Way Leads onto Way

A whole month off. A recipe for creating setbacks in Savvy's progress most definitely. Late July and most of August were filled to the brim with life as it goes, i.e. haying, house renos, prepping for a dream vacation and then heading off to New York (!! :D !!) for an entire week.

This city had it all for me - I loved all the people (so freakishly friendly), all the restaurants (because food is always on my mind) and all the horses (everywhere!) to get my fix while missing my own ponies.

I am quite sure Savvy enjoyed her time off as well. In fact, she most certainly acted like she might want even more time off the first time back into riding this week. I mean, not standing still while I tried to put on the saddle kind of gave me a hint she was not interested in work. Trying to dive out the gate on our trot circles every single pass was a bit of another clue, and then the full three circles of crowhopping when I asked for canter kiiiinda drove it home. Savvy was hoping she could be feral now.

Shamelessly smelled the nose of this blond-haired pony like a crack addict trying to get a hit.

Being a sympathetic soul, I made our first ride easy and short (except for the bucking - I made sure not to reward the crow-hop-canter and made her stay in it until she finally switched to broke horse canter and kept it for a few circles).

Right in front of my hotel every day.

The second ride was a bit better. Well, at least our warmup was great. W/T/C was legit although not very well put together but really I was just looking for correct answers with relaxation and understand we have some muscle to redevelop after a whole month of no work. Then I tried some jumping (if you call teeny-tiny cross rails jumps. She could not. Every jump was a stop-and-pop mess regardless of leg on, eyes up, shoulders back, crop at the ready. I looked for one decent jump to end the session on and ended it there.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art did not disappoint (what a HUGE place!). Thank you, Degas.

Our third ride back was the charm though. Perhaps Savvy let go of her dream of being a legit pasture puff and resigned herself to the whims of her owner? W/T/C was drastically better and jumping was almost horse-like rather than trapped deer.

And of course Central Park had plenty of horses. These ponies quietly plodded by us while we enjoyed feeding (many) rats pieces of french fries.

Normally the end of summer for me would be the end of shows. However, this year with eventing there are two more events to look forward to, plus a hunter/jumper show in November.

September 23rd and 24th I will be representing my team at the Manitoba Equestrian Championship on team East at starter level. My performance this year was not exactly team-making material, but they were short on starter level riders so they got me! Hahaha...ha. So I will keep on training at home and hopefully arrange a xc schooling day before the MEC championship to confirm we can get over all the starter level xc jumps.