Back on Track... or at least I found another candy

Too long, didn't read(tldr): D-Day for my semester work and Jellybean tries to buck me off

I think my last couple of posts have complained a bit about how busy life has been recently. Luckily, the end is now in sight. I will be done with my major exams right before Thanksgiving, just in time for vacation and the holiday craziness! Then I will probably start setting some kind of goals or something. In the mean time, I have started riding during one of the lessons I teach during the week so I can at least sit on a horse. Jellybean drew the short straw on Thursday.

First, her leg looks awesome. There isn't any major swelling, she is just healing along. She will have a cool scar to talk about at some point.

So I saddled her up and reminded her that she can't back away from the bridle. (Literally we backed around the entire tack up area until she bumped into a fence and she stopped). Clearly we have some lack of continuity. Its only been about 8 weeks since I last sat on her back... and lets be honest, I got bucked off. 

So we go into the big arena during lesson chaos and I get on. Normally she has been pretty eager to move off and start checking things out, but this time she just walked around. I think something about being cooped up in a stall for a month... with no turnout at all. Definitely some muscle atrophy. We eventually pick up a trot and I realize we have no steering. Maybe I general direction... but there is no stopping on a dime. Glad I left in the full check instead of switching to the regular O ring dressage bridle like I considered... 

Anyways, right when I first asked her to trot, she decided she didn't want to, and tried to throw some bucks! I guess she remembered that bucking got her out of work before, and she wanted to rehash. It was pretty half hearted, she was definitely just trying things out. I used the dressage whip and my legs to encourage forward movement, and she remembered she was supposed to move forward. 

So this steering thing is a problem. We will keep working on it as we go along, she is just really out of practice. I have been feeling sad for not working her at all, especially since she will be four in June, and that is high time to start her on her eventing career :)