Testing the Upgrade

 Thunderbirdy has been at boarding school for ten weeks now, and J let me know that he's ready for me to start getting some lessons on him before he comes home in a couple of weeks.

My first lesson was on Wednesday and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely dead nervous. My riding nerves have been a little worse lately (maybe related to just some overall farm/work stress) and ten weeks is a long time not to ride my horse. Still, I was super excited. I've really, deeply missed him and everything about how magical he is.

When I arrived at his field gate and called him, he turned and trotted straight to me with a whinny, which was heart-melting. He's been a little more up at J's than at home, but he still behaved better than usual on the ground, which was nice - his ground manners are definitely something J did a lot of work on. He was even happy and chill alone in the stables while he was being tacked up.

J started by giving me a longer pair of spurs, the same shape as my usual ones, but very long, and explained that this was to help my leg be quieter and stiller. They're not harsher exactly, they just have a greater range of motion with my leg more quiet. With that I hopped on and walked him into the arena and he immediately spooked hard sideways.

This is nothing new, he has his spooky moments at home too, but it caught me off guard and scared the living crap out of me for a second there. He has once or twice followed up his spook with a really big bolt so I was pretty reluctant to then let go of the reins and let him stretch, but J insisted and I slowly did. He had another one or two small spooks as we were walking around but didn't offer to built, but the damage was done and I was pretty spooked myself.

J noticed and put us to work quite briskly. Once we'd stretched for a couple of laps he had me do some flexions left and right and some shoulder-fore left and right, then went straight into the canter work, ever our nemesis. He spooked one more time in the corner and rattled me just a bit further but I felt better now that we were cantering collected and I felt more able to communicate with his whole body, so after a few laps of struggling to focus and sit properly, I got a few deep breaths and we got to work.

I love this thing that his tail does

Once we were focused and working, things started to go much better. I felt fine and I realized abruptly that he felt absolutely amazing. He was still my Thunder, with that magical rippling feeling in his back, but J had stuffed a Ferrari engine inside of him. He was a lot softer in the bridle and moved on an absolutely hair trigger off my lateral aids, still a little dull to my leg going forward, but much less so than he used to be.

J got after me for hanging onto the front end with a hard firm contact so I had to do a lot of work to shorten and collect him without pulling. I used to see-saw a lot before I lessoned with J and appear to have overcorrected into pulling (maybe that's why Arwen pulls my arms off hey?). We did quite a lot of counter flexion so that I could convince myself that he is soft in the outside rein. It also took me a while to figure out where to hit the button for more energy in his collected canter, and as soon as I did so, I found a whole other gear. My horse was jumping with every step but so balanced and collected under me.

I'd also forgotten just how comfy his new saddle is. We only had it for a couple of months before he went to boarding school and it is magical; the knee blocks are just in the right place that holding my leg steady feels natural instead of an effort.

When we moved to canter right, the wheels began to fall off the bus again. It turned out that my right leg is kind of useless and that the asymmetry I have in my body is enough that my new sensitive Thunder kept trying to go with quarters to the right. I had to really focus on weighting my left seatbone and using my right leg in shoulder-fore position to keep him straight. The collection suffered as a result of the straightness, but with an effort, we did get there.

His changes were also a whole new world for me. I overrode them a lot, maybe because Arwen is still learning them (and me too to be honest). There's no need to set him up and prepare as much; as long as he is straight and collected, all I need to do is move my outside leg back a smidgen and he changes so softly and fluidly that I had to look down to make sure he did change.

On that happy note, we went to the collected walk and started playing with a little piaffe. I struggle with collected walk and it was messy at first, but we got some good collected walk, some half steps, and a few piaffe steps. He feels like he knows what to do, but I do not lol, poor guy.

J got on right after that to fix a few things I'd already broken (sorry dude) and I got to see my horse in action doing some really great canter work and then, to my awe and delight, doing a few short lines of one- and two-tempis. Only two or three at a time, but they were boldly through and expressive.

Then we were done and J told me to walk him around the paddocks to cool off. I was immediately tense about this, which did not help when Thunder went up the drive and napped/spooked. I sternly had him go on for a while but then he spooked (in place) at an uprooted tree and refused to go forward, then began to back up a bit with his neck and back locked up really tight. He didn't actually do anything silly, but he sure felt like he was going to and my nerves were shot by that point so I got off and led him past it. Admittedly there were some tears at this point. I was so frustrated with myself for being nervous on a horse I've known and loved for his entire life, and frustrated with him for being unusually spooky on the day.

