Frumpy & Tired

Frumpy & Tired

This weekend was about the holy trinity – ponies, friends and alcohol. Sometimes these combine in amazing ways, and sometimes they leave you showing up for your Saturday morning lesson feeling less than stellar.

Less than stellar for your first lesson in over a month.

For your first lesson in over a month where your trainer busts out some awesome exercises, that are simultaneously super fun and ridiculously hard. I think I said at one point, “This lesson points out all our worst flaws at once.” Plus, Simon was super psyched about life and more importantly – about jumping again.

Personally, I was proud at myself for getting out of bed and making it to the barn. It’s not shocking to me that the photos were less than stellar, but there were some good moments.

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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography

There were moments when I thought, “Will I ever learn not to learn and hunch forward?”

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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography

There were moments when Simon said, “FUCK YEAH WE’RE JUMPING CROSSRAILS!”

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Photo by Heather N. Photography

If you’re curious how difficult trot jumps are on Simon when he’s had close to a month off from jumping, just read the expression on my face.

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Photo by Heather N. Photography

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That is me saying, “I regret that last cocktail.”

Trot jumps aren’t as hard as canter – trot transitions though, just ask Simon pants.

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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography

Horseback riding. It’s a beautiful thing right?

The crowning achievement of our lesson was cantering through the trot poles. Because I was feeling tired & frumpy, I stopped riding him about a stride out of the poles. Instead of keeping a steady contact, sitting up and talking to him… I just flopped and said “Do what you will.” Well, he cantered… but he cantered in a perfectly calculated way.

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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography
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Photo by Heather N. Photography

After the “canter” poles, he pranced around as if to say ,”Wow that was a really hard exercise but I sure did it well!”

It was also hot and humid as all get out. Summer is not over in Texas. We ended our lesson with a pretty ugly course, but one that had little over excitable nerd horse listening to me well. As for me, I was pretty much ready to fall off my horse and die in a corner. Shockingly enough, that didn’t happen and I survived to go cross country schooling the next morning… but that’s another blog post.

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Photo by Heather N. Photography

34 thoughts on “Frumpy & Tired

  1. Ha, I know these cantering-trot-poles feel. Tucker is like, “Let me show you how clever I can be!”

    I really love the third pic down, cantering the single pole. Great expression on Simon, great focus on you.

  2. This was the best story ever! I have to say, with the exception of the canter trot transition photos, look how happy Simon is! He’s like BEST DAY EVER!!!! I’m thoroughly impressed with his cantering the trot poles too. Partly because he was so amazing at it, and party because my horses refuse to move faster than forced. If I was all do whatevs! They would probably just stop moving entirely.

  3. 1. I love your shirt. LOVE
    2. I make that face over every. single. jump.
    3. You stayed on… which is better than I did!
    4. I freaking love Simon. LOVE HIM.

  4. OKAY… Maybe I like to look at the pictures before I READ your blog. sooo here I am wondering why in the heck those canter poles are so close together… THEN I realize that you were supposed to trot!!! LOL 🙂

  5. ugh trot jumps are the actual worst thing EVAR. ugh. love your expression tho – i definitely relate! (ooh and i like the shirt a lot too and am sooooo pumped to read about xc schooling!!!!)

  6. Hah! At least I don’t have the only special horse. Except, my filly will trot the first pole, canter, then sort of trot, or some special gait.

    Why do you have to make it so hard on me???

    The zoom photo is my favorite though. I never understand how people can look perfectly poised while riding. I look like your zoom photo in basically every riding photo my entire life. 🙂

  7. I LOVE the zoom in shots on your face. I don’t even want to know what my facial expression is like when I’m riding. And I’m still recovering from last night’s lesson. Sigh.

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