Mustang Saga

Well, Tonka unseated me again today. Ugh. This time my foot got caught in the stirrup. Tore up my hand even worse, because I wasn't letting go until my foot came loose, which it did pretty quickly. My boot had come half off too, so I suppose I'd have gotten free even if he dragged me a few feet. (Good argument for slip-on cowboy boots, not lace-ups) Gosh I bet that looked funny... I keep going from laughing to being totally upset about it. My pants are all full of sand... I don't think I landed on my tailbone this time though, because it's not any more sore than it was. I think I did hit the back of my head. Again, thank goodness for that soft sand. I was also wearing my helmet, but as I found last winter when I landed on frozen ground, it still hurts to hit your head with a helmet on. I feel more rattled today. Yes, I got back on. AFTER Todd did. I wish I could ride like him. He lunged him with the whip threaded through his stirrups, (the whip was the scary object again) and then he rode him and flicked the whip around Tonka's legs, sometimes getting it caught. Then somehow it got knotted on one back leg, dragged all around, then wrapped around the other, and he kicked out and didn't like it, but got over it. I didn't ride him with it tied to his leg, I'm not quite that brave. But we went over and over and backed over and over, and he still wasn't 100% comfortable. The thing that's gotten me both times though, is that he seemed pretty much okay with it, and I thought he was fine, then he freaked and jumped up, forward, and around all at once, and there I went. Yesterday Todd made it sound like he didn't do much, but I watched it today and while it's not a buck, it's a BIG movement. My sister reassured me that I usually have a good seat, so I don't feel quite as much like a failure, but jeez... My poor horse. He gets scared and his rider isn't there for him... Literally... Hee hee.

He was pretty hot when I got done, and I went and hosed him off. He did great with that. Todd's been working on that with him, I guess the first time he thought he was going to die. But today he just stood there, and lipped at the water a bit.

So now Todd's going to work on roping his legs from the saddle, and stuff like that. His problem is a combination of fear of the thing tangling him up and fear of the movement of the thing even when it doesn't catch him...

On the way there I was about ready to give in to John and go pick Tonka up tonight, and then do lessons with someone here 3 days a week or something. But now I'm really glad I have Todd to work on this stuff for me. I still need to do it too, of course, but this way it'll be done daily by someone who is NOT going to come off...

I think my leg got twisted. The one that was stuck in the stirrup. Not too bad right now but I better keep moving and take some ibuprophen.

Hope you're all having more success than me!