Fun in the Snow at Kealani Farm with Sally!

We got a lot of snow on Friday for some reason the weather forecaster said light snow showers. Um. NO. We got enough that I had to go dig my trailer out on Saturday (there wasnt a huge amount but there was enough to be messy) so I could haul on Sunday. And okay we really didn’t ‘RIDE” in the snow but you sure had to drive through some to get there LOL. It turned out a nice day though in the low 40’s so we lucked out. The roads were pretty good except for where the woods were but otherwise it was fine. I kind of dreaded riding since I hadn’t ridden in forever and a day but it turned out to be a fun lesson.

To show our seriousness in our lesson aspirations,  I brought out the minion socks for the win. What say you, that is not very serious. OOPS You are correct and that is actually me to a tee 🙂

Remus was very excited to go do something though. He almost trotted into the trailer with his lead rope over his shoulder as I went to move the pitchfork he was already in. I was like alrighty then!

I SWEAR he is growing his coat out again already. LOL (isn’t he funky two toned)?I ended up having to ride earlier than normal (1130 vs afternoon times) SO ended in a private lesson. Which I realize may be lovely in itself but SHIT that is a lot of work with no real break time in between to watch the other person go! I didn’t think how hard Sally has it to match up people’s times, and people who want to ride with each other, and people’s level. So she didn’t have any one who jumps low as shit (My words not hers) and could go that early. So I was on my own! (TANYA CATCH UP SOON! I MISS YOU) 🙂 Kudos to Sally for figuring all this out and making it work! Thanks Sally!

It was so much fun though. I thought Remus would be full of himself and he may have been for one hot minute as we cantered around the arena warming up (on the buckle) but yep he was lazy as shit. Getting him into the canter resembled a Thelwell cartoon. ALL arms and legs of mine moving pushing him into it. However, once we got into it he was lovely and forward and we really had a great ride. She started us out over a couple of single jumps.

Anyway he was very good, and really moving forward if I asked him (If i didn’t well that was not the best jumping duh). But we had no rails and he really had some bending lines that we actually nailed for once. One jump had a rainbow in front of it and as we went to it, he literally thought for a second of refusing, I was so shocked if he had stopped I am pretty sure I would have fallen off!  He didn’t stop (as Sally said if he had she would have fallen over too he doesn’t refuse usually) but he did a real healthy PEEK at that jump before going over. So funny all the rest didnt bother him at all including a spooky flower box but yeah those rainbows are going to get you sucka! Idiot 🙂

We did some mini courses and we had a few bobbles but he was really really good and I am very very pleased considering he hadnt been ridden let alone JUMPED at all since the last lesson. Tanya was riding right after me with her new horse Ellie so she nicely got a few videos of me as well so YES MEDIA. WHOOHOO. (I may have laughed heartily this morning working on these videos. OMG we are such a mess)!

This is a fail of how to counter canter up to a jump and jump it shittily. Don’t say I don’t entertain! 

This is a bit better of same line.

This is our bending line. You can see evidence of Thelwell pony with his kid flailing on him to get him into canter. 

At least no actual cuss words come out of me during these videos. But you can hear Sally, poor Sally. The woman is a SAINT to put up with us. And we were not as forward as we felt. HA! Oh well. It still was a fun lesson!

The new Lund stirrup leathers are INCREDIBLE. FIRST of all my stirrup leathers FIT ME for once (I ended up buying the 48″ yes I am short). OMG They felt so short but I was like stuck to the saddle and felt SO secure. It was like a relevation. I didn’t even feel as nervous jumping as I usually do! WTF is this madness?? I haven’t darkened them yet but I kind of like them in their natural color as they match the lighter points of my saddle.

The funniest part of the lesson was when Sally set up the wave jump (The jumps were set a lot bigger when I came in) and I looked at it hard and said, Sally how high is that? And she looked at me. And looked at me again. I then said BECAUSE IF YOU SAY IT IS 2.3 you are lying! She busted out laughing and said she was actually going to say that (it was not 2.3 LOL) but she didn’t realize I was going to call her on it. It was probably 2.6. We jumped it, that wasn’t the point 🙂 HA. It just looked bigger to me.  I was laughing so hard though at her face. Because i could tell she was going to try to tell me differently. He jumped it fine even though it was a real tight turn to it.

I think Remus is getting handier a bit (and Sally agrees). He is finally being able to adjust a bit going and landing from the jump. I still need to push him forward more when I land as he collapses like a sack of potatoes. But we are getting there!! It was a great lesson and I wish I hadn’t had to leave so quickly due to taking Mark to the airport that evening. I would have loved to stay and watch more of Tanya’s lesson. Tanya’s lesson was with another green bean (an adorable OTTB with a belly patch SO CUTE) and it is so cute to watch babies/youngsters figure out their feet over poles!! 

Sally is back to NJ in January and back to Kealani Farms again too. Also I mentioned that I knew Megan (and Indy) and she said (Megan should we be offended?) she is not sure we should ever be together at the same facility. I DO think she thinks we are both crazy 🙂 HA! And then I mentioned KC’s purple cart and her eyes lit up and she says you know her too! I told her the blogging world is AMAZING 🙂 And it really is. I swear I was so excited to have fresh content to write this morning I actually got up early! It was a fabulous lesson at a wonderful farm with great people. The Jack Russell in a coat didn’t hurt either (she photobombs a couple of my videos look for her!).