Monday Morning Catch Up

Catch up time, bloglings!

Last post was over a fortnight ago... and now I have to remember everything we've been up to! I'm not maintaining my training calendar like I should, and alas, it is biting me in the butt. It snowed, again, at the end of March, and the ponykins had one awful ride while snow was falling off the roof and we tried to do dressage with limited success.

Luckily, Saturday rolled around and I got in a lovely jump school in the snow. Bailey reminded me that she's quite clever (jumping holes in the snow where poles had been, reminding me that she has scope for dayz) and also reminded me that she doesn't have flying changes yet.

Much smart, jump hole in snow. 

And pinging! Cuteness. 

I worked on getting flying changes over the fences which is always a challenge since Bailey likes to look at all of the things and not pay attention to me.

Paying attention to Mahm is the worst

She was a total star over the big gate (other than taking THE closest and most conservative distances ever, which I HATE):

Hops.

On point despite being up the base's ass.

But even when she was jumping well (despite blatantly ignoring my push for the longer distances, which I mean I can be ok with in the snow, and hardly able to see because it's bright.

BIKER ALERT

 There were also SCARY SCARY PEOPLE ON BIKES OMG who were distracting us)... Moral of the story, she was a shit.

Much jump, very booty. 

Landing.

NO I MUST DANCE

TANTRUM TIME (also, bless running martingales. Bless them.)

Moral of the story: my horse is kind of an asshole about taking direction. She's been showing me a lot of disrespect lately and I feel like it's probably time for a Come To Jesus discussion of her manners. Because I shouldn't have to drag her, be dragged by her, get run over, pushed, pulled, stepped on and ignored on the ground. And all of these photos were in her loose ring snaffle - I found and swapped her up to the boucher on the flat and over fences this last week, and honestly... it's not much different.

She's still an asshole, and is still using my hands as a handbrake because leaning is easier than working. She's still flinging herself in the air and having tantrums and pulls through my half halts and is, in general, a big 'ol brat. While jumping is fun, I shouldn't have to thump her with my spurs and do this herk-jerk kick and pull stuff to get her to move forward on the bit and be an orderly, obedient pony.

I'm not saying she's not allowed to celebrate and feel good, but she also needs to remember that, you know, there are other jumps in a course and maybe she should pull her head out of her butt and go to work. If only I could tell her that we wouldn't endlessly school dressage if she would just do it right the first time.

Monday and Wednesday were dressage days, again with limited success, even in the Dr. Bristol. Saturday BB jumped again, and was lovely and forward in her warm up (we got some hand gallop!) but was laggy off my leg when I tried a leg yield for kicks, and we felt out of sync over fences. She was handy, but so distracted by horses screaming for their pasture mates (it was vet day) that I got some decent, obedient fences, and called it a day. For vet day, both mares were pretty good for the vet (minus BB's opinion of the vet getting a fecal sample the only way she could: with a glove) but Bailey WOULD.NOT.STAND to be tacked, so I walked her out of the barn, and handed her to the boyfriend. She pushed him (apparently) and he pushed back... and she stood like a freaking statue.

So I think tonight is the start of something new. For a while, I am going to have to be the bad cop and push her back and make her stand and demand that she stands at the mounting block until I say so, and that she behaves and remembers to be a polite riding horse so we can enjoy riding more and pull on each other less. I'm not a good disciplinarian, but when it came to that point with Foxie, I rode through it. I worked her booty off until she was strong and supple and rideable.

Why can't I do the same with my big red butthead?

I iz such good pon. Totes gud.