Busy busy

The days seem to be flying by right now! I can't believe I've been here almost two weeks now. I'm really enjoying teaching the girls how to ride. It's a really amazing feeling to know that doing this makes me so happy. I could do without all the obnoxious people who just want to ride for 10 minutes or on the trail, but the girls who are really into learning make me so happy. Unfortunately they're leaving soon and I'll have to go back to just doing trail rides mosty. When I get home at the end of next month, I feel like I'll really have a direction to go.

Every day seems to be a little different. I'm learning a lot about life and having responsibilities. We still have fun and drink, but every morning I still have to get up regardless of how much sleep I've gotten. I'm starting to feel like more of an adult now that I'm here.

I'm getting so attached to the horses. Each of them means something different to me, but makes me miss my kids so much more. It's still so hard for me to watch all these ridiculous riders make mistakes on the horses that I know could be prevented, but I spend so much energy on trying to fix people's riding, that sometimes I have to let the little flaws go.

The past couple days I've been working with Allie'a mom who has a serious fear of horses. I have had so many people tell me about their horror stories with horses, so at this point I feel like I want to help those people conquer their fears. It's really helping my patience to work with Allie's mom. She never wants to ride long, but she always is asking me questions and explaining how she's feeling. My communication is becoming great, and I'm thrilled to say she's finally started trotting.

I have another girl, Lauren, who is an amazing rider. She wants to do more advanced things since she can keep JW's gelding, Hollywood, in a canter all the time. Today we worked on collecting and extending (thanks to my amazing trainer Chris who taught me a ton about this!). Lauren could feel the change in Hollywood when she tightening her leg against his body, and put a little pressure on his  reins. She's always asking me questions, I'm convinced that I need to adopt her as a permanent student!

I can't wait to come home and ride in my comfy Pessoa English saddle... These western ones suck, and it's impossible to jump without getting the horn in your stomach...

All the pictures are from our ride today. The two chestnuts are Corona and Hewstin! The red roan is Red, JW isn't very original with names...