42 Degree Group Lesson Day
I wore thick cotton jodhpurs/breeches, long sleeved medium weight shirt, sweatshirt and my new coat. Fancy gave me quite a workout early on and my glasses steamed up. I put them in my new coat pocket. How cool to have a big enough pocket!
We were doing a new pattern today to get flying lead changes (my 20 year passion goal) and it was working! The pattern was much like another pattern we had used a few times earlier this year except my lead change (leg cue) request came later. Fancy knew a flying change was going to be requested and she wanted to do the flying lead change when the old pattern dictated. Plus Fancy loves to do flying changes.
There are two of us in the group lesson today. We took turns on the pattern. Fancy was doing it, under protest at having to wait. I had started sweating at the effort. I took off my steamed glasses and put them in my coat pocket. I was excited they fit. “Good coat, ” I whispered silently.
Our turn! Fancy started her protest where she wanted to change leads. She popped. Her body popped. Her body kept popping up. Her back legs and her front legs popped up. She popped up again and again. My hands grew alarmed and pulled back on the reins. My body kept popping up out of the saddle. In the 6 hour long (six seconds) I wondered 1…Is she bucking and 2….is she going to buck? My body knew it was going to fly out of the saddle.
after the six hour (six second) ordeal had passed, she slowed down and stopped.
My great instructor Did Not come storming out of the arena to,take over Fancy. Oh no! Instead I was told to do it again! I no longer remember if we did one flying lead change each way, or just did the 6 year one again. This time, it did not take six eternities.
Fancy did the flying change and we rested.
I couldn’t get my glasses out of my pocket before I drove truck and trailer home. I managed to see the road on the way home. I let Emma out, backed Fancy out of the trailer and went into the warm house.
