First (and second) ride in the woods

Finally, huh? Well I talked my man into accompanying me and Mara in the woods, and I told him I'd need a leg up at some point cuz I'm on a bareback pad.

My goal was just to take her down to the watershed, and at some very low point in the valley, get on and ride her home.

Well she was doing that gasping for air thing the entire time, she never really settled down, and at one point spun around us repeatedly, because of a neighbor's chickens I think. Once past the neighbor homes, she was a little better, but still her breathing was very loud and panicky.

For all that, she's not what I can all a complete basket case, she isn't spooking often, and can hold still when I ask her. My man thought I was torturing her, when she barged into my space and I whacked her backwards. I said, "There are only two rules, it's just the basics: stay out of my space, and stand still when I face her." My man said, "To her, it's not 'the basics'." Hm.

We came across a fallen tree and there was no room for the horse to go under, so we had to bushwhack through the branches (of the fallen tree, plus others). I was happy to see Mara can bushwhack pretty well.

Finally we got down to a creek and it was definitely a low spot, quite scary for a horse, when my man offered to give me a leg up. Now for more humiliation. I haven't had a leg up in oh, many years, and I was trying to instruct him how to do it, and I had forgotten! The helper clasps his hands and you put your lower leg, not knee, in his hands. Doh! But thankfully my man is a physics teacher and realized what body part (ankle!) belongs in his hands and boosted me up effectively.

That bareback pad is really, really nice. It sticks to her back and does not slip at all, even though it's not tight. It is so thickly padded I love the feel, and the horse does not have a sore back.

All I did was ride up the hill again, and since it was steep, she was huffing and puffing. I cracked up at that, cuz it's been a long time since I've ridden a horse so outta shape. I wondered if she'd ever carried a rider up a hill in her entire life. Probabaly not, where she's from.

My husband was shouting at us down the trail, "TROT! TROT!" and I was pretty insecure but did get her trotting. She took a lot of encouragement to trot, cuz walking took so much effort.

At the top I rode further, where my man and I had not been yet, to see what she'd do. She was fine. I'm hoping she is calmer with a rider. I liked that she often had one ear on my man and one ear on me. A very cute little ear too: )

I finally jumped off, realized again she's small (so nice!) and we walked her home. She was snorting at everything, but stayed behind us.

***

Today, Friday, I wanted to do it again on another trail, and this time alone. I followed the same plan, this time waking her down another trail that goes down to the water. I was almost in a meditative state on our way down, and she was much calmer even though this is a new to her trail.

At the bottom, way way down there, I found a perfect new bench and she aligned up to it nicely for me, and then held still after I got on. Amazing. Someone did the right thing when first training her.

I admit I held mane in my hand as we ascended. She was looking at each stump and shaking branch, she was quite tense. I finally realized she wasn't gonna do anything.

She travels well on rocks barefoot, but of course we're going very slowly.

At the top I jumped off, was reminded again how short she is, and felt very proud of us.

We then wandered down a street she'd never seen, and smelled a few lilac bushes (smells like Klingon). Very very slowly we made our way home, and she stayed well behind me.

Overall I am frustrated that she is still so tense here, but also aware that it could be much worse.

I decided I will take her out every single day, because you cannot fear something you do everyday.

Also, a boarder at Herr Steinhaus' place told me yesterday which horse is the calmest, a pinto Arab, and I'll try to hook up with the owner soon. I need to borrow the calm of a companion horse so badly!

(I worked her over trotting poles and she's really good at that. I need to move them further apart cuz even though she's tiny, she has a longer stride than Baasha.)

Tonight the saddler is coming back with my saddle. It sure would be nice to be in a saddle that fits us both, but for now, that bareback pad is great.