She Can't Be Good Every Time

Lesson day was...interesting. I'm the first to admit that I've been exceptionally spoiled by the super easy project that Bridget is turning out to be. With that in mind, I'm not overly upset that a certain pony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning...like WAY on the wrong side of the bed.

She was generally fussy, super grouchy, and having us believe she cannot move her shoulders one little bit. Actually, she objected to even going on a large circle or steering in the most basic manner. Also moving forward, or stopping, or moving her hindquarters. Or you know, basically anything that involved being a well mannered riding pony.

No photos from lesson day, but these from the day before illustrate things without being totally embarassing to either of us:). An attenpted haunches in outtake. Now add in some head tossing and tail swishing and you get the picture.

At one point I stopped and just flat out asked the instructor "Am I causing this? What am I doing wrong? Please be honest with me." Her response was that I'm fine, but Bridget just seemed like she wanted to be somewhere else and was giving me the equivalent of a pony middle finger. S questioned whether I've changed any tack since last time, with the answer to that being no, so we went over my gear and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The funny part of the whole situation is that, like Ginger, Bridget is really big on using her front feet for everything. Apparently when she's frustrated or upset this manifests itself in something sort of resembling a really messed up passage at the trot and a super stampy spanish walk. Add in some groaning and sighing and it's a sight to behold, I'm sure.

Looks like G caught a bit of a 'stampy' moment the day before too when she was fussing with the contact. Not helped by my riding either, ughhhh :(

So, not the lesson I was hoping for! She was really hot and spooky and quite disobedient and due to part of the ring being frozen, we were a little limited with the exercises we could use. I don't feel like we ever did find a good place to end on, but I guess there's always tomorrow.

I'm hoping Midget pony is just feeling fresh and sassy due to the cold weather, but I will be keeping an eye on the bit situation, and also her saddle. After having zero success with an eggbutt snaffle, I switched to a loose ring french link and she seemed happier, but it may be time to consider another change. The saddle I am using is Ginger's and is a decent fit, but not perfect. I really don't want to go down the saddle fitting rabbit hole again, so here's hoping her recent objections are not her requesting her own saddle!

You know what all this really means though? I'm going to have a FABULOUS ride on Ginger next time. Because that's how these two seem to roll - if one is less than stellar, the other makes up for it in spades :)