Christmas Ponying

Well I am now on winter break. In theory, I should have plenty of free time to play with the boys, however my job and the winter weather seem to have their own agendas. Barn visits have been few and far between and so I was really looking forward to spending some time there on Christmas. I woke up yesterday morning and quickly realized I was sick with a sore throat and fever. With this latest realization it started to feel like there was some conspiracy keeping me from the barn. I was very disappointed but thought it would be best if I took things easy and stayed at home. That idea lasted a few hours and somehow I found myself driving to the barn; I just couldn't stand it any longer.

I didn't have a plan but when I arrived I discovered that Calatar and Eclipse were both covered in mud from head to toe. After thoroughly grooming the two of them, I decided to tack up Calatar. A nice ride would be the perfect Christmas present to myself but as I was tacking up, I started to feel guilty. I knew that I should really spend some time with Eclipse and that I would be exhausted after riding. It dawned on me that now would be the perfect day to pony Eclipse and I could kill two birds with one stone. We started off in the ring and it was an interesting experience to say the least. Calatar is very sensitive and Eclipse is not. When I tried to play some of the games with Eclipse, Calatar responded and Eclipse didn't. It took some time for Cal to settle and realize that the energy that I was putting on the rope was not directed at him. Eventually Eclipse became more responsive and I felt comfortable riding around the farm for a cool down. 

All things considered, the two of them did exceptionally well. I plan to do some ponying simulations with Calatar to get him more comfortable and I now have a new respect for Magic. Her ability to distinguish what energy is directed at her versus another horse is amazing. I think back to demonstrations where Pat was using her as his legs and have a new appreciation for how difficult that is. I am excited to continue developing my horsemanship skills and playing with two horses simultaneously has opened a new frontier.