Best Group Lesson Ever

Quote of the day: “I can no longer tell people watching Fancy and I ride that Fancy was ruined at her colt start.”  No one would believe me.  

Highlight words from Erin Patterson during the group lesson of November 20th, 2019:

“That fox trot is perfect!”

“Look, she isn’t arguing!”

“Hey!  Fancy looks like a Performance Horse!”  (I apologized).

While Fancy was doing a flat foot walk leg yield diagonally the long way of the arena Erin pronounced:  “That is excellent. Look, her ears are flopping!”  (That is wonderful for a Fox Trotter gait and especially amazing to me that her ears were relaxed while leg yielding.)

Next was cantering.  Fancy was doing more of a four beat pacy canter that feels unbalanced to the rider.  I put “feel on the inside rein and fixed it.  We had a bobble with back legs so I decided the answer was to go as fast as Fancy would go.  Fancy flew around that arena!  We also tried some flying lead changes (unsuccessful).

Later, I quizzed Erin on “Were we galloping?”  Erin responded, “It was a perfect hand gallop.  Fancy went fast and was under control.”  I nearly fainted at such praise.  

I’ve had a fear of galloping for nearly 20 years.  I might be able to be a barrel racer now.  Unbelievable!  Some of this fear erasing is my new rough-out Parelli saddle and my believe that Fancy will never bolt out of control.

In this group lesson I am incredibly honored to be allowed to ride with a ten year old beginning rider.  Mia often rides a different horse in the lessons to make her even more of a gifted young rider.  I was honored to demonstrate the canter while Erin was explaining a left and right lead.  I was honored to demonstrate my leg cue and Fancy’s body position in the canter “ask” phase.

Mia is a wonderful student and talented young girl.  I look forward to watching her develop her horsemanship under Erin’s skillful guidance.

Sixty year difference between two of these riders!

End of lesson day…new accomplishment the next day, 11/21/2019. Fancy and I jumped the small size barrels at a canter. We’ve been jumping these barrels at a trot during the past year, but I’ve been scared to try it at a canter. I was thinking back to when when I learned that horses can jump higher at a canter than a trot. I fell off Velvet long ago when I learned that! I have beaten that fear now!