It took me a few minutes of walking to realize that I could be a little kinder to both of us. Having me on his back must have felt as weird to him as it felt to me, and my tension transmitted in a way it never used to, maybe because he's more alert, aware and connected to the rider than he used to be. In the same breath, I know him and he knows me. We just need a few rides to find one another again; when I feel bolder, I'll be able to be more confident and assertive. There's no use trying to bluff my way through it. Horses just don't work that way.

Anyway, at the corner of the paddock I got back on and he very happily and politely walked the rest of the way even past some more spooky stuff. J acknowledged that Thunder was being a bit naughty/spooky and that I needed to be more assertive, so that's what we'll work on with our next ride. That and, you know, pushing the new buttons that my horse has all of a sudden.

I gave him a nice shower and a bunch of treats and turned him out feeling a bit bummed that we'd had a few rough moments, but really excited for the potential I feel in him. J asked if he could stay for another month and said the magic words: "then I can show him myself at PSG". I started at him like he'd grown another head. PSG? What sorcery is this? That used to be the pipe dream.

We don't have the budget for another month at boarding school right now, so we've decided to work on sending him back later, when J wants to add in Spanish walk to teach him a proper extended trot and even passage. "Then you'll nearly have a Grand Prix horse," he said, and I guess we have a new pipe dream now.

I was supposed to lesson on Thunder again today but he had his flu shot yesterday which gave him a mild fever like it usually does, so I'll see him next week. Although our lesson was tough, I'm really excited. All we need to get over the nervousness is a bit more time together; he's not doing anything new, we only need to get used to one another again. For the first time ever, I have a schoolmaster, and it's my own boy, my boy who I raised from a tiny little foal. The journey is precious even in its rocky patches.

In other news, our national dressage association is replacing our levels and tests with the American levels and tests, so from January we'll be doing the same tests as you guys - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th level. Thunder, Arwen and I are graded at Elementary-Medium which is between 2nd and 3rd level, so we'll be allowed to pick which level we want to go into next year. If we go to 3rd level and carry over our current points, it's effectively a little leg-up for us, and we'll be able to show 4th at regional shows anytime from January. To be totally honest, the 3rd level tests are also significantly shorter and easier than our Medium tests, which each have a minimum of 4 flying changes and much more difficult half-passes, so we should earn our points for 4th quite easily, all going according to plan.

I'm so proud of my farm donkey for the level of work he's doing and I really look forward to dipping our toes into the big leagues early next year. Who knows - maybe we'll earn my tailcoat sooner than I thought.

God is very good.

Week Recap

 We started out this week in the Eastern Cape, nursing my granny after a minor eye surgery. Granny turned out not to need any nursing whatsoever and bounced right back after the surgery, leaving us to enjoy a quiet week in East London. I missed my horses with a fierce intensity that I haven't felt since I was a little kid; it's safe to say that my love of riding has returned full strength, and I am so grateful for it. It's a gift from God and one that I thought I had lost for a minute there.

We visited our favourite local haunt, the Sea Spirit, ate way too much seafood, spent some time splashing around on the beach, and went to see a movie for the first time in a while. I read Felix Francis' Pulse (standard engaging Francis fare) and James Patterson's The Horsewoman, which was disappointingly poorly researched, and I'm not even being a snobby horse person critiquing everything just to prove how smart I am. It just... completely failed to capture what riding really is, and made it feel like any other high-stakes sport. Sorry Mr. Patterson, I know you are rolling in dough thanks to your writing prowess, but I didn't like it.

I quickly remedied this by reading the next instalment in Jeffery Deaver's Colter Shaw series, which has been impeccable so far, because Deaver just always is.

there were so many doggos on this beach

Anyway, it was lovely seeing my grandparents and spending the entire week basically inseparable from my husband, but when we got on the plane to go home on Tuesday I was ready to get back to the beautiful life we've been given at home.

Steve picked us up from the airport and she was delighted to be reunited with DH, and he likewise squawked "Steve!" the moment he spotted her. I swear I'm the third wheel around here sometimes.

It's the first time I've flown since I was a tiny girl, and it felt like time travel. One moment I was at the beach and the next I was in my home arena, teaching lessons.

I was too tired to ride once all the lessons were done, so I hung out with Wynnie and did her mane instead. She chomped on her haynet, happy for the attention, and stood almost perfectly still for the whole thing. I can't believe she's growing up so fast.

