Jump

Today was a rather uneventful day, but a very satisfying day.  I was at Camp Howqua (yes, I just realized that I had been misspelling it up through this point) again today.  We had both a morning session and afternoon session of rides.  In the morning we had a decent group of kids and we got them all cantering.  I was on lovely Snowy again.  I think he has pretty much become my project horse.  He was rather good throughout the ride, but we are still working on quite a few things.  He is not great about being left behind or going out on his own, so I try to take him away from the group as much as possible.  Near the beginning of the ride, there is a nice log about one and a half feet tall on the trail.  Typically the horses go around it and of course I hold my horse back and I jump it.  Snowy did much better at the jump today than yesterday.  Whenever the horse in front of him would break into a trot, he wanted to, so I would hold him back and make him walk.  As soon as he walked he would get released.  I led the group of slower horses on a few canters and some of those ponies wanted to go past us, so Snowy and I had to canter sideways to keep them from passing us.  At one point I had to ride back for a dropped water bottle, and when I went to get back on him after picking it up, he was a bit cheeky about letting me get back on (spinning and prancing), but once I got on, I picked up my stirrups right away and I made him stand for a second before I let him walk back to the group. Of course he fought me all the way, but I wouldn’t expect any less of him… he wanted to run back. He is a handy little horse.  For the second ride of the day, I actually stayed back to do work around the stable while Shaynee and another worker took out the ride.  Getting the other ride ready to go was a bit chaotic.  One horse was mildly colicing, one horse that was sound this morning was off this afternoon, one horse lost a shoe.  I ended up having to go into the pasture and catching another horse to use for one of the girls. 

Staying back was actually rather fun.  I untacked and washed the extra horses down.  After we wash them down, we put dilute bleach on their backs to cut down on spread of fungi or bacteria on saddle blankets and we put a solution on their backs that is supposed to toughen their skin up. Of course, before I untacked Snowy, I jumped on him and worked on his halt, consistent trot, bending, and of course a little canter.  He is super sensitive and responsive.  By the end of our little ride he was stopping off my seat and bending wonderfully. 

I can’t believe I have been here for almost a month already.  The time has flown by.  It seems like just a few days ago that I was stressing about getting tickets and worrying if the job would be fun… I now know the answer.   I love the herd here, I love my coworkers and bosses, I love the area.  I don’t think there is much here I don’t love.  I am impressed that Steph and I aren’t at each other’s throats, both living and working together, but somehow we are still getting along at this point (thank goodness).