Monday, March 12, 2012

Well Life is Interesting...

So life has been interesting. Sasha has been schooling fairly well since her surgery, so I brought her to a show two weeks ago. She schooled super quietly, and everything was good. We hung out for a while, she ate hay, and drank, etc., everything was good. I go in for a schooling hunter round. She cantered off fairly quietly, and we headed to the first jump. I felt her tense up when I went to it, so I collect her to it but keep my leg on. She stops. Oh well, kinda my fault for boxing her up to much to it. I circle, and she grabs the bit and runs to it. I get her back under control, and ride up to the next jump - a single oxer. I rode up very aggressively to it, and the distance was right there. Yup. She stops. I get annoyed, and circle out and jump it. I do a diagonal line, and then ride up to another line. Again, I ride her up aggressively, the distance was there, she stopped. I reached back and smacked her with my hand. I finish the course, with her fighting the whole way around. The rest of the course was decent, but it was a struggle.

I get off, and swap her from a Happy Mouth D-Ring to a full cheek Dr. Bristol. She was a little better, but it was still a struggle for the next two courses. I then put her in a stall, figuring that maybe she needs to pee. Yep. I get back on, and she is still awful. I got her over the course with decent distances twice, and I somehow got a third and a fourth? Uhh. My last course for hunters was going extremely well, and I turned to go up the last line. She started rushing, so I sat down and lifted my hands. I softened a stride out. She prepared to take off for the first jump of the line, then suddenly stopped. I fell onto her neck, and I was staring at the flowers on the jump going "I am not falling off, there is no way I'm falling off..." I got back into the saddle, and finished the course.

Then, it was eq flat time. Yay. I took her martingale on, and she started walking off when I got on her.I lightly closed my fingers, and she flipped her head back extremely had and far, and then started prancing around, and flipping her head back if I closed my fingers or did anything with my hands at all. I then turned to my trainer and said I didn't think that the flat class was a great idea. He said that once she got moving she would be fine. Oh well. I went to walk into the arena. She threw a fit, back up and hopping. Normally, I can get her to snap out of it pretty quickly, but nothing I did convinced her to go forward, and we nearly wiped out a few people. >.< Anyways, by the time I got into the arena, we were both tense, worked up, and upset. Yeah, not going to go well. After a tense walk and trot, it was time to canter. First, she refused to pick up her canter. Then, she freaked out and leapt into it. I got her to settle it somewhat, and we went around. They asked for a walk. I sat down and back, lifted my hands, and said "whooaaa." She started hopping in place, flipping her head. My trainer looked at me and went "just bring her out." I (somehow) got her to settle and just walked out of the arena. I scratched my hunter U/S.

Then my trainer and mom proposed that I get another horse. It has been over a year since I bought her, and she'll school perfectly and then go to a show and lose her mind. After some convincing and tears I agreed.

Long story short, I found this horse, Pete. I brought him home Saturday as a lease. The problem is, Pete is for sale. He is a cheap, fairly nice horse that packs around and is bombproof. His owner wants him sold. Therefore, if I want to ride him this year, I have to buy him. My parents, trainer, and I, all like him. Thus, we decided to buy him. I am going to ride him and Sasha all year. Sasha will not show at all this year. She will stay at the barn and grow up, and there will be no pressure on her or me. At the end of the year, I have to sell her or Pete.

I think it will be Pete. He is perfect as a 2'6" horse (really, REALLY l-a-z-y though!) but he doesn't have a big jump in him like Sash does.

But yeah, it's just a lot to deal with atm. =/