Day 1, a Lifetime to Go!

Guess what I did yesterday... RODE MY PONY!

Cloud 9 can't touch what I'm feeling right now.

They let me out 5 minutes early and I trucked my way down to Cherry Croft. I gathered my pony, sat on Donut the lesson horse to check stirrup size (CB wanted me to use his saddle), and started B's routine.

I tried about 3 times to jump up on him from the ground... Luckily there was a step stool!

This was a balancing act that I really needed to prepare for. I finally got my legs square over his hind end without teetering into a face plant.

Knowing that I could use the step stool and he just stood there really made me feel good about the whole situation. I think I may get one of those instead of using a mounting block. They're sooooo much lighter and easy to move.

After doing this 3-4 times on either side and getting him to flex, we brushed him down and tacked him up. Walking him to the round pen I was a little nervous, but butterfly nervous. I'm not sure if I said this in yesterday's post but it was like a second 1st date. What I mean by that is the conversation you have with a person you tried to date in the past and it just didn't work out. I felt like I was saying to him, "Hey, I know you've worked on some things, and I've know we've done this before and it didn't work. But maybe we should try it again." In real life, that never works, but with Brantley, I'm ready to give it another go.

CB had me go through the same steps that he does with B every time he rides. First get him to flex, put my foot up in the stirrup, stand up, pat his shoulder, slap the saddle, swing the stirrup, pull the rear cinch, rub his hindquarters, rock back and forth, knee in the saddle, get down. I did that a few times on both sides. Let me tell you, getting my right foot up in the saddle was harder than I thought. It'd been so long since I mounted on the "off" side since I stopped riding Kid. After the 2nd or 3rd time, it got easier.

I stirrup drove him around, that was something I was good at. We worked on it a lot but CB had me really push him because he was getting lazy... Brantley... Lazy.

He then had me climb up on the side of the pen, easy you'd think. Not for this bone-y ass. I need more padding... Anyway, of course Brantley had a thorn on his neck so I stabbed him with that by accident and he spooked. Then I rubbed down by his withers and got my hands tangled in his mane... I thought most guys liked that! ... Kidding. But after it all, I leaned over on one leg, rubbed his shoulder, patted the saddle, rubbed his butt, then through my other foot up on the saddle. Waiting for the face plant and it never happened!

Once that was over I jumped down, of course slicing me wrist on the wood but it's okay, only Deb saw, and took off his halter to send him around. I pushed him up into a trot, then a canter, and really went after him to move his feet. AND AGAIN! NO FACE PLANTING! YAY!

Then it was time to get on. Mounted on the off-side, rubbed him down, slid down to the ground, gathered up my lead on the other side and on I went. Walk, trot, canter... Threw the rope over his head... Walk, trot, canter. 

I breathed for the first time on this horse... I smiled. I laughed. But no, I didn't cry. 

(Who says I didn't want to)