Sometimes it's overdue

In true "It's a Good Thing Your Cute" fashion, Riko earned this statement several times during our lesson last night. The other, super tough K was teaching as the normal K is on vacation this week. 

We were chatting a bit in between lessons and she was like, make sure your heels are really down tonight. And I was like, oh goody, is he being a turd again? She just chuckled and said the quick change in weather the night before had resulted in most of the lesson horses being turds, Riko included. I was like, meh, he'll either be great or he'll be awful. There's really no in between with him. She agreed completely :-P

Smile is not indicative of how our ride went last night

He was pretty good during the warm-up, although he started playing a bit when we cantered on the right lead. I halted him and made him stand for a minute before carrying on for a few strides. 

There were only 4 of us in the group, so that meant quite a few chances to go through the 1-1 grid with a tiny cross-rail at the end of 2 ground poles. K had everyone trot in to start and everyone was great, except for Riko. He trotted semi-politely through the grid and then promptly dropped his head between his knees to celebrate. I got my center of balance back, yanked his head back up, and cursed at him.

2 more runs went just like that, his head getting progressively lower each time. The 4th time through, K had me trot up to the first pole and halt in front of it. I patted him, waited until he took a breath, then took one myself and asked him to walk over the first pole before trotting the second pole and the small cross-rail. He was great and I praised him and patted his neck.

The next time through, I did the same thing and he was really good again, so after that, I thought, let's try trotting the whole thing again, if he can hold his brain cells together as we approach it. 

K had put the middle pole up to a small cross-rail, and asked if I wanted to try the 2 jumps. I laughed at her and said not until he can get it together for the single jump. So, I moved to the end of the line so she would only have to put it down to a ground pole one time per round! 

I let him trot, circling first to get him to stop inverting to the right, and then half-halted/nipped him hard before he got to the first ground pole and told him, "Easy, good boy," when his step slowed. He was an angel and cantered off politely after the fence. I praised him and patted him again, letting him do a half circle at the canter to let him know that's what we wanted.

Next time through, he listened to my half-halt, and was polite over the fence, but then dropped his head almost to the ground and I was not able to get my center of balance back into the saddle. I went ass over tea kettle over his head and landed with a splat on my butt and left elbow.

I got up right away, ego more bruised that anything. Riko had the good grace to look a little sheepish. I didn't get the impression that his intention was to throw me, just that he was playing/celebrating a bit and got carried away. I should have tried my voice that last time, and said Whoa, but I was trying so hard to get my body back into the saddle, I just didn't even think of it.

I was mad at him for being a jerk, intentional or not, but swallowed it before I got back on (he's a sensitive jerk and you really can't get mad at him or he seriously sulks). One of the other women in the lesson was like, omg, why aren't you getting after him for that? That wasn't very nice of him. I told her, because you just can't get mad at him. I've smacked him on the cross-ties for pawing and had him pout for several minutes afterwards. K agreed and said he's a sensitive soul and she didn't feel he was being malicious, either.

Anyway, everyone did the grid 1 more time after that, and K asked if I wanted to keep the cross-rail. I said, not to be a wimp, but he doesn't deserve a jump after that, so let's just stick with the poles. She agreed completely, but would have left it the cross-rail if I had asked her to. He was perfect the last time through. I half-halted about 2 strides out from the first pole and he slowed his step and stayed that way, so I was able to let go of him a bit and let him trot through politely before we called it a day.

All in all, I am a bit sore, have some road rash on my left elbow and I think I twisted my left ankle a bit getting free of the stirrup, but I'm glad, especially falling from that height, that it wasn't much worse! I was overdue for a fall, since it's been about 2.5 years. Although, the last time, the horse was about a full hand shorter and if he'd had more mane, I would've been able to save myself. I landed on my feet that time!