops in the first place and so the teacher hops on and really has to ride to get him to do it...

Mounted Police

In the tack shop, Jill was chatting with the girl on cash after purchasing her helmet. And, hat box, for crying out loud. She was convinced about the care of helmets between falls, ha.

"The property that I am riding at, has all the cross country challenges I need for life."

The cashier admitted that she was afraid to jump. But, as a coop student she was able to exercize horses for Toronto's Mounted Unit, and she was currently exercizing horses for a new kind of mounted unit.

Jill had always wanted to teach a horse to stay calm in a riot. Or push into people. Or other new behaviours...

"You should check out Intelliguard. They do dogs too, whole security teams for hire. Walking the park at Queen and Parliament in Toronto and stuff."

Jill thought, I don't want to take a walk in that neighbourhood, why would I want to do it on horseback? "I'll stick to cross country. Unless they want someone for the parade or to chaperone the school dance."

Take Two...

The second time Jill got into riding was after a 5 year break. She'd ridden for 5 years in her youth and given it up for first year university.

Now, she was working in a bank and spent most of her time trying to help the teller line up... One day she was cashing a cheque for a long-grey-haired-leather-jacketed-handsome-biker-looking fella. She asked what the company name "Huntfield" was all about and he said it was a horse business.

"Do you have any horses you want help exercizing?" Jill was surprised at her own audacious question.

"You should call my wife" the guy said leaving the number.

*

Shortly thereafter Jill was to meet Stoney Pony (or so she would come to affectionately call him). A large bay Irish thoroughbred fast enough for the track but too idiotic. Dangerous. He had been to many big name trainers in the area and the owner wanted him shown hunter now...

He would turn out to be more of a handful than Jill actually understood when she said "Well, I'll ride him for you. But, the sport I like is EVENTING"

Audacity Rides...

What an amazing ride! AMAZING!

Jill had just asked if they needed any help exercizing any horses on a whim, on her way out the door, and the next thing you know, splat, she was back in the saddle. Yay, for the nerve to ask.

The boss was riding a big chesnut mare and ponying a big bay. The cute working student told Jill the pair of them were like an old married couple...

They group rode against the cold wind, tiptoeing on the icy-in-parts roadway to the conservation area. Her mount was frisky, but Jill was trying to stay off her face and slow her by thinking of a nice walk rhythm and keeping her posture right. Lots of sweet talk thrown in for good measure, and heels down for secure anchors, ha.

When the reached their "destination" through the gate entranceway, the boss said they could pick up a trot. Jill liked her spot in the middle, she felt secure... A horse blockade in front of her and an expert in behind to pick up the pieces as need be? Well, she felt as secure as someone as rusty and out of shape as she could be. The fact was that, even in top form, she probably would have been in over her head with current company, but you don't get better by NOT doing things was always her motto and she was t h r i l l e d to be there, keeping the company of a role model.

Just a few steps in, to the left of her, the bay horse came up and easily trotted past. Loose? What the heck? She whipped her head around to see what had happened to the boss, who was grinning ear to ear. She'd let him off the lead! And he took the lead, of their line of herd animals...

"Do you know that scene when you take some dogs out to the park for a walk? That moment when you let them off the leash and they all start bounding around and racing all over the place?!" Jill smiled at the awestruck young riders because her experience that first day was a lot like that, "except we were riding some of the animals!" Yeehaw. She promised to them more of the details about it, after they concentrated on the leg yielding exercize she'd asked them to get underway with... talk about inspired warm-ups.

Hope Rears

Well Done! Jill congratulated the student who had just walked the pony, with much insistence, over the spooky-snowy ground.

First you make her walk the snow, the next thing you know you're riding over bridges and jumping into water! The shy student actually looked at her, surprised, and then smiled.

*
"I always think there is something wrong with a person if they don't like animals." Jill was admitting being smitten by a fella who DID seem interested in every new trick she'd taught a kitty... She thought for all his sports car/motorcycle/womanizing/late nite party/sci fi sides he was charming, thoughtful and sincerely sweet.

She wanted to take yoga together. And maybe even some western lessons or trail rides. She couldn't stop thinking about him!

*

She was looking forward to her next riding lesson, which would be video-taped. You could always learn so much more the second time around, watching what the teacher saw, while hearing the feedback...

*

"horse people are so hard. sometimes i think i might switch to hockey."

*
He suggested getting tattoos together! Not matching ones or anything that cheesey, but just going to get them as a duo...

He also said he could walk trot and canter "and all that" and would rustle up his old riding helmet so they could go for a hack. Yipeeeeeee!

She was surprised to find herself okay with the idea they were dating. Not yet a boyfriend and girlfriend status, just dating, and she liked it? He could be, afterall, on some kind of rebound. And, no doubt wanted to enjoy some freedom! Meanwhile, she was well known for her diehard, exclusive approach to all potential relationships...

But this one seemed different somehow.

Even if he had party plans that didn't include her, and she pictured him spending time with another or other women, she felt okay about it. There's no way any of 'em would take up as much room on the dancefloor as he did, and she did, ha.

