Monday 13 December 2010

First Foreign Fall

Title says it all really, after 8 months here, K managed to dislodge me on saturday!
Bless her I think she was just full of beans as I hadn't seen her since Tuesday, between the 20cms of snow that fell between 4.30 and 6pm on Wednesday which stopped me getting up to her and then Thursday there was the work Christmas Party and Friday I was exhausted and I am ashamed to admit couldn't face the walk up to her in the cold, let alone sitting on her.
Made my way up to her on Saturday, tacked her up and went into the largest of the arenas, there was 2 other horses finishing up as I entered. She started happy out walking around and we did a bit of trotting after the first horse left. But i could feel her making goo-goo eyes and looking for reasons to act the hound so i kept talking to her to keep the pair of us calm, but no go she just had it in her head that today was going to be "fun" (for her that is!).
Cue bucking, plungeing and play acting on her part. Kept her going twice, including her first attempt to dislodge me where she very nearly suceeded! Her nose was near the ground to facilitate the pluneging and bucking, and i was flat out down her neck (well I think I was, i remember sitting back against the bucks, but then last one i found my head beside her ears). Just as I was sure I was going to hit the deck, she seemed to realise where i was and stopped! She kept very still and allowed me slide back into the saddle and off we went again with her happy out almost skipping!
After a few more minutes she kicked off again, but having sat the first one (sort of, lol, had she not stopped and let me back up I'd deffo have hit the deck!) I wasn't as suprised when she threw another wobbly, squeezed the legs and kept her going forward.
At this stage we were on our own in the arena, but the last rider was just outisde the ring and picking ut her horse's hooves. As we passed the radio which was playing god knows what, i just had a split second feeling she was going to chance her arm again. But knowing it and preventing it was another thing, in the moment it took me to relise what she was "plotting" she had dropped her head and bounced about again. This time she succeeded and i flipped over her neck. Can't be sure exactly what happened, but I landed in the thankfully soft arena and still had the reins in one hand! I was the stretch of the reins away from her and pretty sure i was facing the opposite direction to which we had been going in, not entirely sure how i managed that. But i do remember felling her twist in the air (bronco-style), so god knows what we looked like! Probably like a doll being buffeted about on a bricking horse, *blush*
Thankfully I wasn't hurt, just pissed off with her for acting the maggot. I'll hold my hand up and admit i was starting to feel the nerves at this stage, but hoped back up and started walking around again. As I was making my first lap of the ring in walk another lady arrived to ride her QH, when she was at the door to get in i happened to be heading towards her, so i just warned her that my missus was acting the hound and checked that her lad was quiet so that if  K kicked off again it wouldn't upset him (I could still feel the mischiviousness in her). The other lady was lovely and said, not a bother that her fella was calm out.
As I finished my first lap in walk, with yourone still sufficiently on her toes, i heard the grind of metal as they opened the large arena door and the entrance gate. At this stage I was wondering was anything going to fall right for me that day, sure enough as i suspected a dude walked in and asked us to vacate the arena as it was the turn of the carriage driver. So i hopped down and led Miss K out to see which of the other arenas were least busy.
I didn't feel the need for an audiance with her acting the fool, but lady luck was not on my side, the only arena "free" had 2 people trying out saddles, with the saddler and at least 2-4 other people popping in and out, the lady and her QH who had left the main arena with me and another woman who had just finished lungeing her horse.
K was not going to get away with unseating me then walking around for a little bit and think that she was done for the day - not a lasting lesson i wanted to give her, teehee!
So I bit the bullet and went into the smaller arena with all the bodies and rotating spectators (people were coming and going). Hopped back up and walked around, deciding to stay in the top half of the arena and hopefully not get in the way of those trying out the saddles and keeping away from excuses for yourone to show-off her bronco tricks.
Think it stopped her messing, *rollseyes*, Not A Chance! I was feeling pretty tense at this stage, so chatted away to her to calm myself mostly and try to relax.
Walking around she was fine, first few smaller circles of trot she was fine, then out of nowhere decided to try another spot of broncoing. Didn't manage to dislodge me again though, and she tried at least another two times although all of her attempts in the smaller arena were moderate compared to her wobblies in the main arena before and resulting in my spill.
We worked away for a good thirty minutes and i suceeded in holding her attention between outbursts and actually getting some nice work out of her. Had it not been for her plungeing/bucking carrying on her other work was fab, including lovely collected sitting trot in a fab outline! But thankfully her misbehaviour was for the most part left in the main arena on! Any little bucks, bounces she attempted in the smaller arena didn't result in her getting to stop her work, teehee! Just got her a dig in the ribs from my heels!

Sunday was a much better day, back in the main arena, to exorcise our demons from the day before (mine obviously not hers!). Plenty of bodies about again, there were 2 in there when we entered, and 4 more joined while i was there while one of the two left. So there was 5 or 6 of us in total at the end i think, with a few bodies loitering around watching friends and stuff. She was a bit on her toes when we started, i could feel her thinking about looking to mess again, but I was a lot firmer sunday. I wasn't going to take the same messing as the day before.
Again i decided to work up the top of the big arena, as one of the others riding had her dog in the bottom corner by the entrance. And while he is good and doesn't bark or anything, he has been known to wander out of his corner and I didn't need K finding anymore excuses to shy ans i knew if she found something to be scared of the plungeing/bucking would start again. So we stayed up the top of the arena and worked away with only one half hearted attempt at messing before she settled and rounded into an outline.
The silly billy tripped herself when we were changing leads in trot, i had a feeling she wasn't really paying attention and she proved me right by falling over her front feet and landing on her knees before scrambling back up and trotting on. Thankfully she hadn't hurt herself, she had just been distracted by the two handsome black geldings coming towards her *sniggers*. I was very relieved when she contínued to work obediantly after this, as if her mood from the previous day had carried on I'd probably have found myself deposited again as she'd have taken advantage of the trip to decide to spook at something on the next corner, ;)
Our work including some lovely canter, albeit with a bit of messing threatening in canter - she did throw one big buck and tried to start plungeing when we were cantering after a good 25minutes work, one of my friends from the barn who was watching commented when we'd finished that she did a lovely lead change, teehee!

As usual a big long winded addition to the blog, sorry I write so much!
Fair play to you if you've read this far!

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