2022 Riding Journey

End of the Year Summary

Well, guys, this marks year 2 that I've completed a riding journal.  

Because of how crazy my life was this year, this journal suffered.  I had to stop recording what I did for work at my trainer's and just do the lesson.  Sometimes I was struggling to keep up with even that.

But that doesn't mean that I regret keeping this journal going.  I'm glad that I persisted in it.  And hopefully it'll be easier in this coming year.

A lot did happen this year.  I rode several new horses and did a lot more jumping that I hadn't done in previous years.  It was good fun.  I didn't end up showing, but that's alright.  

My pony also went lame for half the year.  I titled the first entry 'Lameness', but that lameness was nothing compared to the lameness that struck him at the tail end of June.  I've missed being able to ride everyday, but I'm grateful that I can still ride once a week at my trainer's.

So, what are some memorable moments from this last year? 

Well, a hitching rail has FINALLY been put in place, something which I  can tie an actual knot to.  Despite this, Cordell has still managed some escapades.  And you have to always play the 'where can I put this horse so it won't fight with any of the other horses' game.  But it usually works out alright, and just the fact that I can tie a solid knot that a horse has to at least WORK to undo is so nice.  

(For context, before the hitching rail was put in, we had to cross-hitch the horses to the panels that make up the indoor arena fence.  Cross-hitching wasn't a knot, it just made it harder for the horse to pull away from the fence.  If a horse tugged and worked at it enough, they could escape pretty much every time.  Some of them, like Twister and Cordell, were becoming pretty adapt at this by the time the hitching rail was put in, so you can see why I'm happy to be able to tie a solid knot.)

Another memorable moment was getting to ride Nibbs in the summer.  He was a schoolmaster type of horse, though not without his quirks, and I enjoyed him.  I wasn't the only one, I think pretty much anyone that rode him did.

I jumped my first diagonal line on him, which was interesting.  And, even better, I did my first bounce jump on him, which was so cool and fun to do!  You'd just sit up there in two point and he'd just ping-pong through the bounce line.  I think he might come back for the summer this year, and I hope he does.

After Nibbs, I rode Maisy for several lessons.  I got my very first flying change on her by accident!  She was a nice horse to ride; despite being green I didn't feel like she was terrible to ride or anything like that.  I also got to jump her and kinda feel what it's like to jump a greener horse.  I definitely like to ride her again, if I ever got the chance, thought I don't think that's likely.

After that, I went back to riding Mariah, Riggs, and Romeo.  Romeo was so sweet, and though I never did any exciting things when I rode him, I still liked to.

On Mariah and Riggs, I did more jumping than ever.  I worked on staying back in my two point and learning how to jump a 'key-hole' patterned course.  It was intense, but also a sign that I've advanced in my riding.

It was also rewarding to see how much Mariah has changed in the time she's been here.  I do like her despite all her quirks and fussy frumpiness.  I can remember when she had a hissy fit on the circle of poles, and how crooked she was on circles in general, but not so much anymore.  She was terrible to jump, always dodging and taking huge leaps, but now she'll go to the jump if you're serious about and doesn't over jump as much.

Overall, it's been a good year of riding that I've learned a lot in.  Thank you to all the readers who've made it through this year with me, and hopefully I'll see you in the 2023 riding journal.