- I rode David again, and this time, his owner made me put the stirrups down to dressage length, which is almost standing length, as opposed to the higher-kneed heels down hunter/jumper position, so my ride instantly felt different, but I managed to pick up the steering faster this time and didn't put the poor horse into any fences this time. Then I was asked to trot him, so I did and then Holy cow! My stirrups disappeared! I'm so unused to having to literally stand and reach down for my stirrups that they were flapping around loose and I was posting completely off my thighs, who did have a few things to say about that particular exercise. However, I was told I had a very good position overall, and that I'll get used to the stirrup length eventually... After that, we went to watch a very good dressage instructor and trainer ride this phantabulously beaurgous mare, who moved like a ballerina. Pictures to come...
- I also am still riding Tyrone, and happily enjoying riding a made horse. On Friday, to fit in his ride time, I rode with another lesson going on in the ring, and the instructor had laid down poles on the ground for an exercise, so Tyrone and I also used the poles to practice strides and such. All the time, lazy Tyrone thunked his hooves over the poles, completely bored when he's used to jumping 3 feet. A little while later, the poles were moved, and I askd Tyrone to canter around while I got into my two-point (jumping) position to stretch and let him move forward. We came up to where the poles had been, and Tyrone's ears suddenly perked up and his body bunched and came forward. I thought This horse thinks he's going to a jump! What gives? I then realized that he had zeroed in on the depression in the sand where the pole had been, and he jumped it! The trainer got a laugh out of it. Seriously, Tyrone... you thump hooves over poles, then jump the depression in the sand... really? Apparently.... yeah, really.
- One of the ponies being used in a lesson dumped his rider and decided that was a good time to start tearing around the ring, bumping into other horses and generally creating havoc. He proceeded to evade capture and raced around, kicking his heels and saying Look at meeee! I'm Spirit, wild stallion! Sorry to tell you, Penfield, but you're a gelding...
- Reggie is the baby of the bunch here; a handsome 2 y/o Hanoverian gelding who is very curious and playful. He has to have a gajillion locks, clasps and other instruments of enclosure on his stall doors, or he will get out and find something to play with. Well, he became quite fascinated watching a remote control car being directed by a sibling of one of the lesson kids. Reggie bobbed his head, snorted, turned in his stall, watched the car, tried to lunge out after it, turned and snorted again. The horse was ready to go out the window after the car. We told the boy to bring the car over to his stall. The "Raminator" truck proceeded to zoom at Reggie, who took it as a full frontal attack and threw a spaz in his tall, still bobbing his head and snorting and growling at the car. The truck retreated, and again Reggied tried to follow it out the window. At this point, my bosses husband and I are rolling in the aisle with laughter, and are already making plans that involve Reggie, a remote control car, a paddock and a video camera...
So I found myself quite filthy yesterday after scrubbing out water troughs, and I glittered with the Georgia red dirt, and now have the next hottest toy doll to hit the market in mind...
It's Barn Diva Barbie! This new and restructured doll is NOT your typical runway Barbie... no, this little lady has a tan and thighs of steel instead of a chest! She comes complete with work jeans and permanent helmet hair! Want to really spice her up? Take out the roll-on applicator and give her some smears of terra cotta! To complete the look, shake a little glitter on her to make her sparkle and shine as Barn Diva Barbie wows the entire stable with her feeding regime and colt-corraling prowess! As a final touch, dip her paddock boots in warm water, and watch them turn from black to the same terra cotta red! Wow, this girl has really been through the barn!
... okay, maybe not such a hit, but it's rather hilarious from my point of view. Most of that is pretty true, especially the colt-corraling part... Reggie hasn't learned to share his stall space with people very well yet, and you can imagine how well that went over with me when he tried to shoulder me out of his stall the other day. He picked a bad moment; I had a manure fork in my hands. A lesson student swore she ran into the barn because she heard someone roaring and instead found Reggie thinking very carefully about edging towards me and eyeing the fork :)
Sincerely, Jenn, the barn girl waiting for the next horse to make a poor decision...
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