Three Lessons in Three Days

I have a saddle sore that is making it impossible to sit without canting my body to one side to stay off of it. 

I have a blister the size of Texas on my ring finger so I can't wear a wedding ring.

Every muscle in my shoulders is a small boulder.

I groan when I get up. 

Or sit down.

Or roll over.

I was so tired last night that I felt like I had the flu, complete with chills.

I am incredibly happy and satisfied.  Three intense lessons after having two months off of riding definitely put a damper on the old bones, but what a fantastic opportunity.  What huge strides we made.  We didn't fix anything permanently, but I figured out what the problem was.

Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders. 

Her shoulders that escape the outside rein so she can spook, look, fall inside, fall outside, wiggle, pick up the wrong lead. 

My shoulders that shrug up into my ears, that tighten into ungiving solid walls, that take over so my poor jelly belly doesn't have to work.

At one point, the pony figured out that I had a hold of that outside rein and wasn't going to give up.  She was angry.  Really angry.  In the middle of trying to turn a circle, she attempted to take control back.  I stayed steady.  She somehow managed to get both back feet off the ground, kicking in opposite directions her eye rolled back to glare at me (Arabs can do this no matter what position you're in.  It's their weird rubber necks.).  Her little nose was wrinkled and tight and she hunched her back up, grunting furiously at me.  I stayed firm and still and asked for her shoulders again.  She huffed one last time, kicked a last leg out in protest and moved her shoulders.  And we were off.  Working trot.  Reaching into contact.  Forward motion.

So today, I'm sitting with my sore muscles (I'm sure my pony is too) and reveling in the fact that we have turned another corner.  Maybe all the time off did us some good.