Aires' progress (and mine)...

The drama yesterday was partly (okay, mostly) my fault, but it was completely unintentional. Don't want to get into details, but it ended with me being screamed at by the BO (which I completely understand) and another boarder (which he was WAY out of line with what he said...even the BO defended me from him at one point). The BO basically told me that if it wasn't for the fact that I still owed money on my horse, he'd tell me to get the f*** off his property and never come back (I think it was said in the heat of the moment, though, because he later told the trainer that he doesn't want me to leave). I even offered to sign Aires back over to him and leave of my own free will, if he wanted me to.

Now, because of what happened yesterday, I feel incredibly uncomfortable going to the barn. Not because of what the BO said, but because of that other boarder. The things that were said yesterday were beyond mean and uncalled for.

Subbing.

Is there a way you can re-work your deal with the barn owner so that you and your horse can find another barn while you continue to pay him off? After all, when you buy a car or other things and pay by installments, the car doesn't have to stay at the dealer's. This place sounds like hell.

I am curious as to what happened (who wouldn't be :)), but whatever it is, adults? Screaming? Really?

Sorry to hear about the drama :(

Keep your chin up. You are doing just fine. You took a big hit to your confidence with that stupid mare and they should all respect that.

When you get feeling down about it all just think about how far you've come with him. You'll get there!

Yes, thesilverspear...adults...screaming. Like I said, I get the BO's anger. What happened affected his business. The other boarder was way out of line. He basically called me a "big baby" for being scared to ride, and called me a liar over my horse experience (on that one, I told him I could call four people right then and there who could tell them exactly what my horse experience was).

Anyway, I'm going back out tomorrow evening. I didn't go out today because I ended up not going to bed until 4:45am (my brain just would not shut down and kept running over and over what happened yesterday) and I woke up at 7am. I'm hoping to ride, but we'll see. As long as that other boarder isn't there, everything will be fine.

What a jerk.

Hope things go better for you at the barn today. Keep us posted.

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd update.

I'm not really able to do anything right now except clean my stall and brush Aires (and even that's difficult) because of my shoulder. I am literally in constant pain right now. I am calling the doctor tomorrow and making an appointment to get it checked out. By the end of the day (at work), I can't barely lift my arm above chest level and all I do is stand at a cash register all day (pretty much). I went to pick up some clothes earlier today and nearly screamed because it hurt so bad (ended up biting my knuckles to keep from making a sound because it wouldn't have done to have the customers hear me scream). It's getting ridiculous.

I don't know what I'm going to do about riding Aires. I feel so bad that he's just standing in his stall (gets turned out when I'm there cleaning his stall), but I have a hard time lunging him (he gets free lunged and is great at listening, but in order for him to switch directions, I've taught him to respond to hand signals, as well as verbal cues, and I can't perform the necessary hand signals...at least not where he can see/understand them). I'm pretty sure getting up on him and riding is almost completely out of the question at the moment because of the position I'd be in and the amount of brute force it takes to stop him. I tried putting my hands/arms into the correct position to direct rein and perform turns and stops (without reins, just sitting on my couch) and it hurt like a motherless goat.

I am between the proverbial rock and hard place...and it sucks big time!

I'll let y'all know what's going on with my shoulder as I find out. I'm just so ready to not hurt anymore! I actually don't even remember what it's like to be able to fully use my left arm and do stuff like throw a ball. :-/

Okay, we have a goal to work toward and my shoulder be hanged! Lol

My friend informed me today that there is a moonlight ride at our barn on October 10th. There's going to be a get-together beforehand (sounds like a BBQ and such maybe?) and then we're all going to go for a ride. She said that everyone was asking if I was going to go (especially since the boarder that was exceptionally rude to me won't be going). So, I am going to really start working with Aires and get him ready so that we can go. By my reckoning, that gives us just about two weeks.

OMG!!! Today was such an awesome day!!! I'm shaking I'm so excited!

Okay, so I had determined that I was going to ride Aires today, come hell or high water. So, I got to the barn this afternoon and pulled him out and tacked him up. I lunged him for a little in the round pen to make sure he as listening, then I took him over to the arena with my friend in tow. We got him lined up at the steps to the viewing platform (most convenient "mounting block" in the area) and I started to get in the saddle, only to discover that the stirrups were WAYYYY too long. So, I started adjusting them, but Aires was being a butt, so we went back to the round pen to get him listening again. Then it was back to the arena, got him lined up (YAY for the "step" command!) and I mounted up. My friend walked with us into the arena, then stepped back and started snapping pictures as we rode up and down the far long rail of the arena. I walked him a few steps, then asked him to stop. The first time I asked him to stop, he wouldn't, so I one-rein stopped him and he was like "OH! That's what you mean!" After that, whenever I asked him to stop, it was instant! Toward the end, I barely had to put any pressure on the reins, even! And turning...this boy is a turning PRO! He turns mostly off leg, I barely had to use the reins to turn him. In fact, at one point I had gotten too far into the corner of the arena to make a nice wide circle like we had been, so I applied inside leg, pulled the inside rein back a bit more than I would have for a regular wide turn and he executed a beautiful 180 turn in that tight spot (with only a little trip at the end 'cuz he's two and huge and doesn't know where his feet are most of the time lol). So proud of my boy and of ME!

But that's not all!! So, we walk to the gate and stop halfway through (every time he stopped when asked, I praised the heck out of him). The trainer was at one of the stalls on our left with one of her students getting a horse for a lesson. So, we start forward and then execute a beautiful stop and back for the trainer. Then she suggested we follow the horse she was leading up to the barn so that Aires could get used to following another horse. Well, apparently this mare is the one horse in creation that doesn't love Aires because she was NOT happy with him behind her. We weren't even that close (I made sure we weren't), but she pinned her ears, backed up and sent a massive kick flying at Aires. When Aires saw her ears go back, he stopped (I saw it coming too, so I asked him to stop just as he did) and started to back away, but the mare kicked before he could get away. One of her back hooves connected with his bit and he FREAKED! He half-reared, then spun almost 180 degrees (in the rear!) and trotted off away from the mare. I am EXTREMELY proud to say that I did not panic, I sat the rear and spin like a freakin' pro, and got Aires back under control within a few steps!!!!!! My friend came running over and was all "Are you okay?!" but I was laughing! Lol I rode all the way up to the barn (a good 40 feet behind Noel, the mare lol) and dismounted at the barn. The trainer and my friend are both extremely proud of how well I rode out that spook as well. THAT'S how I used to be able to ride! I've got my game back (mostly)!!!!!

Anyway, I'm going to have to Ace bandage my ankle or wear a brace when I ride because it HURT to drop my heel down...but oddly enough, I was better about keeping that heel dropped than I was about my other one. Lol

So, pics will be in my thread Just some pics of Aires I ask that no one critique my position. I know it sucks bad. I know I hunch a bit (it hurts to sit up with my shoulder). But my position did get better as I rode more. Also keep in mind that this was the first time, pretty much, that I've ridden in the saddle I used (Abetta synthetic the BO has that I use because I can lift it lol).

I just want to say that I have the smartest, most amazing horse EVER!! I'm still a little nervous on him, but that's mainly because I'm not used to him. Today was an enormous confidence booster for me!!

Congrats, congrats, congrats! You go, girl!