And the Clouds Part!!!

I told myself that I would not post again until there is some horse news. After all, that is the POINT of the blog! Being in horses, definitely has it's ups and downs.. and I think... just maybe... the Second Chance Team is on an upswing! The winter, while coming in like a lion, now seems somewhat lambish (not to any Californian alive... but for Missouri.). We have been having some wonderful breaks in weather and have experienced some downright tropical-feeling 30s, 40s, and dare-I-mention... even some 50s!!

The horse news is that I have been riding. Not the dedicated five days a week that I would like to, but definitely enough to get Tokaj going and to start changing her physique from hay-belly, rafter hip, to somewhat tighter and rounder! I have been able to haul her to an indoor on the weekends, and have experienced the aforementioned tropical temps which allowed riding at home! And when my wonderful husband is home to help care for our son AND the weather is cooperative, I have gotten to ride during the week too. So far so good! Tokaj has retained the wonderful work ethic she demonstrated when I rode her last winter before becoming too pregnant, and we still have a bond.

Tokaj is easily the smartest horse I have ever ridden (sorry my gentle Mr. Monte!). Perhaps she just seems that way since she sometimes uses her powers for evil as well as for good? Monte my World Champion Paint Jumper was smart, but he was a people pleaser (not a bad thing!) whereas Tokaj decides what is best for HER, then decides if it is worth upsetting YOU, and IF you are lucky, the answer is no... and all will be fine. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out on cross country! :) Tokaj's brilliance reminds me of a Shetland pony. You can see her calculating the odds at any given time. For example, it took one time for her to get a trailer ride to an indoor arena to "get" what me hooking up the trailer meant... and the next time we ended up having a lesson on being caught up from the pasture. The good thing is that she also can calculate quickly when she is engaged in a losing battle and gives right up. But, you better be able to out maneuver her to her satisfaction. She keeps me on my toes.

All joking aside, I am very excited about our partnership. I think I may have the perfect horse for me at this point in my riding life. She is not easy, or push button, but she is fair, and gives it her best if she feels that you are treating her fairly and appreciate her efforts. I get off her at the end of a lesson with a big beaming smile. We may have lots of work to do to be competitive in reality, but in my mind, after each ride, we are a winning team. She makes me feel like I can ride well, even when I know my fitness is not great at the moment, and that my timing and aids may be a bit off. Who could ask for more than that? Oh... okay one thing more... we took our first jump. We should not have, but it was beckoning from the center of the arena, a leftover from someone else's jumping lesson and I could not resist. We had just had a wonderful ride, and I wanted to see what would happen. She jumped it with ears up and lots of power. It was a great feeling.

I am happy the winter has so far been kind, and also that the indoor arena, which is very limitedly available, is being made available to me. I am going to be able to ride consistently three days a week and hoping to add more days once my husband is able to be home more and that is right around the bend.

The meat of my training right now is just basics for both Tokaj and I. Fitness is priority one, and dressage is priority two. We are working the very basics of quality of gait. Moving freely forward, without hesitation, while maintaining balance. We are only doing training level dressage, so there is no real uphill balance for the moment, but my contact with her mouth is consistent and soft, and we are working on her pushing actively ahead. I have been reading alot through my off-time and had an AH HA moment when I read that the gaits should be forward enough that the rider feels he might even need to restrain the movement slightly. Hmmm.... I had not thought of that! I had always heard that the movement was to be forward and energetic... but did not know how to quantify that into what was enough and how to feel that it is enough! In other words it is like someone throwing you a baseball... it might be going forward, but fall short of the catcher's mitt. The energy of the ball needs to be enough so that it reaches and can be received without pain into the soft spot of the mitt... like the energy of the gait into the soft, steady rein contact. AH HA!! So that is what I am working on with Tokaj. And she is very agreeable about it so far.

Savannah is embarking on lungeing lessons. She is right now learning to walk, trot, and canter on the lunge in a quiet, responsive manner. She is doing quite well at it, and once she is more established, I intend to introduce the side reins to encourage her to stretch her neck down. Savannah likes to carry her head very high with underneck muscle bulging. If you look at the photo on my blog and you would never know it, but it's true.

Well, that's the update. Thanks to my friend Molly for her kind comment. I needed that! I am going to chill out and become a bit more Type B+ ish, or more realistically, more Type A- ish, and if the winter gets worse, I am going to take your advice and hang with the little guy who brings me more joy even than riding. :)

P~