Personal Victories!

So the biggest problem with this whole young horse thing is that I do need help once in a while. When I am doing general work around the barn (cleaning stalls, feeding, fixing things), I seem to get a lot of help but at the end of the day, the help's steam runs out when I am ready to do personal things, like ride. I have figured out the answer to that!

Despite the rain and how ridiculously wet it was outside after all of it, I got it into my head that I wanted to ride (or at least sit astride) TOEH yesterday (Sunday). I informed everyone of my intent yet was ignored, so after supper, I geared up - extra socks, hiking boots, hoodie, ballcap, flannel jacket - "What are you doing?" "I'm going to the barn and I might do something dangerous, so someone else had better come out soon!" THAT got results!

TOEH is very gracious considering the lack of regular work that he gets. I longed him the other day and it was probably the first time he had been longed in a month or two. I went directly to the barn last night and threw a saddle up on him - I don't think he's had a saddle on him in more than a year, but he's definitely had the saddle on him before. I put the bridle on (neon pink but he can't see it, so no harm!), got my longeline, took him to our ring.

My father was the one who came out eventually. He is usually my right hand man in starting horses, but I knew he was very hesitant about my plan to ride TOEH. (I personally don't think he gives TOEH enough credit.) Because my hands were full of lines, whips, and TOEH, I left my helmet in the barn and took him to longe him. My father took over the longeing and he went in both directions well.

... Until you asked for a lope and he crow-hopped like crazy! I was a little concerned about back/saddle/etc, but remembered our older stallion had always done that - crowhopped the whole way around the circle but never once offered to buck with someone in his saddle. Granted, TOEH does not have quite the soft, maleable personality that the old horse had, but he is sweet in his own right.

I headed to the barn to grab my helmet. My father said "You're not riding this horse tonight!" - I told him I knew, I just wanted to put my foot in the stirrup and harrass him. I have been harrassing TOEH on and off since he lost his eye - jumping up and down beside him in his stall, standing on a bucket, laying over his back and flapping my arms on the other side, and once my mother and I took him outside to try laying over his back without a saddle. I couldn't get up enough off a bucket to get over his back and balance so I was holding onto his neck and belly and anything I could hold onto, kicking around and causing a real rukus. Luckily TOEH is pretty tolerant these days. Dad agreed it would be a good idea for me to have my helmet on to do that.

Eventually, I worked my father up to allowing me to put my toe in the stirrup so I could get balanced and lay across his back while he led me around. Of course, TOEH handled this elegantly even though I was probably pulling him off balance - I am not the most graceful critter God ever put legs on. I hopped down after some of that and then my mother came out to the scene (a little late but better than never!). She asked if I had ridden him yet, I said no. Dad was not interested in letting me ride him. She insisted until we re-tightened his saddle and I laid over his back again. Dad was incessantly nervous, reminding me to sit gentle and be careful when I swung my leg over his back. I swung my leg over his back and sat down (like a feather, I am sure!), and TOEH never flinched. I didn't have any reins so I was clinging to the saddlehorn like crazy. We went for a little walk and TOEH never scootched out from under me or took a wrong step even once during the ride.

I swung off (also rather ungracefully) and the smile on my face lasted all evening. I was surprised, but at the same time not. I have predicted for the last couple of months that while we all expected TOEH to break hard, he would surprise us and break easy (as has been my experience - those that you expect to be difficult aren't and the ones you don't expect give you lots of trouble) - so I was surprised but not surprised and can't wait to ride him again.

It has been some time since I've felt that I was sitting on a horse that was the right size for me. Always too short, too narrow, etc. He was just the right height to the ground and just the right distance between my knees. It's a shame he's for sale, but I may work some daddy's girl magic to hang onto him.