He'd asked her to slowdance once and she'd been too shy. Imagine. So many exceptions to her norm. Her roommate found that hilarious. "You? Shy?"

Jill was also too timid to tell her parents in advance about her impending purple hair, and decided to just shock 'em with the truth after it was done. Her cousin thought it was a dumb idea but eventually conceded she should just do what she wanted "Afterall, its not a tattoo."
*

All these conversations swirled in her mind as she hacked up Kennedy road. She had the big bit in because he was so hard to hold lately, and had a good chuckle when her pat for bravery past the cows along the fence line made him flinch, and try and bolt. What a predictable chicken! The ground was too hard for more than walk for most of their trip to the Christmas Tree farm, but once there, they went for a nice long 400m/m gallop. So solid together, both of them.

Flashbacks

The woman who kept refusing to have the sales meeting that would progress things to the benefit of Jill's commission cheque announced excitedly as a sidebar that she'd been to Spruce Meadows.

Jill decided not to splain her that the meeting she was once again refusing was at a location Jill always described as the Spruce Meadows of Ontario...

*

Jill had long wanted a boyfriend that would hunt with her. It seemed like such a party! Just right for sharing! Horsey, yes, but manly.

When she showed up on site, she still couldn't believe all the men on the property. What a switch! What a site. Flashy red coats against the sparse fall fields speckled with greys, bays, chesnuts amid their horse trailers...

She sipped her stirrup cup, at 11am sharp and envied the partner of the long black jacketed, black top hatted fairly novice but completely fearless rider her age. Good call on the striking red saddle pad on his small friesan looking mount and the rider's red accents. She'd never been into the appearance side of riding and horse sports but had to admit she liked all the scenery with this particular horsey scenery... Galloping and cavorting to ensue?

Jill told them to sign her up for the whole next season, and began hunting anew for her hunt mate, ha.

*

wireless speakers and airport were on the wishlist too.

Highlights

Tess 'n Lucy 'n Jill went to walk the course in the afternoon. There were no maps when they got there so they tried to draw one as they went along.

They found the course VERY daunting. Jill spent a lot of her nervous energy convincing Tess not to withdraw! Their teacher's student from another stable was so confident it made them less so.

*

Jill remembered the first night when she could see the big dipper as she turned her mount out for the night in the paddock behind the arena.

"I know the other instructor is mad at me and I know your partner is mad at me but I want to know if YOU want to know how it all went down?" Jill's mentor just asked if she had her riding clothes. And, promised to contact the student who got stomped on and electrocuted on Jill's very first day teaching there. The early report had not included THAT part...

The stars sure are nice in the country.
*

Jill came in 7th with an overall score of 64.90 (which was also 5th in adult novice)

and her teacher came in 8th with an overall score of 67.45

Taking it in Stride

she sent the wrong picture, as a potential attachment for the article and worried she'd ruined her reputation for life!

*

Jill had been telling her horse crazy kid friends how Beezy adjusted her stride and height to duck Jill under the branches, after two or three in a row whacked Jill in the face the clever mare made changes, that's what impressed Jill and some of her kid friends seemed interested to hear it.

But when the owner and fellow working students looked impressed that she'd noticed such a thing Jill was suprised to wonder what it meant that the mare was already taking care of her. The word was that she'd do anything for you, once she trusted ya. The trick was earning your way onto her good side.

A Two Horse Woman

while the rush home in your work skirt and hop on philosophy works great for the new trampoline in my life it is not quite as easy for the horses.

she was just thinking how that Moxie needed to be hacked, hacked, hacked and how maybe she should be the one to offer.

the owner said the trainer wanted him to do it, even tho he was the most novice of the bunch! and, he'd had a nightmare of the horse galloping down the road with him!

jill had stopped in on her way home from the office. she had her guitar in the back of the car but was wearing a skirt and had no change of clothes. of all the rotten l u c k

RSVP

Jill had just taken a message from someone inviting the boss to her hero's Christmas party. That is a night she had made a date with the accidental boyfriend be up at the big house. Having what she now saw as a groom-class bbq.

Jill reported that she didn’t get to ride that day. “That’s good, if you’re not feeling well” he guessed. "I consider riding therapeutic. And, I am definitely trending the right way health-wise, and was really hoping to get back in the saddle." There was to be no winning with her. She was miserable there and riding was the blessing that get her going.

Jill should have been flattered when she overheard the boss say “Your brother probably doesn’t have the patience to teach that.” as the accidental boyfriend explained how he'd learned his trot diagonals.

The boss had commented on something else constructive that day “That was good how he went in the washstall like that.” Jill was grateful that Buddy would behave for carrot bites. It gave her the only training too she had with him.

The boss's partner that day have given the carrot she said she'd specifically SAVED for bringing in Buddy to another animal -- and told Jill with a smile.

It is Sunday and we are not showing, Jill jotted a note in her daytimer. The boss announced "The schedule is a bit different today" and gave her the heads up on the next twenty minutes.
*
"He rode some popcorn"