On Wednesday morning I got to try out some new goodies I'd ordered that had, characteristically, arrived while I wasn't home. Thunder has been desperately needing a new girth for an embarrassing amount of time and I got this nice Capriole one for like R500 from Tack Shack. (That's about $30). It's elasticated, shaped and nicely padded, and I'm fairly impressed for the price. I also managed to guess the right size perfectly, so bully for me. (It's 24", in case I forget again by the time I need another one).

I don't think I've mentioned Thunder's new saddle yet, either. Back in the days of being a teenager with parents who fed me, I bought three saddles - a JC jumping, a Kent & Masters jumping, and a Wintec 250 dressage. The JC was sold to Jamaica's child after Magic retired and is being passed on to Jamaica's new child, the K&M has had a thousand tiny repairs done and goes on Flashy, Midas and Faith, and the Wintec 250 is still going strong and fits Arwen and Lancey. Not a single one of the above ever really fit Thunder. I discovered a Blackburn dressage in the tack room at the Friesians and asked to buy it, at which point the owner promptly gave it to me. It didn't fit me but it more or less fit him and I probably wouldn't have been able to ride him at all for the past two years if it wasn't for that Blackburn.

Still, it moved at the back and I drowned in it, so I was saving up for a new saddle even before holes got worn in the saddle flap and knee rolls. I was anticipating paying a small fortune for even a secondhand synthetic dressage until J came through for me and worked a little bit of magic to get me a secondhand Flexi Rider dressage for half the price I would have paid anywhere else. It's in pristine condition and fits Thunder perfectly once I'd put in a red (wide) gullet plate.

used a half pad under it while we waited for the new gullet to come

The Flexi Rider is a sort of Wintec knock-off, although the quality seems better than the Wintecs I've sat in. This one sits very similarly to the Isabel Werth, which is my favourite saddle in the universe. I love it to pieces and so far it's been life-changing for both Thunder and me. And that concludes the most painless saddle shopping experience ever.

Anyway, E2 the work rider (who is back now that her collarbone is better, yay!) posted on her WhatsApp status that she had some stirrups and leathers for sale at a total bargain, so I asked her to bring them. They turned out to be Prestige MG stirrups and I got them for an embarrassingly tiny amount of money (like... $15?) even though I did try to offer her more.

They're a little beat up but I'm pretty sure DH can work his magic and make them beautiful. I'm thinking... silver glitter. I like the broader footplate and the weight of them (they are HEAVY), although I'll still scrounge a pair of Nu Angles somewhere one day.

Thus dolled up in all the New Stuff, Thunder and I had a sticky sort of ride. K had been riding him last week and Sir TBird clearly took advantage and plopped around a bit. I also felt a little discombobulated up there after like 10 days off riding. It wasn't bad, just sort of lazy and meh, so we kept it simple and focused on gait quality. Either way, it was so, so good to be back on him again.

He's going to J's for three months in the winter to be made Extra Fancy and I am not entirely sure how I'm going to survive that, but I know it'll be worth it for both of us. It's not fair on him for his ammy mom to try and teach him the PSG movements alone. J Boot Camp will be far better for us both.

That afternoon, after a quick catch-up lesson for Shaila, I saddled up Madam Dragon in her adorable new outfit. Steve and DH clubbed together to get me my first proper matchy matchy set for my birthday last month, and now I am a real proper dressage queen. Did I mention that the numnah is glittery? It is so, so glittery.

K and E2 and my super groom, M, had kept Arwen thoroughly in work while I was away - she is so fat that she really can't have any time off - and she was really pleasant from the moment I got on. Arwen is used to having lots of people ride her and very quickly adjusts back to me. As always, we did a lot of work on suppleness. Her gaits are solid quality now, and the suppleness is slowly improving. We finished off by playing with the flying changes for the second time. Technically she needs a suppler topline before the changes are really going to be anything, but she has been offering them so I'm not going to turn it down. She tries really hard and gets the idea, but we need a bit more practice - and, again, suppleness - to make them clean. She's the first one I've had that changes behind first and then takes a stride or two to change in front.

Lancey had a photo shoot the next morning so I didn't want to ride him and make him all dirty again, but also didn't want to fall and die considering that we were taking pictures in the cosmos flowers, which are taller than we are. I gave him a little free lunge and he was actually sort of flat, but very obedient.

