Thursday, January 3, 2013

Enjoying My Horses

Back on December 22nd I started riding my horses again. Well I ride one, Shelby, who I work with, has been riding Melody which is a great help to me and it's been fun for the both of us to ride together.

Melody has been going beautifully. When I got her I was a dumb fifteen year old and she was a wild four year old off the track. Don't get me wrong though it worked out in the end and I would not change anything. She was insane when I got her, when we tried her out she was dead quiet, thinking back I wonder if they didn't give her something. She wouldn't walk, she only jigged. She did not know how to trot and when she did she flailed around the ring with her head straight up in the air going as fast as she could in a basic immitation of a trot. Her best gait was the canter but even that wasn't pretty. Needless to say she was a wreck and one with an attitude problem. Trying to teach her anything was at most times a battle and she was explosive, I can't remember the number of times she flat out bolted with me and we went bucking across the ring.

Why did I keep her you ask? Well I admit it, I'm a sucker for a pretty face.

 
She did have a few more redeeming qualities though, she could JUMP. Sadly by the time we started getting through to her and making progress and getting to the bigger fences she went lame. This horse was a blast to jump though we did have issues, once again with her attitude. She would see a fence and takeover, any direction from me was usually ignored or if I got really annoying she'd give me the middle finger and slam on the brakes and crash through the fence. But I get away from myself, I was expounding on her good qualities! She is, as goofy as she is, a solid citizen. From day one you could go out for a hack anywhere and she would not spook at anything, she loved going out on trail rides or for hacks down the road. Honestly as tough as she was she taught me a hell of a lot more than any schoolmaster I could have gotten, it was and still is an adventure with this horse!
 
Last winter I took lessons with a dressage trainer who starts horses from the ground up, for months all she did was in hand work with Melody teaching her to carry herself and use her body in ways she didn't know she could. The result, she can walk! And she can trot! Like a normal horse! And her canter is coming along! Who knew?
 
(Melody Before)
 
(Melody Now)