Just Playin'

Whew! December already!!!

I had a friend (Sarah) visiting from England all week last week. She took hundreds of photos (mostly of the horses) while she was here. She's as crazy about horses as I am, but unfortunately doesn't have any of her own, so she spends a lot of time with mine when she's here.

We spent a lot of time just "hanging" with the horses, but also managed to ride a couple times. The first time she rode Roma (a friend's horse) while I rode Gypsy. We borrowed my neighbour's arena, then rode around the fields after that. I was trying to get Sarah to trot without letting her hair bounce (i.e. absorbing the movement through her pelvis).... I think she managed it a few times, but needs more practice! :-)

I rode Gypsy in the bareback pad and halter and asked for some lateral flexion, sidepasses, circles, etc. and she did them all nice and soft. She still is way more forward outside the arena. Not prancy like she used to be, but every time I stopped her to let Roma catch up, she got upset, and kept trying to leave without me, so I had to circle and make her stand until she could wait for me to ask. I probably should have kept at that until she blew or could stand still more relaxed, but I didn't.

The second time we rode, Sarah rode Gypsy and I rode Saphira. My neighbour and her friend also joined us on their "seasoned" horses. I rode Saphira in a bareback pad and halter (first time without a saddle). Gypsy and Saphira were awesome. The "seasoned" horses had trouble though... lots of spooking and jigging. And here's my little 2 year-old who's only been ridden outside an arena one other time, just walking along calm as can be! I was so proud of her! I don't think I'll ride her bareback again for a while though... she's so bum-high right now that I felt like I was sliding into her withers the whole time! :-) Growth spurt.

Below are some more photos of us just playing with the rest of the herd.