The next morning bright and early E2 arrived. She wanted cosmos photos for her portfolio and offered me a short shoot for a great price. Lancey was spicy and playful as we walked out to the flowers, which are currently in full bloom. I know they're invaders but cosmos time is still my favourite time of year. The whole farm is decked out in a way that puts me in mind of the heavenly Jerusalem coming down out of the sky as the Bride of the Lamb. I'll post all the photos later with some poetic drivel I'm working on, but here's a sneak peek.

by Erin Vogler Photography

It was really fun. Lancey was spicy and threw one little porpoise-y buck, but he was so game to do whatever weird thing I asked. We even cantered a short distance through the flowers (almost squashing Blizzy in the process) and he went boldly, no questions asked, leaping through them to keep his legs from getting tangled up. I'm not sure there's another horse in the world that I'd ask to do that.

On Thursday afternoon between lessons I hopped on Thunder with a bit of a more businesslike approach and made it clear that we were going forward from the very first stride. He immediately obliged and was actually pretty spicy after just a few minutes, giving me everything willingly and easily. It was really, really great. I carried my whip, but only used it twice; the rest of the time he went straight off my leg. We played with lateral work to heat him up and he gave me really super half-pass zig-zags in trot, quarter line to quarter line to centreline, with a soft easy bend.

Since those were so easy, we took a shot at a movement we actually haven't tried before - the same movement in canter with flying changes. The first time through he got a bit excited and thought we were doing tempis, so it was a bit hair-raising, but when we did it the second time I felt him say "oh! it's like the thing we do in trot" and it was smooth. Not perfect, but smooth and easy with clean changes. That made my day.

We also went back to working on the pirouette canter and large quarter pirouettes for the first time since getting our new saddle, and that was much easier than before. There was no getting stuck or kicking my leg. I worked hard to stay sitting up instead of curling over my hands, and it was the best work I've had from him. He was sweaty when we were done, but didn't feel tired. I think the muscular stamina is finally getting there.

Arwen was supposed to have her weekly jump with a kiddo on Thursday afternoon, but when kiddo rescheduled to Friday, M just gave her a good lunge instead.

Friday morning dawned with the exciting promise of lessons with J, always a huge highlight for me. I brushed Thunder's mane out - it's getting all long and Friesian-y now - and groomed him to within an inch of his life. His legs are being eaten up by the flies a bit, but the rest of his skin weathered this summer better than it's done in years. We're looking for some heavy-duty fly boots for him to survive being out in a large field with friends all summer, so if anyone knows of a good brand, let me know. We can get most of the overseas brands down here.

J was in fine form on Friday and put us straight to work, teasing all the way. I thought I might have a tired, flat Thunder after riding him the previous afternoon, but instead, Thunder was so ready to work. I'm not sure if it was my more positive mindset or if his old saddle was bugging him more than I realized. Either way, he put his ears up and said "Yes, ma'am!" the second I put my leg on, so that was really great.

We warmed up with lots of rein-back, stretchy walk and some loose working trot, and then got right to business. J introduced piaffe/half steps on the long reins a few lessons ago, when we were in no-saddle-limbo, and today we tried it with me on board. My job was simply to sit still, keep him straight and soft, and not get my leg squashed against the wall. J was giving the orders. I'd done the same thing a few years ago but on J's two GP horses, so things were a little more complicated for me this time. Not that Thunder had forgotten how to piaffe - on the contrary, he knew perfectly well that if he gave John two or three solid steps (not expressive yet, but rhythmic and sitting), he would get a big pat and some treats. In Thunder's mind, therefore, there was no need to take more than two or three steps. The moment J gave him the voice command for piaffe (a rhythmic cluck, in his case), Thunder sat down and gave two nice steps and then stopped and turned his head for the treat. I was an accessory.

J rewarded him the first time and then started to ask him for a few more steps at a time, slowly building the strength that will eventually lead to more collection and expression. Thunder seems to find this movement deceptively easy. He's not very extravagant but there's a very solid rhythm and he can already do several steps almost completely on the spot. He did want to go backwards once or twice, though, at which point I kicked him forward a bit, and once he threatened to give a buck. No one got annoyed with him for that - he's allowed to express a lack of understanding or fatigue. Most of the time, though, I barely had any contact on the reins at all. He understands and likes this game because there are treats involved. 

