After suffering from back problems since January from a fall in the pasture and ongoing Spinal Stenosis I am finally free from pain...not that I do not ache and hurt BUT it is not the constant burning pain that I had. It took about 6 weeks of therapy and ongoing therapy myself at home.
We had a mild Winter and lots of rain causing Dry Creek to be Wet Creek or Muddy Creek...take your choice. In March we went out and bought about 11 more round pen panels and added them to what we had making the West pasture into a riding coral. What is needed now are a few tons of sand similar to beach sand but sadly it has to wait till funds miraculously appear. This should solve the riding problem as even in Winter the sand will not turn to mud. At least that is the hope and dream.
Lat year was supposed to be my year for riding but it never happened and my courage and confidence went further South. When the pain set in so did depression and the thoughts of giving up. But I did rally bought a new saddle which has a higher pommel that kind of encloses me and a higher cantle which intimidates me LOL. It leaves the problem of throwing the leg over it. Jim has rallied and made me a portable mounting block to take IF we camp or trail ride....big IF. Anyway I now have this miracle block in the coral allowing me to get on there instead of outside the fenced area by the barn then fighting her to get her in. It works wonders and by the time I get where I need to be I am not a nervous wreck. I mount, flex my horse and que her on. Yeah! AND I have had three sessions....successful ones now so about 3 hours under saddle this May. And oh how she has given her best to discourage me under saddle. On ground work I win and she does just what I want and seems to like it but once in the saddle it is like her saying" OK these are my feet and we go where I want".. The first two secessions she had me a nervous wreck fighting all left turns , wanting to stay with Cody or stay at the gate. I was begining to think it was her bit till friend and trainer Amanda Tidwell told me I was training her to do it by releasing the pressure on her. Horses learn from the release of pressure not the pressure itself ...so every time I gave in to her she figured that was what she should do...refuse. On the third day I put her in what is called a Bozal....no bit similar to the way an Indian would ride. Knowing this also could break her nose with bad pressure I have to exaggerate my turning and whoa till both of us are used to it. So there is no hard pull going on but to her surprise when she refused to turn left I held the pressure the same as when she refused to go right or turn away from Cody...thus by the end of the session she was turning and doing what I wanted not what she wanted.
Sadly it rained off and on making it to muddy to ride off and on now for the weekend so she has gotten three days of rest. I need to get back on and continue my confidence course.
We also took landscape ties and cones and set up obstacle courses in the coral which I have found she loves to do and Jim worked Cody and I worked Lady at the same time. Thus she has to keep her attention on me not him which she did. Yeah! I figure if I can get at least two weeks doing this I might feel confident to jog then lope. Jim took her one of the days she was giving me greif to see if it was her or me. She gave him trouble but he stayed on and kept up the pressure then he went into a jog and kissed and a lope it was awesome she was so very smooth and he hardly ever left the saddle, so I am looking forward to that experience.
Goal is to get them ready and me ready LOL so that the kids can ride them in the coral this Summer when they visit. Also it would be cool to go camping with them. I think the horses will love the experience as both love trail riding.
WHERE WE LIVE OUR DREAMS
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