# equestrianrider465 and Grace.



## equestrian_rider465 (Aug 30, 2008)

Hey Everyone!  It's equestrian_rider465!

I know I started one of these before, but I'd thought I'd just make a totally new one and start clean. 

So, I think I should just start on how today went. Which be warned, may scare you a little. 

Today I had a lesson around 12o'clock. I went to the barn and the horses haven't yet been turned out because the barn owners were laying some dirt on the mud in the paddock so I was less muddy for the horses. I went in the barn and saw little Grace just standing in her stall. I brought her out and started brushing her down, but when I got to picking out her feet she seemed a little funny. Usually, when I pick out Grace's back feet, she will lean on me. (which we are trying to teach her not too.) But today, she wasn't leaning on me at all. I was proud of her for one moment but then noticed she was trying to take her hoof out of my hand. I let her go and check around her legs. Both of her back legs were really puffy and swollen. My mom thought that it was just because she was standing in her stall for a while. I thought so too, so we finished tacking her up and brought her outside. 
I didn't get on right away. Instead I walked her around the arena a few times until my coach came. I asked her if you could look at Grace's legs. She looked at them and said they were puffy but nothing serious was wrong with them. She told me to get on and we would have a nice slow warm up for Grace. She was super good just warming up and we even got to do some dressage work. We even tried a canter pirouette today and we were so close to getting it but it's really hard for her and we kept breaking to trot. However, she was sooo good and smooth as butter.  (I don't know why people use that expression. When I get butter out of the fridge, it's usually really hard to put on your toast! They should say margirine.  ) Then the other horses got put out into the paddock, and were going wild!! Grace saw them and started not thinking about our lesson but started thinking about them instead. She started hopping to the side then flinging her head up and doing little bucks. I walked and calmed her down a bit before continuing. 
After Grace was calm, we started jumping. As soon as we got over our first jump, we missed the back lead and had to circle to get it. Then as I nudged her with my outside leg, she let out this huge buck! I landed on her neck and she started walking away. I just laughed it off and propped myself back on the saddle. She wasn't too good about getting her leads today, so my coach just said that we would work on rollbacks today. She was doing really well with them and I was super proud of her. Then when we jumped one rollback, it was a really shrap turn and we missed it. So we had to do it over again. As soon as we were in the other direction, I gave Grace the aid to canter. Then all hell broke loose.
She flipped up in the air and reared full up!! I didn't fall off and I wasn't scared, but man was that an expearience. I asked my mom how big the rear was and she said it was like the horse in black beauty. I was shocked!! Grace had never done anything like THAT before with me on her. Needless to say she got 15 minutes of straight jumping right after and no treats whatsoever.
The thing was that she is in heat and the other horses were running around being idiots, and she wanted to be with them. However, that is NO excuse for her to do something like that. At all. I now have to carry a crop around when I ride her. Grrr, I hate those things. And, if she does rear, even little hops, I have to smack her in between the ears with the crop. I hate to say I have to, because I don't want to. But my coach said that inbetween their ears is sensitive and that when you hit them there, it feels like they are bleeding, so they won't want to rear anymore. Hopefully, this never happens again!!

Hmmm, good way to start out a new journal? Nope, but I like to share my stories.  

Anyways, I'll give you some updates on things tomorrow as well. I'm going to a clinic. Not to ride in, but to watch.  Hopefully I will learn a few things. 

X Danielle & Grace


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## Iluvjunior (Feb 15, 2009)

Nice to see you back! Interesting! Did the swelling go down?


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## equestrian_rider465 (Aug 30, 2008)

Iluvjunior said:


> Nice to see you back! Interesting! Did the swelling go down?


Thankyou.  
And it did after warming her up. Forogt to put that in there. lol.


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## Iluvjunior (Feb 15, 2009)

LOL yea I was like did she jump her with her leg swelled? I wish you would of gotten a picture of her rearing up!


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## equestrian_rider465 (Aug 30, 2008)

Iluvjunior said:


> LOL yea I was like did she jump her with her leg swelled? I wish you would of gotten a picture of her rearing up!


I was asking my mom to video the lesson then at one point she stopped and forgot to continue. So I have no footage of it. :-( Because I would have liked to see it too! lol.


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## Iluvjunior (Feb 15, 2009)

Lol I bet


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