Settling In

Princess G has been settling into her barn very nicely. It seems like she's been there her entire life, what with the way she's ruling the paddock. She's in with her old frenemy Cal (Kyla's TB gelding), an elderly Trakehner gelding named Atut (the grey horse tied up behind G in the above picture), and an older grey Thoroughbred mare named Minnie. Gina has decided she is Boss Mare, which seems to be okay with everyone except Minnie; she's still giving G a little bit of trouble at dinnertime.

We went for a ride in the arena last week. Gina spent a couple of minutes looking curiously at the horses in the adjacent pasture (especially Xeta, the gigantic pinto Oldenburg) but focused on work very quickly. The footing was slippery, so we stuck to a walk and trot. Gina was a superstar- light, forward, working in a nice contact. I think my riding has been improved a hundred times over by the Ainsley saddle. My leg and seat are secure. I feel balanced. My improved position has translated to better rides and a happier horse.

Working more has left me less time to ride. Since it's freezing cold and dark by 6 PM, my winter riding goals are pretty much limited to "getting on the horse to ride" and "acquiring ground poles". I'd like to go foxhunting in January, but we'll see how time and money play out. In the mean time, it's going to be fun hacks on fuzzy mare!