Something Borrowed, Something New

2020 actually wrapped itself up with some cool horsey experiences.

First, one of the other boarders was out for the holidays and offered to let me ride her horse, Satin, pictured above. Of course I said yes because look at her! She's a beast!

Satin had some foot issues develop late in the summer, and was fully lame for a while. Stall rest and a farrier change got her back right, and she's actually loving being back in work. Downside of her recovery is that she's in a bar shoe for the time being, and it, uhh, does not help with a horse that's prone to thrush. Getting her out of the stall and onto dry ground helps, and she's typically much easier to manage in the winter. Glad I got to mess with her without the added dampness of summer!

Satin is a full Quarter Horse that didn't like Western sports, so she became a hunter. Trainer G has very . . . interesting descriptions for how Satin's brain works. Basically, it's a mess. She overthinks. Like, a lot. If you don't tell her exactly what to do, a Wheel of Fortune spins through her head with options such as "Dive in" and "Take an obnoxious long spot" and "Canter through the trot poles." Honestly, it works out because I've always had a habit of micro managing. Satin keeps my brain working as much as I do to hers.

Radar ears locked onto who knows what

I tried her out on my own a couple weeks ago and basically checked all of her buttons. She's sensitive like Liberty and really emphasizes how bad my collapse is. Some stirrups adjustments made things a little easier. Serpentines were the name of the game. They give me a good opportunity to focus on keeping her straight, controlling the shoulder, and making sure that I change the bend.

After that, I had a lesson on her a couple days later. I kind of screwed myself over with it. My lesson was on a Wednesday, but the previous Monday, I had set up a very simple jumping exercise for myself and Blackjack (more on that and some pole work later!). Trainer G happened to show up right as I was barely making it through the exercise. By Wednesday, she kept the same set up. I hadn't actually planned on doing any jumping on Satin. Her owner actually forgot to leave her bridle, so we were using a snaffle on a Pelham horse. We know how this ended last time.

I was doubtful going into the exercise, but she made it clear that the bit has next to zero relevance when it comes to controlling her. Matter of fact, the only way to control her is by literally tapping into her brain cells. We went through the line a couple times, first trotting into poles and trotting out, then trotting into a crossrail and cantering out. Our arena is small, and the line was three controlled strides. We did it a couple times in two controlled strides but eventually made it through consistently in three.

It's not clear if there's a future for me and this mare. Her owner is back in town, and I have no idea if she'd be okay with me hopping on Satin every once in a while. In the meantime, we got a new horse. Meet Jango.