Riding Lessons - Day 2

Last night was the second of my six riding lessons, and it went much much better. I rode a different horse (I didn't have to ask for a change), a bay Quarter Horse mare named Libby (aka Miss Tootsie Skip), who was more my size. She's maybe 14 hands or so - I could see over her back, and her withers were about level with the top of my shoulder. Nice little mare. I just Googled her, and it looks like she's mostly a western pleasure horse for the college.

I could get her to trot without a lot of work, which was great, because I could work on other things. Like posting in a stock saddle, which is a whole other thing. The beginning classes all use stock saddles, but most of the horses so far go in snaffle bits, which I'm not really used to. So we did some trotting, and posting, and a bit of two-point, which is totally new for me. I was told that I have weak legs, which wasn't a shock - I haven't been on a horse in 12 years, and I'm waaaaay out of shape, so no surprise there. We did a sort of obstacle course, over some poles and weaving through cones, at a walk and trot. I did good at a walk, not so much at the trot because of some over-steering issues, but we got it on the second pass. Steering and trotting at the same time requires a bit more coordination and concentration. :) I also need to stop looking at the ground, and apparently keep my legs back and under me.

Libby has a nice trot, fast at times, but pretty smooth. I'll probably be riding her the next two classes, and then Sue will probably be ready for her. We also might get to canter next Wednesday or Friday, if things go well. Mary, the one who's ridden the most, got to try to canter last night, but her horse, as Tiffany put it, is a bit of a s#@^ at times about cantering. He did canter a bit, but it was a rough canter and Mary had to really work to get it.

The college has a pretty dapple grey mare that one of the little girls is riding - a granddaughter of Seattle Slew. Beautiful horse, but not fast enough for the track, so she's a college horse.