Lesson Recap: Putting the Wheels Back on the Bus

I know you're dying to hear about the show (okay maybe that's an exaggeration lol), but I'm going to try to go in chronological order so I don't miss anything! Last Thursday night I had a lesson - I had scheduled it the week before the show, feeling like I could probably use one more good "eyes on the ground" session before attempting the show, and thank God I did. My rides earlier in the week before the show weren't bad per se, but I felt like we were sort of slowly spiraling in a bad direction, mostly with Ruby trying to anticipate the canter transitions and getting progressively unrideable if she thought I was asking for the "wrong" thing -- she had very definite ideas of where we were supposed to DO THINGS and if I didn't let her, she'd get agitated. Like man I love the TRY of the Spanish horses, but sometimes Ruby needs to remember that I (usually) know best and if I didn't ask for the canter, I DON'T WANT IT... lol. Anyway. I digress. We needed a lesson. Badly. If nothing else, just to restore a smidgen of self-confidence so I didn't panic scratch the show. 

Thursday's weather was FUCKING DISGUSTING. Even with leaving at the usual time, we pulled up a little later than I wanted to the barn, and I was already a bit frazzled. The rain wasn't helping, but I dragged all my stuff inside and tacked up in the barn -- snagging my SNAZZY NEW BOOTS on the way! I got on and immediately unloaded some of my crazy on poor new trainer -- I told her I felt like the wheels were falling off the bus, particularly at the canter, and that my attempt at riding through the tests in my small arena hadn't gone well (which is actually like the understatement of the year LOL), and that I was really worried about being a disaster at the show (a trainwreck in teal, if you will). Luckily she apparently is well-versed in managing AA-crazy, and just calmly put me to work riding test pieces. 

Broke out the SIE boots since Ruby's legs were finally clean and this whole outfit was BOMB let me tell you. PEEP THE BOOTS.

My vest was a little too dark and the color block on my breeches was a little too light, but everything else was perfection lol. (#theimportantthings)

The lighting was really rough for photos, so DH mostly took video, which was also exceptionally helpful to review on the way home. 

And despite some initial snorting and spooking at the mirrors (which have never bothered her in any of our previous lessons, which to be fair, were also in daylight hours, lol), Ruby got right to work and was her normal workmanlife self (her MO at this barn, if not at home!). Pretty sure new trainer thinks I'm insane, because every time I come in and say "this is going so poorly" and then Ruby dinks around like the most well-schooled little beast, hahaha. We did run through enough of the test that she anticipated a canter depart, so new trainer got to coach me through reminding her that she doesn't get to decide where we do test movements, I do. Some videos below of a few test pieces, including some bonus sass from Ruby where she decides she knows better than I do about where the canter departs should be lol. 

By the end of the lesson we were both sweating, but I felt confident again in our ability to do all the pieces from the test, and that hopefully we wouldn't completely embarrass ourselves :) since I normally ride on the weekends, there were a few boarders there that I hadn't met yet, so we got to hang out in the aisle for a minute after the lesson while Ruby added to her fan club <3 and I hopefully made a few more friends to meet up for trail riding!

It made for a really late night (DH and I agreed on the way home, no more weeknight lessons unless it was a Friday or we had a day off the next day), but it was so worth the peace of mind to be ready for the show!