Test Ride, Take Two

This morning was as good as any to try out riding Whisper again. Our first experience wasn't really bad, but she was full of fire and the handler had a hard time holding on to her at times so I was a little nervous for this second try.

It's interesting the change that comes as you get older, you don't take the chances as light hearted as you did when you were young. I remember getting on just about any horse than came along as a teen, without much of a second thought. Falling then didn't usually result in injuries that took a long time to heal. Now healing time is slower, pain could keep me from my income and responsibility, and I've been badly hurt enough times now to know it can happen. I have a permanent back injury (fractured vertebra)  from my very worst fall and jaw surgery about 8 years ago to finish repair from another. I'd be lying if I said when I got on a horse I didn't remember all of this.

I'd spent enough time rolling it around in my mind and I thought Whisper had enough time under her belt to be reasonably comfortable with the pasture. I needed to do it before I built it up mentally bigger than it really was.

Chris and I haltered the girls and had a grooming session. I am so proud of Promise! I asked Chris to groom Promise at the same time I was grooming Whisper. Chris talked her through it and she allowed him to get the dirt out of her fuzzy winter coat. She still isn't allowing a lot of leg handling, but just the fact that he was actively touching her over her foal-stretched belly while she was dozing off was success for me.

I groomed Whisper and had some time to generally bond with her. Then tacked her up to see that we're still having bridle issues with her height and mine. It's a catch 22. I think she is most sensitive around her ears, but the way she tends to jerk and fly back often makes my outside hand or the bridle itself, bump her ears.I am praising when she drops her head on her own, but so far that's pretty random. She generally keeps that head cranked up as high as you see it in most photos. I praised her after bridling and she, of course, promptly dropped her head.

I snapped a longe line to Whisper for Chris to hold. The plan was this : Use the longe line attached to Chris as my safety net. Have all cues to move/stop come from me in the saddle unless I got in a bind and then we would use Chris on the ground. The plan seemed solid enough. At least until my newest read, Beyond the Track, arrives in the mail. I am hoping it has a lot of clear direction and tips, meantime I figured this wouldn't screw anything up.

Chris held her as I tried to mount. We don't have a mounting block built yet so I was doing it the old fashioned way. I was trying to toe into the stirrup and lightly swing myself over her back. What actually happened was my toe must have grazed her, we think, and she flew. I was already only on one leg so I was trying very hard to get my toe out of the stirrup while she was flying away from me. Chris tightened the line he was holding (burning his hand) and she began a circle around him as I got my foot out and balance back. Everyone just breathed for a minute.

We collected ourselves and Chris reminded me that we didn't have to do this today. I decided we did or I might not get back on again for a long long time. All of that time rolling over in my mind what happened wouldn't have done Whisper or me any favors. He held her again and this time I just grabbed the saddle front and back and pulled my body weight against her, she held place, blowing and rigid, but held. I slid right back off and did it again. This time I praised her while I was draped over the saddle. She seemed more sure.

Finally I stuck my foot in the stirrup and threw a leg over. She danced a little under me but settled pretty quickly. I focused as much as I could on sitting deep and back but it was surprising how much her build makes your body want to go forward to balance. I kept my leg off of her for the most part, just some steady pressure from my thighs to reassure her that I was seated and make it easier for me to try and balance with her.

Chris is able to leave the picture more and more as she steps lively but in the direction I agree with. She halts when I ask her. In some areas of the pasture taking a little more reminding than in other areas. Chris allows slack in the line and steps away. We're doing it! I hear Chris laugh and I look behind us. A fuzzy little redhead following our every move. Promise was not about to be left out of the action. She had more exercise walking around that whole pasture with us today than she's probably had in awhile.

We ended on a good note, both she and I seemed okay with the situation of riding together. I dismounted smoothly and she had no issue with it. We walked out together before heading back to the hitching post for her blanket. We did it!