There was a riding clinic this weekend with a trainer who travels regularly to us from another town. She is awesome and I always look forward to her visits. Her background is in dressage, and I’m really enjoying learning more about this discipline.

After riding hunter/jumpers for 19-ish years {and taking sporadic, long breaks from riding during that time}, I have come to realize that my jumping- and riding overall- could really benefit from getting back to basics. Dressage provides such an incredible foundation, no matter what discipline you choose to pursue from there.

I feel like a total beginner again, but it’s going to do me good to break things down, re-adjust, and pick apart all the bad habits I have formed over the years.

Here’s a video from my lesson. We were working a lot on downward transitions {communicated through the body/seat, NOT the hands} and on my position in the saddle {trying to steer me away from the slanted, broken-line of hunt-seat equitation and towards a more upright, straight line.}

I tried to just stay out of Pie’s way with my hands the whole time because we were focusing on ME, not him, and I wanted him to just go along happily and carry himself while I did my thing {this is asking a lot from a sensitive Thoroughbred}. He was a champ. Love him!!

In other horsey news, my little pony has settled into his new digs and is loving life. I’m riding him several times a week and working on getting him to slow down a bit and settle into a rhythm. We jumped a little 2-foot line the other day and he cleared it by an extra foot! He’s such a hard-working little guy. I can’t wait to start giving lessons on him- he’s going to be a great teacher.

It’s time to reveal one of the reasons I have been so sporadic with my blogging lately. The truth is, I have been preoccupied by a pretty huge thing happening.

The whole story:

I’m lucky enough to live only two miles from the barn where I board my horse. It’s a great farm with an indoor arena to ride in all winter long and a big outdoor for summer riding. The owners (we’ll call them C&D) are a husband-wife team and they are two of the most compassionate and giving people I know.

C&D started an equine therapy program for at-risk and disabled youth that runs all summer long at their farm. They also rescue neglected and abused horses, rehabilitate them and find them good homes. Apart from that, they’re always running around helping out however they can in the greater community. It’s an honor to call them friends and to be a part of the wonderful community and atmosphere they have created at their barn.

Recently, C and I have been talking about starting a schooling program at the barn. There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the area currently offering beginner lessons, but C has always had too much going on to be the one to stand out there every day giving lessons. She asked if I would want to be the one to do it (UM, HELLO!! YES!!!) So, it sounds like I will be offering beginner and novice lessons at the barn this summer!

I’m really stoked!!  Teaching riding lessons/horsemanship is something I have wanted to find a way to do for a long time. I had the most amazing riding coach growing up, and having that positive influence in my life made an enormous difference.

I’ll be starting the program at the barn from nothing- there is zero in place right now- so I’m feeling a little daunted by how much there is to do in order to be ready to take on students this summer. I’m currently researching hands-on programs for new instructors that help focus, encourage, and prepare you to start teaching lessons. I found one in Oregon that seems to share many of my horsemanship philosophies (because in the land of working with horses, there are many ways of doing things) and I’m planning on doing an online clinic with them this spring. I just want to make sure I am giving my students the best of my abilities.

You guys. I have never in my life liked answering the all-too-oftenly-asked question, “So, what do you do for a living?” I was “just a salesperson” or “an account executive” or “a customer relations rep”. Those jobs are fine for folks who want to do them, but I have never wanted to do anything but be around horses, so for me it was like squishing a circle into a square space: painful and not meant to be.

But NOW. Being able to say, “I’m a riding instructor” will be my proudest moment ever, every time I get to say it. This is NUTS!! I am excited, can you tell??

But there’s a snag…….C&D don’t currently have a horse or pony that would be suitable to a student who has advanced past walking and trotting on the lead line and is ready for MORE (particularly jumping). It became clear that if I wanted to create a lesson program at this barn, I would need to find a pony that could take my students from the very beginning stages all the way to jumping a course at a horse show.

I started looking around and reaching out to my connections in the horse world. My riding coach from back in the day emailed me saying she has a nice little gelding for sale right now who seems to fit what I’m looking for. I jumped in the car and went to see him that same week. He’s a Welsh cross, 13.1 hh, chestnut with a flaxen mane, matching white socks in back and a star on his forehead. In other words he’s FREAKING ADORABLE, as all ponies tend to be. I mean, it’s a horse, but super tinier. There’s no way to not be cute with that recipe, ya know?

Anyway, so I rode him and he’s great and he’s in my price range (which was limited. I never thought I’d find a pony THIS nice for the price I was shopping in, but here he is! Meant to be!) so we made an offer and his owners accepted it and we’re picking him up TODAY.

UWEHFUWHVJNEWUFYGQDHQ!!!!!!HADBFWEhbqsjfgwjenfkwQQQ!!!!!!! Sorry. I think I just need to end this post right now. I realize I’m insane.

But first, here’s a picture of him from a horse show this past summer (I doctored it up a little):