When it just feels right..

you know.

   And, how often do you drive 10 hours to go try a horse, it tosses you into the dirt, and you STILL fall in love with it and bring it home? Not very often. Let me tell you the story. (It's not that long, I promise!)

   I drove up with D'Jango the day after Leslie's clinic ended (so, Tuesday) and arrived at Bugatti's owner's place around 9 pm. Of course, I got lost and ended up at an Esso station across town and had to call for a rescue mission. Their daughter who is also the trainer/co owner (she's a couple years younger than me) came to pony me home. Get to their farm, settle in, I can tell right away its just a really wonderful family and I like them right off the bat. it just feels right. They kick my butt in Dominoes and we all go to bed.

   The next morning we go out and feed the horses (which include a few absolutely stunning and equally heart-melting foals that are bred to the nines.) and load Bugatti up after I groom her and she soaks up all the attention. The best part about loading? she self-loads. SHE's 4. you drop the ramp, lower the butt guard, throw the rope over her neck and tell her to get im. she just walks on and stands there. Like, boring. Same as unloading. just drop the ramp, lower the butt guard and tap on her and tell her to get out. she backs herself off and stands there, looking for her next meal or a neck scratch. Ho Hum.

 I am out of a job.

That is, unless she can teach herself to piaffe and passage and do pirouettes and one tempis. HA! Well, even I need help to get there. so, there.

I look around for the arena, and, don't see one...soo.....I ask, is this where we are riding? Yep, it is, see that pasture over there? Ok, European style, I can do this,

Tack her up, LEad her over to a fence, and I am told, Don't pull her to the fence, just get on the fence, and she has to come to you. wherever you are to mount up, she gets her butt over and puts herself into position. don't let her be lazy! I can get used to this, I think to myself.

So she sidles up tho the fence where I am sittin', and I hop on, and she's a bit anxious, so I tell her, no, we wait until my stirrups are perfect (because that's my thing) and then we go. just enjoy the moment. So, off we go. she's hollow, rushing, antsy, and the ground is uneven. I am not getting her attention, her rhythm sucks and so on, so I just go into trot. same there, but at least I get her moving. She's way too fast, not really in front of my leg, but definitely past my seat and against my hand, with no suppleness and no rhythm or swing. So I just keep going, one way then the other, in as circly-type figures as I can, and I feel right away she's better going to the left, and more crooked to the right, as she wants to throw her haunches into the right and throw her shoulders out to the left but lean and careen around corners. so lifting and placing the inside right shoulder and getting the inside right hind to take steps towards the outside left front is the name of the game. without pulling onside the inside rein or letting her lay against my right leg. I go to canter left, and boom, out comes the launching, leaping, bucking, crowhopping explosion I knew might be in there somewhere. I kick to a gallop, get up into two point, and then whamo I am in the dirt. haha.

I get back on, she feels bucky still, and so I ask her regular rider to get on as if I get slammed in the spine, I won't be able to walk for a while. So she does, Bug does a bit more, then goes for a nice long gallop, and then it's all gone and is fine. I get back on and everything is cool again.

The next day I ride her and walk trot canter both ways, in an indoor a ways away, shes an angel. what a feeling, her contact, eerything is wonderful. feels like a 7 year old. wow! she's going to be a neat horse. Very exciting, this girl. Will post pics and video!