Recaps + Sophi

The last few weeks have continued to build more of the same things we've been working on and as a result, I haven't really felt like recapping. 

I had 1 class where I couldn't have turned Tosh right off the rail on a bet. The next class, my right turn seemed to be functioning relatively well, but I couldn't turn left for a hot minute. Crap. What did we break? Then I was assigned to Skylar and rode in a saddle for the first time in...a month? He was a good boy, and I had a lot more success turning -- but as I've mentioned before, he is a bit more malleable and does not require the same level of finesse that Tosh does. After I rode Skylar, I worked with Sophi on the lunge and then T encouraged me to ride her. So, I hopped on her and mostly walked and did a little bit of trotting. My legs were pretty wobbly, so I think I was only on her for maybe 20 minutes.

Let me back up a little. About 6 weeks ago, T asked me if I would be willing to work with Sophi, a thoroughbred mare whose lease was ending, when I was there. She said she knows I like mares, and Sophi can be a tough mare but she's a good girl. She said I could do pretty much whatever I wanted, lunge her, ground work, and she didn't mind if I wanted to ride her. T says Sophi does not do well in the lesson program. Like most thoroughbreds (and hell, many mares) I've ever met, she does best when she has a person. Also like most thoroughbreds, she likes consistency and she likes to work. I agreed to give it a shot and work with her a few times to see if we would get along, etc.

The first time I worked with her, she hadn't been worked in a couple of weeks, so I planned to just lunge her in her bridle with a chambon. In the stall, she was snarky and acted tough. I worked on not removing the brush from her body until she stopped threatening me or chewing on the bucket near where she was tied. I knew it was all an act to test me. But, fake or not, I wasn't going to put up with it. Eventually she mostly gave it up. She was a good girl on the lunge line, a little hot, and slightly off behind. Turns out, she was building up an abscess and so the following week, I just groomed her and hand-walked her, doing patterns, changing direction, halting and backing, insisting she stop when I did, etc. I commented afterwards on how insecure she is. T said, oh yes, she definitely is. But once Sophi knew I wasn't going to let her walk all over me, she stopped testing me. She figured out she could trust me as a leader, and a lot of her snarky tendencies in the stall pretty much stopped.

A few weeks passed where either she was not sound or I didn't have time to work with her. But I made sure to tell T if I thought I could work with her the next week, providing she was sound. So, last Sunday, was my first ride with just the walk and trot.

Yesterday, I saw my name next to Tosh and opted to ride him in a surcingle. When I went into the arena to watch a few minutes of the class before me, T asked who I was riding. I said, oh, I saw Tosh on the board, so I figured I'd lesson on him and hop on Sophi for a little bit once he was cooled out. 

Anyway, I had an AMAZING ride on Tosh. I started out a little stiff, but after some stretching and warm-up, I was able to turn reasonably well in both directions! And, our right lead canter was SO good that I opted to end on that note and not chance the left not being as good due to the anxiety I felt creep into my belly while we were catching our breath. I love that T supports and encourages that way of thinking. I hope the feeling of that canter sticks with my brain and my body!

After I cooled Tosh out, I helped bring the mares out to their field and brought Sophi back up from the lower barn so I could get her ready. She seemed happy to see me and was a little bit cuddly in the stall while I got her ready. I lunged her for a few minutes and she was looky but wasn't doing anything bad. I've worked enough thoroughbreds to know that it's nearly impossible to tire them out, even when they aren't fit! So once she was listening and had her ear on me, I brought her over to the ramp to mount. We walked a few laps, me in 2 point, and trying to keep her attention on me, especially in the corner she was spooking at. Then I did a few laps of trot in each direction. Phew. Posting is hard, especially when I've been riding a cloud in a surcingle! We walked a few more laps and T asked if I wanted to try cantering her. I said sure! She told me to ask with my voice and by just shifting my outside leg back, that I didn't really even need to use it. 

So, I took a few deep breaths and said canter and off we went in the left lead canter. I got left behind but didn't get nervous about that and caught myself back up quickly. Sophi's canter was forward and a bit bouncy, but not uncomfortably so. Maybe somewhere between Eli and Garrette's canters, skewing more toward G's gait. I half-halted here and there and did a couple of laps before bringing her back to the walk. We changed direction, walked some more, and then when I felt ready, I asked for the right lead with my voice. I didn't get left behind that time, and we settled into a rhythm pretty quickly, with half-halts here and there. I even remembered to breathe! When we came back to the walk, T said, that was great! And Sophi is happy, I can see her smiling.