After Chocolate threw me so memorably those many weeks ago, I rode her for my lesson Wednesday night. I was planning on not cantering, and just working on my position in the walk and trot. But, she was going so well, I figured what the heck. The ring was soft, as I knew from the last time, and even though I had gotten back on the horse I knew I wouldn’t truly get over the fall until I cantered her.
So, we did. And she didn’t buck, and I didn’t fall. Ann, the instructor, was cracking up though. I was very tense, and she was reminding me to breathe, relax, etc. We did a few laps in the round pen, and Chocolate did great. She has as nice a canter as she does a trot. She’s a very good little horse. Did I mention she looks so much like Mojo, but with Allegra’s attitude? Yup, she’s still got it. But I warmed to her, even if she didn’t reciprocate.
The only problem with lessons now is that they are at night, and although the lighting is perfectly adequate, I prefer to ride during the day. If I could, I’d ride on weekends, but this farm doesn’t have weekend lessons, just during the week.
This means, of course, only one thing — time to look for a horse to lease!
I also found out that sweet Frisbee is a mustang. I rode him my previous lesson and noticed the brand on his neck and didn’t know what it was. Then after going to the panel on mustangs at the Texas Book Festival, the slide show showed some of the horses with the same brand, same placement. My suspicion was confirmed on Wednesday.
I knew there was a reason I liked Frisbee! He has a real personality and he’s very engaged in what’s going on. Last week when Laurel the instructor was carrying over and setting up cavalleti for the lessons, he kept his focus on her the entire time. He wasn’t alarmed, just interested. He’s also a bit mouthy, which is not a good habit for a horse, even if it’s not menacing. He’s not biting, he”s just exploring. But he can bite and that can hurt. I think it might be his early days as a wild horse that has contributed toward this interest and engagement in the world around him.
Maybe someday, maybe soon, I can adopt a wild horse and begin the process of training.
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