Baby Maestro goes boom and other random updates

So two weeks ago from yesterday (why yes I’m behind and also owe you a show recap too!) it was a fairly nice Sunday for a quick flat ride with my friend D who I don’t get to ride with often enough. I had already done walk trot canter the first direction and we were trotting around the second way and working on lifting his back and moving off my leg. The ring was mostly dry with some muddy spots randomly throughout. I had trotted up the quarter line and was almost to the end of the ring when the pony lost his footing, stumbled a bit, and then there we were on the ground together (except it all happened in slow mo and I thought for a second he might save it). Maestro got right up then looked at me with a clear indication that he was shocked to have ended up in that position and thought he might be in trouble. I assured him he was okay as I got up and walked over to him. I walked him around in hand a bit before hopping back on. He didn’t really want to do anything more but I figured it would be good for us. We carefully picked our way around and did a lap of trot followed by a little canter before calling it a day. Maestro skinned his knees and his left shoulder a bit while also coating himself in quite a bit of footing. I escaped with a sore side and  neck from holding my head up (my helmet was spotless) as well as some road rash on my elbow to go with some holes in my sunshirt. Really pretty lucky.

Examining our splat mark

One dirty pony and tack

One of his ouchie knees

My elbow before the bruise really set in

The pony got some bute and Monday off before we got back to work in preparation for our show the following weekend. He never seemed any worse for wear thankfully.

So that’s how I ended a streak of over 11 years since a horse (Stampede) last fell with me, although the results weren’t as bad this time. Incidentally, both of my falls like this have happened on Sundays while tracking right and trotting. I’m pretty sure it took me about 10 years to get over obsessing about staring at footing after the last fall, but this time it is mostly a fear of riding in muddy conditions. You can guess what the weather has been doing here lately…

In other pony news, the chestnuts got fly sheets and have started wearing them. It bothers me a bit that we pretty much went from blankets to fly sheets but they do seem much happier to have them when the bugs are so bad.

Full bug armor engaged

Poor P says the sheet does bad things for his figure

A few weeks ago my mom stole my dirty horse blankets from the barn and washed them for me because she’s amazing. I really just wanted her to let me borrow her power washer but I won’t complain! I was very amused when she had put labels on the blanket bags she returned them in. Can you guess who is her favorite grandhorse?

Totally fitting for Mr. P

He also got the biggest blanket bag

At what age do I have to stop calling him the baby?