We continued the lesson working on that ever-elusive collected canter that I struggle with so much. On the day, though, his collected canter was nearly effortless, in no small part because homeboy was HOT after all the piaffe work. J gave me a few reminders to keep my left rein the same length as the right rein and to keep his neck straight without worrying too much about the position. If he needs to lift his nose up a bit at this stage in order to engage his butt, then that's what he needs to do. There's no use trying to make a frame in front without true collection from behind, and it's not going to be perfect while he's still finding his balance in the ultra-collected movements. We proceeded to pirouette canter with a little help from the ground and got three or four almost on the spot steps at a time.

J left us with strict homework: collected and pirouette canter work, using treats to reward him after good steps just like we do with the half-steps/piaffe. My job is to interfere much less and trust the horse to carry himself far more. He's a big boy now and he can do things independently - I generally just get in his way. I need to be uncompromising about my leg aid in a way that allows me to keep my leg almost completely off except for tiny reminders from my upper calf even in pirouette canter. (Carl Hester's whole thing about riding a lazy horse with the leg off certainly applies).

Thunder hardly felt tired by the end of the lesson and barely sweated, although, granted, it was a cool autumn morning. He felt ready for more. I think we're actually getting somewhere now.

Lancey was next, and I was a little worried about him. I'd heard him cough once or twice when he was turned out and his legs were quite stocked up. He does that sometimes, and he had a normal temperature with no discharge and acted completely like himself, but I decided to keep a really close eye on him. Probably my favourite thing about riding with J is that he advocates, hard, for the horse above all things, more so than anyone else I've ever ridden with. J will never push a horse that's fatigued, let alone a horse that doesn't seem well or even the tiniest bit off or sore. I wouldn't even have saddled him up if it was anyone but J.

Still, his legs were cool if puffy, and when I took him for a little walk before the lesson he was chirpy and eager to go forward. We came into the arena and did a ton of lateral work in the walk, changing it up: either going down the long side and transitioning from shoulder-in to renvers (or shoulder-out to travers) repeatedly, or coming out of the corner in half-pass, down the quarter line in shoulder-in, back to half-pass to the centreline, down the centerline in shoulder-in, transition to renvers, large half-pirouette to the track, repeat. This latter worked really well to keep him balanced and supple and not allow him to brace. We picked up the trot and Lancey coughed twice more and then moved boldly forward with no hint of unhappiness, and by this time his legs were dry and tight, so we went to work. I'm pretty sure he was just a bit allergic to all the flowers we played in the day before, but he's got the weekend off and we're keeping a good eye on him.

okay here's one more - by Erin Vogler Photography

Right from the start, J wanted me to do the opposite with Lancey. Where I needed to leave Thunder alone more, I needed to ride every stride on Lancey more. We started with a ton of shoulder-in in trot, J encouraging me to really focus on connecting constantly to both reins and using repeated light aids to remind him of his position and be compassionately uncompromising about what I wanted. Consistency was the theme.

Once he was nice and warm, we played with some half-steps, too. They don't come quite as naturally to Lancey as to Thunder, and I had my work cut out for me keeping him steady, soft and straight in the bridle. Still, when we did get three nice steps, they were powerful and expressive and he got plenty of praise and treats. That seemed to make the penny drop for him, and they got better after that.

Finally, we went on to some canter work, just going round on a circle, and for some reason I was just... failing at riding a connection. At all. J reminded me constantly to keep his neck straight and to ride him strongly from inside leg to outside rein for balance and connection. Lancey loves to fight my hand, but the thing is that sometimes he's not actually fighting my hand, he's fighting my leg. He will go around very sweetly in a working frame in working gaits, but works hard to wriggle out of connection when I ask for the collected gaits. Still, once "Mother has her brain switched on" (in the words of an exasperated J), he gave me some really, really solid work.

Friday afternoon was Arwen's jumping lesson, so I spent her usual riding time hanging out with Skye instead. Skye was always a pretty standoffish mare - she'd come to me if I called, but she wasn't one for grooming or fussing. She'd had a difficult past before my parents bought her when I was a little kid, and some of that wariness stayed with her even when we were still riding.

Something's changed in the past year or so, though. Skye's become cuddly. She's always in the middle of whatever we're doing, nuzzling the lesson kids, lining up in front of the tack room with the schoolies like she wants to be involved. She even tried to get into the horsebox when we took Spirit to SANESA two weekends ago. I'm just so happy that I can groom and fuss and play with her without imposing on her, and I spent a long time grooming and cuddling and feeding her treats on Friday, especially because it was her Gotcha Day (or maybe my Gotcha Day; I'm not sure). I was seven when my parents bought her for me, and that was nineteen years ago. A whole lifetime. My whole lifetime.

