Hold Onto the Horn!

Because life isn't crazy enough...
I've taken on a bottle baby!

Rides five and six are done. Jay came back Tuesday and spent a bit more time with Sandy while I stayed on the ground. Got him moving out with a nice, light step and even encouraged him into a lope! That's something I've not been able to get him to do in the round pen. The footing is a bit too slick and hard for Sandy to really get comfortable, and I tend to wear out before accomplishing much. Jay, however, seems to be able to keep up the pace and Sandy got to booking!

Along with the lope, Jay encouraged some pretty quick, catty turns out of my former dead footed mustang! We all three nearly dropped over when my boy started getting under himself and using his body.

Sandy's first week

Once the edge was worked off, it was time for me to climb on. Sandy's been shifting a bit to the right the past few times I've mounted, but Tuesday he stood still. He'd been working quietly and responding well to my legs and the reins, moving at a nice trot when Curt began talking about loping. Didn't say I had to do it, but I think he was implying that I ought not be just hanging out in the saddle like some kid who'd paid for a pony ride, so I began working Sandy into a faster and faster trot. So fast, I was sure we'd turn into butter as we were circling Jay in the center. But lope? Well...

Six weeks later, a much prettier face!

I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. One minute I felt like there's no way we could go any faster and the next I was being bounced all over the flippin' place! The right hand that'd been hanging onto the horn (to keep me from using too much hand on his light mouth) was now hanging on to the reins. I could feel myself falling back behind my center of gravity and saw the wall of the round pen spin past and recall thinking how lucky it was I had a helmet on. I've no clue what Jay was saying...I could hear his voice but not words. Curt, however, broke through my daze as he hollered at me to grab the horn!

How I was supposed to do that I had a hard time processing. I was leaning back and had to pull myself upright before letting go of the reins with my right hand. Once I had it back on the horn and my balance back in the center, I managed to drop my left hand and relieve the pressure on Sandy's mouth. He stopped instantly!

To hear Jay tell it (or at least my somewhat scrambled memory's version), Sandy's butt dropped down as he tried to scramble into a lope with me on him. That drop threw me off, which then spooked him and sent him rushing. Never bucked, though, I was told. I'll take his word for it. It honestly all happened so fast I don't really remember anything.

We went straight back to work, but by now Sandy was too pooped to even think about loping. We trotted some more just so he'd end on a positive note.

Today Jay and I decided loping in the round pen probably wasn't going to work. Instead we concentrated on Sandy's directional skills. Jay's still got the lead , but stands at the end and is only there for emergencies (like yesterday.) Sandy worked into doing tight little serpentines and figure 8's at the trot. He's getting quite good about following his nose. Tomorrow if all goes well the plan is to do a little riding in the arena!