Pony therapy

Today started off as "one of those days." Nothing really specific, just not in the mood to put up with life, you know? And 8:30am biology lab does nothing to help that...

So I was in a grumpy mood after class and was debating napping instead of going to the barn. Well, I'm damn glad I didn't choose to nap, because I had one of the best rides/days at the barn that I've had in a LONG time.

First, when I went out to get Beauty, she was all the way out by the round bale. In my grumpy mood, I thought "Ugh, I have to go all the way out to get her *grump grump grump*" but as I opened the gate, she saw me and started walking over. I called out to her in a cutesy singsong voice because I am super mushy with my horse, and she tossed her head and trotted over and nickered at me! So cute, warmed my heart. And then when I was tacking up, she was super snuggly and playful, getting in to all my stuff and even picking up my whip in her mouth and whacking it around. I love my goofball, she's an instant mood changer.

I decided to ride Miss Beauty in the outdoor arena, which we had not ridden in yet. It was a gorgeous day and I needed to change things up. I think I'm starting to get ring-sour and also maybe a little dressage-sour. We've just been working on hard things with minimal gains for the last few months, and I'm just sort of bleh about it all, and I think Beauty is too. So we rode around with minimal looky/spookiness, which is huge for her. I just let her cruise around at the trot, not really asking for much, doing some two point and such.

Conveniently, there was a little crossrail set up in the ring. Since we've been having trouble with canter transitions, I've been using jumping as a way to help her get the canter and strengthen her hind end. So I decided to pop over it a few times and see how she was. She was fabulous. I swear, though, I will never have trouble getting her to go for the long distances - she gives you two options - long or superlong. I need to work on releasing, because she tends to dive when she takes a long distance (great bascule, but I grab her in the mouth by accident). But if I give her a big release before the jump, my weight falls forward and she dives even more. This horse is going to teach me good jumping position, that's for sure!

Anyway, she was picking up LOVELY canters after the jump, so I just let her cruise around the ring and played around with two point. I asked her to open up and lengthen and she gave me a GORGEOUS hand-gallop! But then she started to motorcycle around, so I had her come back and balance, which she did beautifully.

So much fun, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It has been a while since I've gotten off beaming. I think Beauty was beaming, too.