Fire Breathing Pony

Yesterday, Kimmie and I went for a lovely hack out into some of the fields adjacent to CVF. Neither of us had been that way before, so we didn't really know what to expect, but it was gorgeous! Lots of uneven and steep terrain, which definitely made me get out of my comfort zone. We even crossed a little stream, which Limerick boldly stepped over, even after Jazz threw a mini tantrum. I was so proud of my baby pony for being brave, and it certainly didn't hurt that Jazz (the 10 year old b-r-o-k-e QH) was a little bit reluctant to go through the water. Fire breathing pony refers to Limmers being all "snortSNORTsnortSNORTsnort;" he's quite the drama llama, but that was the extent of his excitement. The ride was luckily uneventful (other than a "stressful" encounter between Jazz and a random wooden box) and a really nice/relaxing end to a stressful school day. I did make sure to take lots of pictures, since I feel like I've been slacking lately and not taking enough pictures of my own horse..

QUARTER SHEET

My pony loves me <3

Kimmie and Jazzers

The setting

ear shot

such a pretty day :)

Jazz, staring off into the sunset

NEW BIT!!!

An "I can't believe I rode in that" kind of ride...

Because of the hurricane that is currently causing evacuations and chaos up and down the east coast, weather here has been less than stellar. I'm talking winds strong enough to blow my SUV around, no sunshine, and intermittent rain. We might even get some snow tomorrow, which would be fab! This is where the "I can't believe I rode" comes in. Limerick had not been worked since Friday, it was freezing and windy as hell, I was by myself, and there were cows in the field directly next to the ring. Combine that with the horses in a bordering field galloping around and carrying on, and I was not so sure that we would get anything accomplished, if I even managed to stay on. Here is where my pony, the saint, came to the rescue.

The beginning of our ride was a little bit iffy, as the cows started freaking out and MOOOOOINNNNGGGG right as I got on, which conveniently coincided with the carryings-on in the back field. Limerick stood as I mounted and then immediately turned towards the galloping horses, kind of jolted forward, and then when I pulled back, he started jigging. However, as soon as I regained his attention and started repeating "WOAH," he chilled out and mostly just snorted for a few more laps. When I decided that he wasn't going to be a total freak, we actually got to work and started walking/trotting a trot pole. It was pretty cold and my nose would not stop running, so we cantered both directions and I tried to stay in two-point for as long as possible, and then I called it a day. Overall, it was a very successful ride and I was happy with the Lims. I also got to use his quarter sheet for the first time, so I was thrilled about that! It took me a while to figure out how I wanted it, but I determined that the best arrangement is to put it between the flaps of my saddle. Today was a case of extreme wind though, so it was blowing around quite a bit, which Limerick luckily did not seem to notice. Now for some pictures from my ride on Friday, which involved hacking around in the big field behind the barn... I cantered in an open field for the first time, and it was awesome :)!

the location of my Friday ride

LIMMERS' EARS

The mass exodus of cows that so conveniently occurred during my ride on Friday...

Finally, a lovely video of the mass cow exodus that took place during my ride... must watch with sound to get the full effect: