A complete success!

Friday's jaunt off the farm for a lesson with Debra was a success in every way possible!  I was blown away by my sweet pony's sincere attempts to listen and try during our lesson.  I won't bore you with every detail, but here's the run down...

I got out to the barn on Friday morning and got the truck and trailer pulled up the drive and loaded up with all my gear.  I pulled Obe out of the pasture and cleaned her up (yay for a clean rub rag...even her fuzzy winter fur was gleaming!) and loaded her up.  She went straight on the trailer...no pulling back, no frenzy, no worry. 

On the way to the farm, I took a wrong turn...well, a wrong "veer."  At a fork in the road, I veered left instead of right.  At that point, I kind of started to panic a little, because I wasn't sure how I was going to turn the truck and trailer around on such narrow, country roads.  The truck is a big F-350 flatbed...the trailer is a gooseneck, two-horse with a large dressing room.  So...no small load.  Luckily, I happened upon a mobile home park that had one of the single-wide trailers missing.  So, I pulled in, backed the trailer into the empty spot, and managed to get turned around.  I'm sure the residents of the trailer park were in awe of the "new neighbors" who were moving in with simply a horse trailer!  ;)

A great place to turn a horse trailer around...

Once I went the right direction, the farm was actually easy to find!  I pulled in, met the owner and took Obe off the trailer.  She came out a little jazzed...head up, snorting, looking around and not paying attention.  I just let her look and stand for a few minutes, then I took a chance and tied her to the side of the trailer with her hay net.  After about 20 seconds, she started eating hay, cocked a hind foot in relaxation and just stood there while I groomed, tacked up and talked with the owner of the facility.  I was already blown away, but I was trying desperately to hide it, just in case a future meltdown may ruin the good feelings! 

Debra showed up and we walked together past a little pond (that got a couple of snorts) to the small indoor arena.  It was perfect that I was in such a small space...Obe and I both felt fairly confident - no large open spaces to invite a run into the next county!  I longed first, allowing Obe to get all her snorting and passaging out of her system.  There were cows next to the small arena, and in with the cows was a white pony that had the longest winter fur I've ever seen.  It seriously looked like a yak.  Obe had NO IDEA what that white animal was, and every move it made was worthy of a snort. 

Not EXACTLY how the pony looked, though I'm sure this is what Obe saw.

Finally, she lowered her head a bit and relaxed, so I told Debra I was going to go ahead and get on (where did this courage come from?).  Debra agreed, saying, "If all we do is walk around a bit, it's a success because she's off the farm." 

I think that statement gave me permission to keep my expectations in check and just be okay with whatever I got.  After all, I'd already met my primary goal...to get Obe off the farm. So, I relaxed.  Surprise, surprise...so did OBE!

Once I picked up the posting trot, she was forward, swingy and stretchy...and a small glimmer of hope began to glow in my heart.  Seriously, I was beginning to think that this may actually work out!  An hour later...we had worked on trot lengthenings, canter departs and really pushing her on.  Yes, folks, in a new environment where previously we may have exploded, I was actually PUSHING my horse for more expression in her trot.  She ended the lesson tired, happy, loose and completely on my aids.  I couldn't believe it...we went back to the trailer, I tied her back up with her hay, untacked her, and she stood there.  She just stood there.  FANTASTIC!!! 

Debra and I had a great conversation about my goal...to get my Bronze.  That means all I need is a 60% to get qualifying scores.  As I rode, she told me what was a 60% and what was higher...how to ride for the score with a low-scoring judge...how to take Obe to the brink of losing her balance (or her mind), and then how to ride just below that threshold so that I have some brilliance, but not explosiveness.  If we had had that lesson at home, I would say it was great.  But the fact that we had it OFF the farm made it monumental.  I feel like Obe has turned a corner in the way she mentally reacts to her surroundings...and it feels awesome!

As I was driving back to the barn, I couldn't help but be elated, almost to the point of tears.  It was just me and my pony, taking on the challenge, and doing fabulously!  I couldn't have been happier.  I'm still on cloud 9...three days later!