St Francisco Banderas

I have mentioned my lessons with a local event trainer. I met her at my last barn and started getting her help with Dickie before Christmas. Since I got Dickie I have been wanting a trained horse to take some lessons on. I tried to ride with  my first trainer but they don't have consistent lesson horses for advanced riders. I have been beside myself to find Cricket and her Saint of a horse Frankie. Frankie is a 16.3 hand tank of an OTTB. He's got feet like a draft and a moose sized head and he's exactly what I need. Years of riding without lessons, riding green horses, followed by a hip injury has left me with some deep rooted position issues. I can cover it up pretty easy and get the job done but she is helping me with details. Frankie has been so patient. He has an amazing work ethic. If I get my position right he rewards me right away. And if I am tired or riding with  my head up my ass he doesn't take advantage.

It was a sunny day to ride while the sheep watched on. 

I can't afford weekly lessons and it would be too hard with our schedules anyway. One of her other students has been riding Frankie while her horse is injured so scheduling has been even harder this last month. She called last week to say a student was hauling in for a jump lesson and I could ride with her. I could warm up and ride alone for awhile then she would jump in at the end of my lesson. 

We started out with a serious of poles on the ground. Two poles on either long side (three strides between), then on the short side two raised poles up on jump blocks. They were on a curve with a canter stride between. As usual we spent a good chunk of time at the walk. My hip is so crooked that I am having to work hard just to be aware of when I am straight. Then we moved it up to the trot and worked on getting through the corner poles perfectly straight. It is so funny how you can muscle through stuff but when you start trying to get your lines exact and the exact same number of trot strides the sillliest stuff gets mind boggling. 

He puts up with my lazy ass when I am sure he would rather do this. How cute is his face?

When the other rider made it in she set up one of the poles on the long sides to a jump and added a bounce on the diagonal. She said I could be done if my hip was killing me but I decided to bite the bullet. I haven't jumped in years (since the day I hurt by hip) and an audience of my student, trainers student, and trainer's student's mom was a little nerve wracking. However, Frankie packed me around like a Saint. We went right over the long side, around the two corner jumps, up over the bounce, and back down the other long side. I went through a few times. It felt so good to get into a zone. The last time we threw in flying lead changes. The jumps were teensy but it was a big deal for me. This horse is amazing. What a good good boy. I love you Frankie. 

Insert treats in my face now.