Thursday, February 18, 2010
Still wayyyyy tooo much snow around here, but I know everyone is sick of hearing about it. I’ve got my boys at a farm nearby with an indoor. We’re schooling with Elizabeth Madlener five days per week and I can’t begin to describe the progress we’re making. It’s phenomenal. My riding is changing in a profound way. She is truly a master.
One of the really great things about this farm is that Samantha Allan is right next door. I can ride over for jumping sessions. It is so neat to be able to ride somewhere for a lesson and when it’s with a two star eventer who the great Jimmy Wofford recommended to me, that’s even sweeter! Well, we’ve had so much snow I haven’t ridden over there for the past ten days or so. I called Sam on Monday and said, “we really need to jump!!!” I scheduled a lesson for yesterday afternoon with her. I decided I should hand walk the Bird over for fear of stepping on something beneath the snow. I don’t know this place the way I know my own farm and I was afraid I would ride onto something especially near the beginning of the ride. It’s near a barn and there is stuff stacked around it.
Birdie now has more evidence that I am a stupid. Stupid human. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I’m 46 and in really great shape, but that snow was over my knees in places, it had drifted. I had to stop three times to catch my breath. I wasn’t sure I’d make it. It’s about a mile walk, but geeze, what a walk it was. It occurred to me everyone is talking about conditioning themselves. Several friends have purchased the Wiii exercise thing. The answer is just outside your door right now. It’s perfect aerobic exercise, if it doesn’t kill you. It’s also great for developing your horse’s back and hind end, but Birdie kind of hated it.
The lesson went great, Bird was a star as usual and that Sam Allan, what a good coach and instructor. She had me jumping Bird in a halter with a lead rope. For those of you who know the Bird, you can only imagine what that was like, but he was great. He really did well. I like Sam’s approach, she is very intuitive and she knows where you and your horse are. I always benefit from her insight. By the way she told me I should ride Birdie home, very intuitive.
That it wouldn’t hurt him.
The trip home was much easier. Stupid Human.
