However, in better news, Ernie has been great for me. We haven't had the super amazing ride we did a week or so ago, but since that day every time I have ridden him he's been much, much better than he used to be. I think we both had an epiphany at the exact same moment, because we've been on the same page for the last few weeks.
Take my last lesson, for example. We pretty much did sitting trot work the whole hour. My abs felt like rocks afterward. Ernie hates the sitting trot, mostly because I hate it. He's a nice mover, and when he gets into a really nice trot, it's the equivalent of those 17.something hand warmbloods that feel like rocking ships underneath you. You need abs of steel to sit that.
So we're doing sitting trot on a 20 m circle, la la la. Ernie didn't want to go round, and instead poked along with absolutely no engagement from behind and no interest in seeking the bit. Then, all the sudden, I started actually breathing (I don't breath when I sit the trot, I don't know why), relaxed my knees and sat up onto my seat bones, and BAM! Insta-relax. Head down and taking up contact; he even moved forward more. My instructor Lori freaked out, and just kept yelling "Take everything! Take everything he gives you!" I felt like a million bucks, with my ancient horse going from trotting like he was on a pogo stick to absolutely movin' out. Awesome.
I know, I know, not everything sucks. I'm a Type A personality, which means perfectionist, reactive and slightly OCD. I hate regressing after making really great progress, although you think I would have gotten used to it by now. I've gotten much better, though. I needed to: Ernie would have killed me by now otherwise. There are times I have to bite my tongue and give my horses mad praise and encouragement when I'm really screaming "WHAT THE HELL, YOU DID THIS PERFECTLY FIFTY TIMES YESTERDAY" in my head.
Anyway, today was a slow day. I spent the afternoon just kind of mucking around; I really didn't want to be at the barn. I had no motivation to get anything done, but I've been home this weekend for my mom's 50th birthday, so both Ernie and Stella had the last couple days off. I was being lazy and it was too cold to ride, so Ernie got lunged in a surcingle and side reins, and I had to REALLY bite my tongue with Stella: all we were able to accomplish was changes of direction on a long line at the walk. She always wants to trot off and anticipates everything I ask instead of really listening, so I'm trying to get her to the point where she can go off calmly and quietly before I even think of saddle breaking and getting on.
Ernie post-lunging. Look at all that steam!
The mad face.
I think something way cooler was over there.
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