Just fun

I rode Finn today. I have liked Finn's looks since I first came to Lift Me Up. He is a Norwegian Fjord pony, and Lift Me Up had to promise to groom him like a Norweigian Fjord pony. His mane looks a mohawk and he has stripes below his knees, almost like a zebra.

It was a fun ride. We went on a trail ride, which means I get help staying in the saddle. It was so nice out today; the ride was real pleasant.

Unfortunately, I am not sure how much longer these fun rides will interest me. At the start, all I wanted to do was ride, but Dada and everyone showed me I could do so much more. Now, it seems I am taking a step back.

I don't know if Charm is gone from Lift Me Up yet, but I am sure she is gone from my riding life. Bella is still lame, and it sounds like they aren't sure when or if she'll be back. So most of the horses there, I think, aren't that well-suited to me.

I am not going to quit, but hopefully it will grow more challenging.

Matt’s trotting

Bella is on the injured reserve with some lameness, and Charm has been expelled from Lift Me Up. Well, she still lives there, but she is not riding, or carrying a rider or whatever (More on that later). So a crafty old veteran came through for me. I rode Andy, the first horse I rode at Lift Me Up.

Andy is short, unlike Bella and Charm, but he is real wide. Quite stocky. He also doesn't take direction well. Dada says small horses are often a little stubborn like that. But he is a great follower, so a volunteer led Andy around the trails outside, while Dada and Kate were my sidewalkers.

It is way different, walking on a trail, way more bumpy than a ring. But I really tried to sit straight and hugging tight with my legs. It was hard, but Dada said I looked pretty good. It sure felt good, too.

And Andy trots. I can't trot on my own. I am not sure I ever will be able to, but it is so fun. I hardly breathe, mostly because I am laughing. It is such a neat feeling.

As far as Charm goes: I have a friend who has a farm deep in the heart of horse country, otherwise known as Middleburg. She said she'd love to adopt Charm. One of the benefits: I could ride her sometimes. Yeah!

Dressage Broadway-style

Wow, today was really great. There’s that song in My Fair Lady that Audrey Hepburn’s character sings “I could have danced all night.” I felt like I could have ridden all night. And just because I am quoting Broadway does not make me less manly.

Dada agreed with me that we could get a written test so I would not have to concentrate on hearing. So I made a test up last night. And today I rode it.

I did forget the serpentine at the end but otherwise it went pretty well. When I do a figure 8 my circles are pretty thin., so I need to work on that.

But it didn’t matter. The people watching clapped, and I did it a second time and they clapped again. It felt really good. Charm was generally real responsive to me. She walked great and when she slowed down I was able to get her going again.

The lesson wasn’t all about riding. Lift Me Up is letting Dada adopt Charm. So we have a horse! But now we need a stable and ring because she can’t stay at Lift Me Up. I can’t decide if this is a step forward or not.

Just a 1-pack

I began riding a little over a year ago, and one of the goals was to strengthen my trunk muscles. Judging from how sore my abdomen is tonight, we aren't there yet. Not even close. And it's not like I want 6-pack abs; I'd just like to do one sit-up.

But it was a good lesson. Dada emphasized sitting up straight and holding myself up without using my hands. It was tough, hence the trunk pain.

Also, I almost died again. Really. I had a "that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger" moment. Of course, I tend to have a lot of these. We were rounding a corner, I was on Charm, when the people watching said "Dada, watch out." We all stopped, and Dada grabbed Charm. I still couldn't see what was going on, but Charm could. She started getting all skittish and moving all around, and if Dada wasn't holding her I am not sure what would have happened. Charm did turn so I could see the problem; it was deer. Charm is not a fan of wildlife.

Kate ran the deer off and we got back to riding. One hard thing was Charm was following Dada around like a puppy dog. It was funny, but a little tough. And I need to talk to Dada: I concentrate so much on riding, it is hard to also concentrate on hearing her riding directions. I think it might be better if I had a written list of riding moves so I only have to concentrate on riding.

It also was the first time my mom has seen me ride in a while. That was cool.