When I got to the stable I went directly to the house. Laurie and I talked a bit in her kitchen while I loved on the her cute chihuahua. We talked about the lease a little, she'd sent me the contract the evening before. Everything seemed pretty good. I was excited and anxious about leasing Pstar but this is a great chance to really get to know her and work with her. The lease will go until September and of course I can renew it if I wish at that time. By then I will have a good feel about what a match she and I are. I'm not sure I'll be able to buy her at that time, I'll still be paying down debt but I can lease her again and continue to save up so I can make a good offer. On another note it sounds like things are going well with the new place Laurie and Dan are buying; closings rarely go off without a hitch so I was glad to hear that things worked out and it looked like they'd be closing in the next week or so. I'm so excited for them!
Later in the arena it was nap time for all the mares (darn it I forgot my camera so I didn't get pictures of the cuteness!). Brownie was lying down, Pstar plopped down as well later followed by Divine. Laurie and I went in to say hello. She walked up to Divine and loved on her, I walked over to Pstar, startled her slightly but she relaxed and just stayed laying there while I stroked her. She's a special mare that's for sure!
Picture from the 2007 Scottsdale Arabian Show
In the stable I got Divine all groomed up and ready for the saddle. Laurie showed me how to put the far side stirrup up on the horn so it was easier to place the saddle on Divine's back. Then the cinch, after seeing some videos and watching her (and untacking Divine later) I feel I understand the western saddle cinch technique a little better. It's good to be familiar with different tack!
The lesson was based off a similar lesson that Ushi had earlier that day. The transition to canter is where I and apparently Ushi tense up. It's during that bigger trot where you really feel the energy and power. So Laurie had me work on the lungeline where she had Divine trot and we worked on the posting trot at the BIG trot. I fell behind the rhythm a lot (not fell to the ground! I bet that's what you thought I was gonna say! LOL). My leg kept coming forwards and my toes would start to point down as the tension crept in.
I need to work on the ankles and get the angles correct. My ankle is not as flexible as it was when i was a kid. There are pictures of me on a horse with my heels WAY down. Another thing I was feeling during the ride was releasing the tension in my knee and hips. Towards the end the BIG trot was going quite well and I moved well with Divines changes in pace. I was pretty happy.
Green just looks good on a bay horse!
After the lesson and ridding Divine of unwanted hair (a lot of it!) Laurie and I sat and chatted about breeding and lineages. I can see that if I bought Pstar it would just make sense to have a contract with Laurie for a retained breeding. Pstar is fantastic and a cross with her and Legs would be amazing. I get excited just by Laurie talking about it. I doubt I would ever breed a horse of mine on my own, there's a lot more that goes into caring for a pregnant mare and dealing with the birthing etc. Still it would be neat to be a part of in some way. Someday I would love to have a baby though, getting to know a horse from birth, seeing it through growing up and training. But that is for someday when Steve and I don't have to consider buying a horse and having to board it. I can't wait to have the property where we can have a little herd of horses but I don't have the expertise to have a breeding farm, I'll leave that to the experts.
I ended the day with giving all the mares carrots. Divine got a good share since she worked so hard today. I stroked Pstar as I said goodbye, someday I'll be riding her! Wow! That's scary and exciting! She'll be fantastic I'm sure...how could she not be?
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