I would love to do a full update now about the two lessons in two days that I've had, but I have a term paper hanging over my head. I was supposed to work on it today and instead decided to spend 5 hours at the farm... BAD KATHERINE! Therefore, the rest of this update will have to wait until tomorrow, but as the title suggests, I have a gazillion new and awesome pictures. I spent so much time at the barn because my B.O. wanted to take pictures of us with our horses... she is so sweet and wonderful :) Then Kimmie and I kind of messed around setting jumps, and then came the lessons. I jumped the highest that I've ever jumped (at least intentionally...) and Limmers was fab! The whole lesson was great and S keeps telling me how happy she is that things are finally starting to go right for us, which is so good to hear.
More to come, but here are the pictures!
Kimmie and Jazz looking perfect as always!
Liz
Kimmie and Jazz over Liz's ghetto jump
The most round I've ever gotten him at the canter :)
Cool action shot, even if I don't appreciate my heel being even with my toe...
My favorite of the day :) Cute festive jump!
My leg is too far back, but this is the biggest jump I've ever (intentionally) jumped! S said 2' 3"
The best part was that I didn't even think twice about it or get scared :)
The sunset after my lesson
decidedly not feeling the spirit of Christmas... my horse is a grinch!
It's ok, he actually loves his life and is trying to hide his enthusiasm for the santa hat
My horse might actually be a reindeer... he certainly knows how to jump like one!
Boyfriends
Lims and Jazzers
Limmers wishes you all a happy holiday/merry christmas!
I am in love with this picture of us... new favorite of all time!
As the title suggests, Kimmie and I once again rode right before/during sunset, and we got some lovely pictures. We started off in the ring, since Limerick's canter hasn't been super predictable lately and I didn't feel comfortable out in the field. He was awesome once again, and I randomly decided to try riding without spurs. WHEW, was that hard work! He is a ton of horse to keep moving without any sort of aid other than your leg, but it's good for me to ride without them sometimes. We did all of the normal stuff, all while watching Kimmie and Jazz go around bareback and in just a halter, jumping and being total badasses. I want to be her someday :) We ended the ride by going out into the field and watching the sun go down... it was freezing but so worth it!
Tomorrow I'm probably going to have to ride by myself, because Collyn, Liz, and Kimmie are all going out of town this weekend :( I also have a Chemistry test on Monday, and Thanksgiving break next week, so pony time will be limited starting tomorrow (I'll still make time to ride this weekend, but it won't be that exciting). Side note: Limmers had his teeth done today. They were sharp but not too bad, according to the pony dentist!
Pony Love <3
Limerick and Jazz, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G
sunset
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that Collyn, Liz, Kimmie, and I went out to dinner for Liz's 21st birthday! It was my first 21st birthday experience (I'm 19) and a total blast :)
Sorry for the crappy iPhone picture... I've come to the conclusion that Mexican restaurants are by far the best place to celebrate a 21st birthday! They come complete with shots, sombreros, and ice cream
I'll update later, but first I had to share this :)
Ok, time to actually post about my lesson! I felt like it was a little bit rough, mostly because it was only my second time riding in 2+ weeks, so I just felt discombobulated and like I wasn't quite going with Limerick. However, looking back and watching the videos that my awesome barn buddy Liz took for me, it wasn't nearly as bad looking as it felt. S was awesome, as always, and I think she'll be really good for us. We started out working on the flat, because Limerick has been really resistant to any kind of contact since coming back to work, almost like he's locking his jaw... We're also kind of all over the place in the canter, but it's getting better with each ride. We did WTC each direction and then started with one baby cross rail. Then a small course of cross rails, then a bigger course of cross rails, and then a course of verticals!! I keep thinking HOLY CRAP, how did I jump that and not freak out?! But at this point, I know that Limerick will jump pretty much anything I point him at, so for some reason I didn't get nervous. The only thing I really struggled with was S telling me not to get in two-point ahead of time... I understand the concept of being "thrust out of the saddle" by your horse's jump, but actually putting that concept into action is harder than it sounds! I kept feeling like I was pulling on his mouth, which I don't want to do, even though he's a total saint about it and doesn't put a toe out of line. Nevertheless, I asked S if she could help, so the very last jump (one single vertical), I slid my hands up his neck and the whole thing felt much smoother. Overall, I was happy with it and Limmers was such a good boy :) Now for the videos:
