Hi everyone! I haven’t been riding much this month actually. It’s been too cold and kind of difficult to get out to the barn. That said, I do have some exciting updates for you today!

So I actually have only had two lessons this month. The first week of the month my instructor actually forgot it was Wednesday. It was pretty cold out so I didn’t mind that much though. I did text her and to let her know I was there when I arrived but all the lights were off and I didn’t see anyone around so I ended up leaving. She did later text me later that night to apologize which was fine.

Then during the third week of the month I rescheduled my lesson to Friday from the usual Wednesday to be able to meet Veronica Roth. I moved up my lesson time that night as well because I usually leave the office earlier than normal on Fridays. Unfortunately another instructor had a lesson with the horse I prefer to ride so I chose to wait until after their lesson was done. I went home for a nice dinner and then when I was preparing to leave my instructor texted me as it was really, really foggy and she was concerned it wasn’t safe to drive out. Honestly, it was very bad and she was right, but I was also feeling lazy at that point so I agreed and let her know I’d be in the following week.

Now for the lessons I actually had!

I feel like it’s important to point out at this time that I got myself actual cowboy boots! My instructor recommended that I get myself some boots and I kinda put it off, knowing they’re expensive. I finally got a pair during the winter holiday, a pair of beautiful brown Ariat boots!

And onto the actual lesson, it really did make a difference to wear boots instead of my hiking shoes. Everything felt sturdier and, as silly as it may sound, I felt more confident with them. Actually my instructor and my mom both said that boots can do that, so maybe not so crazy. They are super comfortable and my toes don’t fall asleep in the stirrups when I wear them, so that’s amazing!

My phone died so here’s a picture from last month of Sapphire. I really have come to love her lots and I think she’s quite fond of me now too. She really likes to rub her nose on me, although that might be because she’s looking for any hidden treats!

At the lesson we were the only ones in the arena, so we had a blast! All our canter transitions went smoothly (well maybe one or two not so much) and my instructor officially proclaimed me a novice rider! I’m hoping to maybe do a competition or two this year with Sapphire but we’ll see. When we moved onto bareback I let her know that Sapphire and I managed to trot a few steps at my last hack and that was all I was brave enough to try. She then encouraged me to try trotting bareback a bit longer and it went really well! It was terrifying at first but as I got used to it we went for longer and longer distances. It’s easier than I expected actually and I really can’t wait to try to canter bareback. As with a saddle, I’m fairly certain that will be easier than trotting!

For my next lesson, it had finally been nice enough for the horses to go outside, which meant I found Sapphire under a mound of dirt and mud! I finally got her cleaned up a bit and off we went! 

The lesson went very smoothly. I need to work on sitting back rather than forward in the saddle but so far so good! We were alone again in the barn, which was amazing because we had the entire space to ourselves. 

I learned Sapphire has two days off before my lessons, which explain why she’s always reluctant to get to work. She’s probably thinking, “really? I had two great days and now I have to work for a living?” She always perks up eventually, probably because she knows I always bring treats. 

I also did more bareback trotting this time around. I feel it getting easier for sure! Now hopefully I can go longer distances next month. I can do maybe 20 steps before I get worried I’ll fall off! 

I would love to have a horse of my own but for now Sapphire is perfect for all my learning needs! 
That’s pretty much it for the month. Let me know what you’ve been working on this month. I’d love to hear about your hobbies! 

Thanks for reading!