Could I trouble you for a stick?

Ah.  Well.  I have been offered a credible threat of bodily harm if I don't entertain TED with my super-amusing blog entries.

So, here!  Have a super-amusing blog entry!  I even have pictures.

The great struggle with brain chemistry and stomach issues continued last week, such that I was utterly wiped out by the end of my workdays.  Thus, no interesting horse news from last week.   Well, except for lesson on Sunday -- we worked on outline and softening, and some canter work.  MT pointed out the frame he wants me to be riding in when we school, which is useful.  To quote our Hun, before now I no have understand!  ;)

It was also lots of fun hanging around and watching folks jump after the lesson.  Especially when MT was schooling the young stallion over fences.  The stallion is pretty green, though extremely athletic and talented, and I'm always impressed to watch MT ride that sort of horse.  The stallion is on the list of 1000 Horses I'm Glad I Don't Ride, because he's so athletic.

Anyway, our Hun and someone else -- I forget who -- were jump schooling at the same time, and they were jumping much much higher than MT was.  The 4' fence they were schooling was sort of in a line with a fence MT finished over, and as he gave that last half halt before bringing the stallion to a halt, the stallion spotted the 4' fence.

The expression on the stallion's face was priceless.  I near fell out of my chair laughing.  His eyes got huge, his ears went as far forward as they could, and I swear you could see the giant red ! appear over his head.  'Oh my god you have GOT to be joking!'   Too, too funny.

Not sure when I took this picture, but I was just charmed.  Apollo was insisting that he was deeply, dangerously carrot-deficient.  Hee.

The face of carrot deficiency in the US today.
Won't you help?  Send carrots care of Apollo.

My poor boy corgi, Sparky!  He has a sore back, and in addition to pain meds and steroids, he's doing cold laser therapy.  He now has a data port shaved into his back.

Poor, poor Sparky.

And there was a lesson and further jump-watching this Sunday, too.  And lo, it was good.  The blog title is a quote from the lesson -- Apollo wasn't really interested in moving out enthusiastically, and I was tired of squeeze-pause-squeeze-pause to keep him moving.   Heh.  Also, in the canter, Apollo was kicking out at my outside leg at one point -- I just had to really move him on.  The stick solved it all.   The kicking out is actually as instructive as it is irritating.  My inclination is to immediately think "omg this horse is going to buck me off!", because that's what Rev would have done.  Croup high = me about to eat dirt, in my mind.  However, Apollo has no interest in bucking me off.  It doesn't really occur to him, and I'm happy to keep it that way.  Anyway, that process of learning that yeah, I really AM okay and am wholly capable of keeping my seat, is important.  Yet another reason to be grateful to and for my horse, even when he's naughty.

I am really getting itchy to jump again, so I mentioned it to MT.  Yay!

And looking forward to riding tonight, too.

So there!  That is my super-amusing blog entry for the day.