Rebel Rosebud
Concentrating so much on jumping and the upcoming jumping portion of the show, I have been pretty laid back mentally about the dressage. This is good. I am where I want to be. Josie and I are tuned in and if we both do our part we should have an excellent ride. Outdoors is already a non-issue.
I had seen Sue, my miracle massage gal, Wednesday for a half hour. She was very kind to squeeze me in. It helped but I needed much more so I scheduled an appt. for when she returns from vacation but still could only get a half hour. It is also a matter of timing as to fix me it is going to be painful and I will be sore before it gets better. Don't want to get worse for show day. I had made a chiro appt. for Thursday which went well but again no cure my problem. By Saturday I was ready to go to urgent care but switched from Ibuprofen to Aleve and it was better, not much but better. I rested my hand most of the day Saturday. Holding my magnet from my bone breaking landing from Tilly. Not sure how much juice is in it but it seems to help.
Oh, back to AWESOME Thursday. Our lesson wasn't until 8:00. We were inside once more. The updoor has some small lakes remaining. More practice for my timing. I told H about a 100 more jumps and I will have it. Doing these lessons with just a few days between has really helped us both. Josie is getting steadier and I am getting braver. We are confidently making our approach and the jump has gotten so much easier. Is it easier or my position has improved and repetition has given us muscle memory? I know I am very, very addicted.
With a private lesson you don't have your test pilot to go first and you have to keep going and going. I was pretty tired after but so jubilant!
Friday's work was halt transitions with canter departs on a straight line. She took the leads I asked for. I wanted to mix up the stopping point so she didn't get into the habit of stopping at X but I wanted to be on straight lines. While we are not totally straight it wasn't the "here is my left profile" I was experiencing the other ride. I think some of it is due to my hand. She does whoa on command so I might be whispering to her a bit during our tests. Took lots of breaks for my hand. It is very irritating to not be "normal".
I believe this was the day it was incredibly windy. We went the opposite route - through the pasture and then back down the lane. NDM was hanging on by a thread. NDM wasn't trusting the right hand either. Josie was not her normal self which I don't blame her. The trees sounded like they were straining to keep from ripping out of the grown or losing limbs with the creaking and cracking we were hearing.
Saturday I went to the barn late and ended up going on a trail ride with P instead of doing dressage. That was fine with me and I am positive Josie didn't mind. More much needed rest for my hand. I rode with my right hand a lot but had to use it at times.
The pups ended up with a total of 19 ticks. Four on Wy and 15 on Pix. The next morning I found two more - Black Jack! P said her dogs didn't have any. Pix must have hit a nest and then kindly shared with Wyatt.
Sunday begins with our 11:45 semi-private jumping lesson. H asks if I was brave enough to jump outside. I replied yes and that I was hoping she would let us as this is our last lesson before the show which is to be held outside. We had only been doing straight lines and I have seen H's courses previously. We did our first roll back today. Not too shabby but could be much better.
Josie was fine with everything except the big X. I could feel her not wanting to go and tried encouraging her but ended up with a stop. H fixed it and then had us jump the vertical and then try again. Nope! H then made it with one side down and Josie went through. H put it back and Josie said F NO! We stopped and she folded down to her knees. Later I find she had skunned up her cannon bone. About this time I say I think I am going to excuse myself from the 18" vertical class. I was also thinking of tell H to get on her and get her through but no, I want to do it and I will. H gets us going again and I change my mind back. I will stay entered in the class. One there won't be any of those big X's. Two, we will be fine. We do the roll back and bending lines very nicely. H had us go through again as she so liked how Josie jumped. My confidence was bolstered once again but I am disappointed we couldn't do that X. We will though. I am already thinking of ways.
M and I went on a trail ride afterwards. We went through the up and down's which I knew had a couple of logs. We walked over the first one, a pretty big one and then continued down a little hill to the small one which we popped over very nicely. We get to the bottom of the hill and I turned to M and said, "You wanna do it again?!?!". Her immediately reply of YES! was all I needed. We go back over turn around and do it again. How wonderful it is to be jumping outside and then on trail. M says she would like to do the other. We both notice the little leafing limbs. We dismount and while I hold the horses she pushes these branches over a sapling. She mentions that she hope it doesn't come loose as they jump. I had already said I wouldn't jump it. We watch as they take the first little jump. I ask Josie and she complies by jumping and we catch up to see them take the bigger one. I am feeling a twinge of "I wanna!". I walk Josie over the big log and watch M take it again. I ask Josie to trot and we come to the jump. I am hearing H's voice in my mind and do what she says and we sail over. Oh, how lovely it felt. I get Josie to trot again and we take the smaller one once again. If I wasn't high on jumping I sure am now.
I ask M if she is going to be able to keep this a secret and tell her that I don't think I can. We were together, she had a cell phone and we both had helmets on. What the heck. We get back and she gets to the barn before me. I catch up and H is there and I ask did you tell? She hadn't so I immediately blab. It was awesome. I can be an eventer again. YAHOOOOOEY!
Life doesn't get much better than this . . .
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