Lesson

I like it that my new trainer is a total and complete Nazi. It's exactly what I need.

Anyways. Our prescription for this week is grids, grids, grids. She wants Bunny in cavaletti/groundpole grids for the first few days this week, and then add crossrails and a low vertical at our last two schools. Part of it's my fault- I seem to have lost ALL my jumping ability lately... I end up releasing with my whole upper body, instead of with my arms. Patti asked me if I even remembered what a crest release was (uh oh.) So it's super fun time to tune the both of us up. Bunny takes really WEIRD distances to everything, so hopefully the grids will help her think about her feet a little bit (and her weird timing is part of what is throwing me off, I think. I'm paranoid about hitting her in the mouth, and so, whereas I usually use a short release because I *was* balanced in the tack with Berky, I'm giving this weird huge floppy thing. )

Oh, green horses. She's just the best baby ever, I'm pretty sure. I really love this little mare.

Anyways, we also had lead trouble, out of the blue. I think she just got frazzled and started flailing around and doing whatever when she knew she had messed up. I mean, it's not like I get angry or upset, but she can kind of sense that it wasn't right, and so she hurries hurries hurries to try to do what I wanted. And that never works quite right.

Also, she was super behind my leg the whole time, and Patti wants us in the loooong under saddle trot. We haven't mastered the scwung consistently, but it's coming. But I kind of used up all my energy getting her into that swinging, rhythmic trot, so when it was time to canter, I was probably more floppy than ideal.

And you know what? All this is fine. She's a baby, and Rome wasn't built in a day. She's so smart and so willing, and I'd rather not spoil that or drill it out of her.

What got me angry:
Two of or other riders (what's more, both aren't very capable themselves. They have no conception of *feel*) were shit talking me, my horse, and my trainer. I mean, whatthehell? So apparently they know more about my greeny than I do, all of a sudden, and all about how my trainer doesn't know what she's talking about, and how my horse is just lazy. (Which, ok, she's lazy, but I have a good feel of her and KNOW she was frustrated, not being bad.)

What makes it worse is that they were doing this right in front of my very good friend, Paige, and just expecting her to go along with it. Really? Really? Paige told them to knock it off, but still. What was going through their heads? This isn't the way our stable operates. We aren't a bunch of hens who get together and pick at whoever isn't around. That sort of behavior is immature and ridiculous.

I mean, I'm going to let it go simply because I wasn't there and it's only word of mouth-Paige told me- and I'd rather not come off some blustering idiot. I've already had a run-in with one of the girls (sorry, but you CANNOT repeatedly try to implicate me in YOUR OWN mistakes, and then call your father crying so he can come and yell at me. I don't play that game. I'm not catty, and I fight my own battles with as much dignity as I can.) and I'd just as soon not stir that up again. Her dad already has it in for me. However, if she screws up again, I'm not going to sit and take it. She's just being immature. As for the other girl, well, she's young. And I'd like her to know better, given I help her out *all the time* and have never, ever given her any reason to behave that way. She rides a push-button horse who will tolerate her yanking on him, because that's her conception of "training,"and I wouldn't let her near my horse's mouth with a carrot. But I guess it all comes with practice.

/end rant.

I love how I just wrote half a post about little girl drama.