playing catch up

wow, i didn't realize how many days i've not updated..sorry for the delay! i have been on my grind so hard the past few days; audition, photoshoot, and my play tonight. i've really been working extremely hard. i would love a break soon! but at the same time i am feeling oh so good about myself lately; Granny would be proud!! i think of her often while i'm working, and how i wish she could see me. i know she's watching. 
anyway, here's the story about my lesson last saturday.
first off, i was stressed the night before because i was booked for a double lesson on saturday, first one at 8am, the next at 830. i was stressing because i couldn't fall asleep and in order to get to Mill Creek on time, i would have to leave by 630am. this was just a disaster waiting to happen. see i have this awful subconscious habit of unwittingly turning my alarm off in my sleep...convenient right?
sure enough, i woke up at 8am on saturday in a panic; saw the time and had a mini heartattack...i called MC and Lindsey, the instructor, ripped into me. "you bum!! where do you think you are?!" among other remarks. i had that early morning, just-woke-up robot voice too, so i was sufficiently embarrassed. i apologized profusely and did some groveling, and finally Lindsey said to get my [Butt] there ASAP because there was a 9am cancellation. at this point i was trying to put my breeches on backwards, and that sure lit a fire under me. i had 45min to get there, and it's an hour drive. 
needless to say, i made it with 5 minutes to spare, they threw Zory at me and i booked it to the back ring where Lindsey met me with an icy stare. i don't blame her. i took full blame for my sloth. 
once we were past the annoyance, Lindsey started asking what my goals were, and what level i would need to compete at to make the US paraequestrian team. we discussed things, and she reminded me that Mette Rosencrantz had given  her old GP horse, Basquewille, to a para rider. i already knew this, and it refreshed my enthusiasm for being linked to people like this. 

one handed pirouette. if she can do it, i can!

lindsey asked me to warm up by trotting in a progressively smaller circle around some jumps; first a 20m circle, then 3m away from the first track we made, then 3m smaller etc. until we were trotting in about a 5m circle in the arena. every time i made one side of the circle smaller or asymmetrical, we'd have to repeat laps. Lindsey is big on accuracy; which is, essentially, dressage. then we would spiral back out slowly to the original 20m circle. this helped Zory really pay attention to my leg and not cut in, and made me be very vigilant about keeping her from falling in at the shoulder. then we did it at the canter, without going to the smallest circle; and it was definitely a tough exercise. it takes massive leg strength to steer a horse at the canter when i am using normal reins instead of a bar rein! the rein situation is still an issue at Mill Creek; i've got to figure out how to get a new pair. it will literally amp up my training 10fold! once i'm not worrying about something so basic as steering anymore, i'll be able to get some real work done. this was about all we had time for on saturday, since it was only a half hour lesson, but thankfully no vicious coyotes came down to the ring that morning! Lindsey's parting words of the day were, "once you start using a bar rein, i'm going to expect so much more out of you." sounds like a challenge to me. BRING IT ON!!!