I'm so grateful that we've had this incredible journey together, Skye and I. The Lord has worked so mightily in this mare. She gave me wings when I was little, made my childhood absolutely magical, allowed the imagination that makes my living today to run unfettered. And when I was a teenager, she was instrumental in helping me find the One behind the magic I saw as a kid. Now somehow I'm a grown woman and she's still here, beautiful and kind, still the same mane to cry into, the mane that held my childhood dreams and my teenage secrets. That's something so special. Something rare and amazing.

She's doing so well physically, too. It's almost time for her routine autumn bloodwork but on the surface she looks great. Her weight is amazing, she gallops out of the night paddock in the morning and back into it in the evening, and she trots only about 1/5 lame, which is not bad when you're a 35-year-old horse. The old knees will never be young again but they don't appear to impede anything she wants to do - galloping up the hill or lying down to roll or just grazing in the field - and that's a gift.

Arwen rounded off the week by being super good for her kid, which she always is. This kid actually rides well even though she's quite small and Arwen has started to bend and connect a little bit for her. She jumps with great gusto, only little fences, but the cardio is good for Madam Lardy Dragon.

She's just really hairy right now and starting to suffer a bit since it's still hot and she always sweats like a pig. I'm going to need to try and run the clippers over her next week even though it's a little early in the year.

God is good 💜

In Which Working Equitation Gets Dragoned

 Is "dragon" a verb? I think Arwen makes it one.

Had my saddle slipped forward? Yes. Was this a direct result of ferocious Dragoning? Maybe.

There's a growing community of working equitation riders on the East Rand, not far from us. I'd only ever seen videos of WE, but it looked like a ton of fun. Arwen has won her share of championships in working riding but always wishes she could go a bit faster. Since the maneability part of WE basically looked like working riding on steroids, I'd always had a pipe dream of trying it out with the dragonbeast itself.

When I saw an introductory WE clinic advertised for last Sunday, it was a no-brainer. We made our (amazingly inexpensive) booking, tossed the beast in the box, and off we went on our first husband-and-wife horse-related excursion.

As usual, Arwen sweated the whole way there. She's always a sweaty person in general and, in eight or nine years of traveling to things, she's never stopped sweating on the way there. (Never on the way back, though). Still, I was a little concerned when we unloaded a snorting, sweating dragon when we got to the small, pleasant yard where the clinic was being held. Arwen has only been off property twice since Wynnie was conceived - once to the vet and once to look after Wynnie when we showed her in hand at HOY 2022 - and hasn't been ridden off property at all for more than two years.

Despite the rising dragon vibes, I didn't have time to stress about it. I was, as usual, late. We strapped on her saddle and headed for the arena, where my trepidation only increased when I discovered that there were about twenty of us. It was a large jumping-size arena with plenty of space around it, certainly enough to accommodate all of us, and on Lancey or Thunder I would not have batted an eye. However, Arwen, being a Dragon, kicks mightily when provoked. Eyeing the couple of young horses already losing their various marbles, I sincerely hoped that she wouldn't be provoked today.

Still, to my surprise, Arwen felt relatively chill as we strolled around the edge of the arena. She tipped an ear toward one or two spooky things but was immediately happy to settle in and get to work. We trotted a few circles, and while she was hot and I did not regret my choice to leave my whip at the horsebox, she was listening well and not running through my aids. I could, however, feel a buck brewing right behind the saddle.

We got right to the obstacles, starting with the stock pen. It wasn't that small - maybe a 15m circle on the outside with a volte on the inside - but, mindful of that brewing buck, Arwen and I trotted it.

clearly applying the lesson to lift my hands lol

While we were waiting for everyone else to go, I schooled her a little on the grass, and the buck magnificently came out when I asked for canter left. It was just a porpoise really, so I put my leg on and growled through it and she obliged. She did offer a few more bucks throughout the day but they felt like pure excitement and honestly, who can blame her? Life is awesomely exciting if you are a dragon, even if you're a 16-year-old one.

The next obstacle was a little lane, at the end of which there was a bell. One had to canter in, halt, ring the bell and rein-back out (there were easier options, like just walking in and doing three steps of rein-back instead, but Dragonbeast and I felt like we had it handled). Apart from the fact that Arwen randomly decided that she couldn't rein-back anymore while we were waiting, which we sorted out quite quickly before actually trying the obstacle, this was a non-event.

