I bought Talana a present. It's a new sidepull and matching reins. They are dark green, and they look really good on her. I thought that purchasing one that was made by somebody who makes a lot of them would result in a better-made piece of tack than the experimental one that I made. I was right! It was a good choice. It looks lovely on her, and fits well. She also responds nicely to it, just like the one I made.
My hoof trimming adventures have been going so well lately. Talana seems more comfortable than I've ever seen her. I will have a post about that more in depth at some point. The other day, just before this awful first snowstorm that came through, we went down in the meadow right near the river and rode around. It was Talana's first time being ridden right next to the Big Scary Water, and I was also riding bareback. She did very well. She kept wanting to turn and canter for the house, but when I reminded her that we weren't going to do that, she did a good job listening and trotting in the direction I was actually steering her.
I must be less stressed lately, because my muscles were loose enough to be comfortable trotting around a lot. I seem to be able to do a sitting trot very well bareback when my body cooperates. Talana was happy and forward, and I was happy and looking to the horizon. We went up the hill and down, and I was able to use my hands and seat for steering as well as staying attached. We even had an exciting moment when both of us realized at the same time that there was a big rock hiding in the grass right in front of us. I settled myself and prepared for Talana to dodge to one side or the other, but instead I found that we were flying through the air! It wasn't a huge rock (compared to some others out there), but it was my first jump bareback, and my first jump on Talana. She did a great job taking care not to hit the rock, and I guess my seat must be ok, because the landing didn't bother me at all, and nor did the three little bucks she threw after the jump! These were also my first bareback bucks. I'm pretty sure Talana was just surprised about the rock, and expressing her displeasure at its sudden appearance. She straightened right up and kept trotting onward as though nothing happened after showing that mean old rock her heels.
I wish my friend who was watching could have gotten it on video so that I could see what we looked like jumping over the rock. Talana isn't "supposed" to jump. She's "supposed" to have arthritis in her back legs, and at the very least in the past she has seemed stiff back there. But I've been noticing after the last couple of hoof trims she's been a lot less sore. The fact that she offered to jump with me on her back (which I'd never have asked her to do on purpose) seems to indicate that she's feeling very well indeed!
I must also admit that I'm very curious what I looked like going over a jump and some bucking bareback. I want to know what I did right, and what I can improve. Because, yeah, I hung on and felt mostly balanced. But all I have to go on is my memory of how I felt at the time. I am pretty sure that when Talana was bucking I started looking down at her neck instead of up at the horizon. What I'm not sure about is how much I did that. I felt that it unbalanced me a little bit. I will keep working on getting my head up. My shoulders have a habit of curling in when I'm tense, so I often have to remind myself to bring my head up and my shoulders back. Talana always tells me when it's happening by switching from her typical comfortable trot/jog to a choppy, short-strided trot that is very bouncy and uncomfortable to sit. I am not sure whether her nice trot is actually her using a different gait, or simply the result of an extended, more comfortable stride. I am hoping to get someone to video us so that I can have a look at the difference. I have been reading that some Arabians have a sort of "jogging" gait that they use in place of trotting, and I'm wondering if that's what she's been doing. She definitely trots when I watch her on the ground, though, so maybe not.
Her stall in the barn is partially constructed now. She has a floor, but no walls. So when the big blizzard came this past weekend, I stacked up her hay into stall walls and let her in. I figured she wouldn't be too interested in the rest of the barn while surrounded by hay, and I was right. She pulled down a bale or two, but I was able to put them back up. What a good girl! She ended up using more hay than usual, since she had access to more and made a nest out of it to sleep in during the night. But she needed to be inside for that terrible weather, so it was worth it. The walls will be up very soon, and then we'll have a proper stall for her to use. I'm planning to let her go in and out at will.
