Saturday

So I had pretty much the coolest Saturday EVAR. The barn was having its End of the Season show, which was fairly casual--not a true show (i.e., a competition, with ribbons and places, etc.) but more for the students to show their parents what they'd been working on. Each of the students went into the ring and demonstrated various gaits while the parents cooed and took pictures. I had gotten there early to help, and spent a lot of time either gatekeeping (to keep the parents from trying to enter the ring) or being chattered at by a bunch of little girls :) (Riding is SUCH a girl-coded sport!) I also talked a bit with some of the other adult riders, including one who was startled to hear that I'd never been thrown. I don't see that as particularly significant--I think pretty much every rider eventually gets thrown, and I'm sure it will happen sooner or later to me. But I think hunt seat training helps with that--you're able to adjust your seat better when you train hunt seat, and therefore you're less likely to lose it. For instance, this incident? That horse was *rearing* but I kept my seat--because I went into three point position.

At the end the few other adult (advanced, that is--there is actually an adult beginner who also showed with the other students) riders and I (just four of us altogether) did this kind of formation ride and then everyone applauded and it was over. After that the students kind of hung out watching us ride--we went into the turnout pasture to ride some more. The pasture has a lot more room than the rings, but the horse I was on (Magic) was not really in the mood after the past several hours. Magic is an older horse--I've ridden him before and never had problems, but I also had a crop that other time. So I ended up switching horses and getting on a new (to me) mare called Pearl who was AWE-SOME. So, so energetic and fast. In fact I had to leave the pasture and ride her in the ring, she wanted to go so fast--a full GALLOP. She settled down a little bit in the ring and we worked trot and canter for quite a while. CANTERING, I CANTEREDCANTEREDCANTERED FOREVER. IT WAS AWESOME. I've never ridden a horse that could go from a walk directly into a canter--man, you just had to think the new gait and she was there. Incredible.

One of the girls took some shots of me as I was working Pearl.

I love Pearl's psycho look here. My form does not look so good here, though--I should be sitting up straighter and my heels should be further down. Maybe it's the angle, because my seat is usually better than this.

Pearl and I cantering. I look like I'm in three-point (jump) position here.

More cantering. Isn't that backdrop incredible?

Working the trot. I had to keep fairly short reins on her because she wanted to go SO BADLY.

One of the little girls draped herself over the gate and kept asking me "Are you gonna keep riding her?" She loved Pearl--kept asking me about her. Finally I decided to give her (the horse) a rest and walked her to cool her down, then groomed her and turned her out. People were starting to leave so I was going to say goodbye to the owners but he wanted me to stay for a bit--wanted to "discuss next year." I waited for quite a while as he talked to other people but finally (the man can TALK) I said I had to go, so he told me to call him the next day.

On my way back over the footbridge to my apartment I was grinning like crazy. Man oh man, do I love to ride a horse that wants to GO. I was walking down 111th--right after I get off the footbridge, there's often a veterinary truck so I patted this one doggy and chatted with the owner who as it turned out was from Albania. Then I turned down 110th St.--I just enjoy that walk, as the apartment buildings seem really nice on that block, for some reason. As I passed by one building, suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and there was a young woman and a guy standing there--she asked me "excuse me, I noticed your boots--are you a rider? Do you ride around here?" WELL. We ended up having this whole long conversation about riding and where to ride and all sorts of things. As it turned out she's from Belgium--I said I spoke a bit of French and we conversed.

Ma belle-soeur, elle est francaise, Parisienne.

Elle habite en Paris?

Non, elle et mon frère--il travaille avec le--the US Navy, in Naval Intelligence. Et ils habitant, avec leur fils and fille, en Oslo, Norway. Avant, en Naples. Je voudrais lui visiter, quand c'est possible.

Only my sentences were punctuated with a lot of ums and ahs as I searched for the correct word! But she was impressed, and said "you speak very good French!" I think it's just the fact that I can compose a sentence at all--my French is strictly conversational, for the most part. Anyway we exchanged numbers and made plans to get together for drinks--and she called the stable the next day and set up a time to meet the owner and ride! So not only do I have a friend in the neighborhood with whom I can practice my French, but she also rides!!!