The next obstacle was the easiest and also the one with which we had the most trouble, for whatever reason (perhaps not stimulating enough by mare standards). Simply cantering up to a drum, picking up the jug, holding it over my head, and putting it back down again. Easy, right? Not if you have a dragon. Arwen decided that this was far too exciting to stand still, and nearly knocked the drum over with her voluptuous buttocks. We practiced this one repeatedly while waiting for other obstacles and eventually she did remember her manners.

I anticipated some drama around the bridge. Arwen has never minded going onto mats in working riding classes, but this was a very different kettle of fish. When we went up to the bridge the first time, I let her put her head down and sniff, and she stepped onto it without even being asked. After that she took it confidently from both reins, no questions asked. I think it was her favourite obstacle.

We followed this with side-passing over a pole, which was also very exciting in her mind, but we didn't quite managed to complete the full side-pass any faster than a walk. I think once she gets the idea a little more cemented in her mind she will do it easily, so it's just a matter of practice.

The next obstacle was definitely the easiest for us: halting between two poles and switching an upturned flower pot from one to the other. It was done quickly enough that it held a certain dragon's attention and she didn't squirm.

Next was the slalom, which was bending poles in canter, with the emphasis being that you had to go right through the middle of the poles - not hug them like bending poles - and do a simple or flying change between each one. This was piece of cake for her, with easy changes in walk, and loads of fun, even though the many transitions did cause rising excitement and a few moments of difficulty for me.

The garrocha was definitely the hardest obstacle for me. Arwen didn't care at all about the big stick being picked up and waved around her, but the level of hand-eye coordination required for me to pick it up mid-canter was... more than I really have. We had to take several passes at it, with multiple oopsies, before I got it into my head. Something we'll definitely need to practice at home.

The final obstacle was the gate. We practiced this twice, perfectly, while no one was watching, and then as soon as it was our turn, I just... reversed my horse directly into the pole and knocked it over. Arwen even told me that "hey, mom, there's a pole there" and I insisted "no it's all good" and she took a huge step back, knocked it over with her voluptuous bottom and said "MOM THERE IS A POLE THERE". Sorry dragon, 100% my bad.

After this we had the chance to run through the whole thing ourselves. This time we did everything in canter, except for the obstacles that are supposed to be in walk and the side pass pole, and it was pretty foot perfect except for me failing majestically at grabbing the garrocha on the first two tries.

While the first few WE shows of the year clash with SANESA, HOY and dressage, there is one later in the year that I'd love to try out with her, just for fun - because she loved it and that made me love it.

I'm so happy to be riding my dragon again after she took time off for Wynnie, and I can't wait to see where this year takes us.

God is good.

oh look, a husband!

Kick Start

This week started fabulously well with a new phone. The old one was brilliant and did so well, but it had taken four years of abuse and my spare one had been hijacked for farm use. Since my contract was up for renewal, I indulged a tiny bit in something with a fairly snazzy camera. Which, you'll see, I enjoyed massively this week.

Sunflowers pop up in the horse fields at this time of year since there are sunflower seeds in the muesli we feed. They were my wedding flowers and I love them.

Obviously Wynnie and Thunder had to be some of my first subjects. Their summer coats are metallic right now. Thunder was naked for a day after destroying his fly sheet, as one does during the first week of January when there are endless shipping delays, but he survived.

Thunder had schooled nicely on Monday morning, and Arwen worked on Monday afternoon. She is always a bit barbaric to lunge but I nonetheless enjoyed being dragged all over the arena for 18 minutes.

Tuesday morning Thunder enjoyed some pole work, the fact that his mother is useless at pole work notwithstanding. I bought these glitter boots for him from Bridle Boutique because I had no good reason not to. 

 Then he got dressed up in all of his new things. The gorgeous halter was only R300 including lead from Bridle Boutique and his fly stuff is Capriole.

Lancey also got a new fly mask to protect his lil pink nosey. He's great in hot weather but that poor lil nose sunburns worse than any other horse I've seen.

Tuesday was super busy in hindsight. Our lessons started on Thursday and we were busy getting the yard ready. Old man Carnegie had his fortnightly spa day, although not after galloping away from me for fifteen minutes when I dared go to catch him, DSLD or no. One of my favourite retirees ever. He's in his twenties but don't tell him.

Then another new retiree arrived, and the same box took Dawn to a lovely new home. Diablo is 24, used to jump the highest pony grades, and has arthritis and only one eye. I would die for him. He's really cute.

