Strategies...

My trainer is in Vegas, and so I didn't have my normal weekly lesson. However, I went out to ride anyways. I did a pretty big hour long ride with ponyboy, and we both worked hard. My abs were killing me, and I looked down at the end of the ride and realized that Jingle had worked up quite the sweat. I was pretty proud about that honestly because a lot of times my mindset is "quit on a good note" - i.e. quit before your horse hits his plateau (generally around 30-45 minutes) and starts getting really fricken pissy. Some days quitting on a good note is a really good strategy, other days, working on lots of different things, and working through issues is the strategy I should be using.

We loped - a lot. Jingle has gotten used to loping his small 1/4 arena circles and so I attempted to open him up to more of the arena with his left lead. He did well, and started listening to me a bit more. We did have a bit of our flinging around the arena and ducking corners issue, but what can you expect? My horse just loves to fling-flang around sometimes.

Then, we tackled the right lead. He was doing really well. He was really trying to lope his right lead on a small circle, I could tell, he would start to break down and only needed a little bit of encouragement before he'd pick it up again.

But then... we slammed right into my horses plateau. Does this happen to you guys? Jingle decides he's tired, and tired of me on him, and becomes a total.... pain in my behind. I was attempting more right lead stuff and he started just being a big out of control pissy pants. Stuff like this usually a) annoys me highly, which then gets my energy up, resulting in a disaster between the two of us b) scares me, resulting in me babying him. I caught myself performing both a) and b), and so I sat up straight and told my horse to lope his right lead, and not be such an a**hole to me, and by god - stay away from those standards and barrels in the middle of the arena or your going to break my knee caps right off, and if you decide to go bolting towards those aforementioned objects, I'm going to get after you, with reins, voice, leg and yep - spur, so quit that!

Result... Jingle loped his right lead. He wasn't exactly happy (snorting and neighing ensue), but he did it, and did it pretty well.

So we quit on a good note... after a long ride. :)

Some Photos....

Jingle, banished to the arena, because he attempted to pee in the breezeway.

Unhappy with me. Unhappy he is tied. Unhappy I keep leaving him alone.

Jingle's theme of the day = Unhappiness.

"Mahm, why are you leaving me here - I will certainly DIE!"

Jingle, looking particularly beef-cakey.

This photo lies.

"Mahm, stop messing around and let's go already.... i'm clearly all tacked up for a reason! Or - better yet, take all this junk off and let's eat grain."

A much more realistic shot of Jingle - my lanky small boy. 

Sweaty and sick of photos after our ride.

But what else am I suppose to do when you are drying off mister?!

"Mahm, I am all sweaty, cold and I hate loping my right lead and its all YOUR FAULT!"

I am blessed to have a horse with crazy eyes, that never fails to make me laugh, or roll my own eyes right back at him. You're a silly boy, and even when your a big pissy-pants, I love you.

& finally, a creepy shot of my drive home.... Apparently Hurricane Sandy's effects on Alberta are a "freezing fog" that basically enveloped me the entire way home. Spooky stuff two days before All Hallow's Eve. ;)