How to Trot Badly

I'm happy with the way things went yesterday.

DeDe changed our lesson to Monday, since she got a job hauling a horse to Oregon. Julie couldn't make it today, though, since she specifically requests Wednesdays off work. So she was trapped at Starbucks today :(

I talked a friend into coming with me. Her name is Thania. She's never been on a horse before, but she had kind of a crappy week and I figured seeing and petting the ponies would make her feel better.

We actually got there exactly on time, which felt really weird for me because we always show up a half hour early. It was kind of a good thing though, because DeDe had a lesson before us. The student, Raul, was still on Porsche when we got there. We got to watch him trot and lope, which was pretty cool! I'm excited for the day that I get to canter.

DeDe and Raul untacked Porsche, and then DeDe put a different saddle and bridle on her. It was Raul's saddle, and he is a little more advanced, so he rides one-handed with a shank bit. I ride two-handed with a snaffle.

I had a bit of an adventure when I got on, because DeDe asked me to check the girth. I thought it was tight enough when in reality, it was really loose. It kept sliding all over. DeDe had to tighten it.

Thania wasn't sure if she wanted to get on, so she watched while I got on and practiced turns at the walk. There were some cones set up in the dressage court, which I practiced turning through. DeDe had me trot for just a little bit, too.

DeDe had me let go of the reins, hold onto the horn of the saddle, and push my weight down into my heels. Then she cued Porsche for a slow jog. It's really hard to keep from bouncing all over the place! I sort of lost my place after a little while. My heels went up and I was really bouncy, and I felt uncomfortable overall. DeDe stopped Porsche and asked me how I felt, and then had me hold onto both the horn and the back of the saddle. She told me to pull downward as I pushed my weight into my heels.

It felt much better, like I was being lifted out of the saddle. That made trotting much smoother. I felt a little bit more comfortable with the idea of it by the end of the lesson.

Thania ended up hopping on at the end of my lesson. DeDe led her around the dressage court a couple of times, and then I led her around the barn, to the hitching post. We untacked her, brushed her down, and then I led her into her stall and took her halter off for the first time. It was actually the first time I had helped untack at all.

Thania really liked the stables, which I was really happy about. When we were done, we went and fed Pandora and Porsche. Thania wanted to walk around and see all the horses, so I took her to see all the extra pretty ones. I think her favorite was Lacey. Not surprising! Lacey is easily the prettiest horse in the barn. She's such a sweetheart, too! We got to pet her for the first time, and she is the sweetest, quietest horse.

We also had a conversation with Pandora's owner and Dolly's owner (they are friends. Dolly is a chestnut paint horse with white just on her legs and face. Very pretty!) about leasing horses. They told Thania and I that when we are ready and feel like we want independent riding time with a horse, leasing is a great option. They told us that plenty of people at our stable lease, and that depending on how many days a week you want, it runs $100-300. They went on to tell us about a feed lease, which is more expensive, but it means that you are the only one who rides the horse. I have to say, if I was going to lease any horse in the barn, it would be Lacey. I love Pandora, but I feel like I'm not going to be at her level for a long while.

I felt like I really ended on a good note. I love riding Porsche because she is a confidence builder. I adore Pandora, but she definitely isn't! I'm excited for the day that I feel like I can really ride her, though. :)