Then I cleaned out the tack room, which was basically a nuclear war zone after pony camp. This took the ENTIRE afternoon.

It was worth it even if Lancey missed his schooling session.

We made up for it on Wednesday morning with a long, long ride with EM on Magic Tree Farm. She took Flashy, and the intense heat hopefully helped the little bugger to shake off some of his megachonk.

Lancey was a superstar. We fit in lots of trotting and some fun collected cantering while Flashy trotted along. Anke was in hospital so poor EM was glad to get her horsy fix.

Afterwards I took advantage of the crazy heat to paint the tack room door with blackboard paint, a lovely gift from EM.

Things got hectic for the rest of the day so Thunder had a little break, but we started bright and early on Thursday with a nice lunge. Skye supervised.

E2, our work rider, rode Faith because K is on holiday. Faith has come back into work absolutely gorgeous and really mature in body and mind.

Renè  is still holding her baby hostage. She'll be vet checked next week but seems quite happy. I thought the day had come last week when she had a sweaty, uncomfortable episode, but it passed. Last year she caught me off guard so who knows what will happen this year.

The blackboard worked great once I'd written up the schedule. We're pleasantly full but not too busy. Grateful for the balance.

Friday was a super exciting day. Coach J came over to teach at my yard for the first time. I've been out of lessons for a long time and there was a lot to work on, most notably on letting the boys keep their necks up and open. With Thunder, that meant letting go of his face and seriously focusing on pressing him up to the bridle from behind, especially in creating a collected canter. "More canter for collected canter, not less". We got a few steps where things started to click for me, and then in typical Coach J fashion, we called it quits as soon as the penny began to drop for me. One of my favourite things about riding with Coach J is the lack of drilling. It has never worked for me and I hate feeling my horse get exhausted and demoralized under me.

Then I hand grazed Thunder and iced his legs while one of the lesson kids rode Shaila. Coach J, ever salty with me, was, as always, super kind and sweet with the kiddo, who utterly blossomed during her lesson and had a really good time. Shaila went home to kiddo's farm for the holidays and spent several weeks climbing mountains and galloping across open fields, and it really shows. She's fitter and stronger than she's ever been.

After this I saddled up Lancey. J was originally quite impressed by the sight of Lancey, saying that he looks good, even though I feel like he needs a little weight. He did show some signs of dismay when I admitted that Lancey didn't really do any dressage for the whole of 2022, just a lot of trail riding. Still, it wasn't horrible once we got started. Once again I needed to work on carrying my hands and pushing him to the bridle instead of pulling incessantly. My feel is a bit off - I kept trying to "make him round" when he was already connected. J also had us do a ton of transitions, both within the gaits and between gaits, to help me keep him more balanced and responsive. It started out as a bit of a hot mess but the transitions really smoothed out after a while. I put highlights of both lessons on Instagram @ridingonwater with music if anyone wants to look at them.

It was really cool having J at the yard, and I'm looking forward to regular lessons with him this year. I've been riding with him since October 2017 and I've always loved my lessons, even the hard ones where there was some crying in the tack room afterwards right in the beginning. He LOVES Thunder and I don't think anyone has ever believed so fiercely in my horse (and me) as he does, and that makes it feel easy to make corrections and do things. He really trains us as though we are Grand Prix prospects even though I'm an ammy on a farm horsie, and that's the attitude that's gotten us to Medium/Advanced already.

I schooled Arwen on Friday afternoon just briefly, and she felt fantastic. She is still really stiff, but feels nice and strong now.

Wynnie is at the tail end of a major growth spurt. She got a little ribby during this, but I let her, mindful of letting her grow naturally and not buggering up her feet and legs with too much concentrate at this stage. She seems to have evened out now and is putting some weight back on again, just in time for HOY.

That wrapped up the first full-work week of 2023, leaving me with plenty of dressage homework: carry the hands, ride back to front, push the bum down in collection instead of pulling the head down, and allow the horses more up and open in front.

I am massively grateful for the lifestyle changes that let me ride as much as I want to now, without the endless pressures of mounting piles of work. I'm also hugely enjoying a study of the Bible chronologically again - it was so amazing in 2021 that I couldn't resist doing it again this year. I'm following The Daily Grace Co's reading plan and podcast, which is always full of interesting insights, and currently in the Book of Job. I'm always astonished by all the hints of Jesus in the Old Testament, and Job is also such a powerful message on how NOT to treat a friend in suffering.

Wynnie kisses!

God is good!