January 4th 2020: My first official ride of the New Year! The weather was pretty ugly so I got to the barn a little late, and Shane was already in the arena with the other three horses being used for lessons that morning. I gave him lots of pats as my stirrups were being adjusted, I missed him a lot over break! Because there were so many horses in the arena, Shane and I used the bottom third of the arena to practice circles in both directions. Then, when we were done with the circles the other riders left the arena to go on a trail ride, so we had the whole arena to work with!
For the majority of the lesson, I took Shane through the various obstacles in the arena, guiding him whichever way I thought was best. It was a great way to connect with him and allow me to take control of my lesson. We did really well despite Shane fighting me a few times, like when we got close to the mounting ramp. Here's a really long video of us riding through everything!
And here's a cute picture of us at the end of our trip around! Check out my awesome U.S Equestrian riding shirt by Ariat!
After we finished our obstacles, Mrs. Edie showed Shane and I how to do a three loop serpentine. I had seen videos of other riders doing this, but I'll admit that I was a bit confused trying it myself. Mrs. Edie helped us through it through and we managed it alright. It was pretty good for our first time but I can't wait to try it again! Right after Shane and I finished this, it started to pour rain, and it was the end of our lesson. Because of the weather, I couldn't do my usual post ride routine. Instead, I gave Shane lots of love before I got of to make sure he knew he did a great job! I'm super proud of how he did, and I can't wait to see what this year has in store for us!
Until next time,
Bry,
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