Cob Jockey

On Sunday, Mary and Annie came down to ride, because next weekend, all THREE of us are riding Connor in the Welsh Central Regional show!

I definitely went "SQUEEEEEEEE" when I got this back from the show organizer with all THREE of our names on it!

Annie had to practice, and for once, she wanted to go first. She is so excited to ride since I got her her Annie-sized saddle.

It is almost inconceivable to me that any human is small enough to need these stirrup leathers, and yet...

Just in the past couple of months, Annie has grown a ton and has also gotten a lot stronger in her back erector muscles. The result is that she's sitting like a little grown-up, and it's the perfect time for her first leadline class.

I hadn't gotten the baby stirrups that are now on the leadline saddle at the time, so she's in my MDC's in these photos, which are, uh, not ideal, lol.

That little Wintec leadline saddle with its molded plastic handle in the front of it has given her so much confidence. She asks to ride, she asks to "jump" progressively bigger "jumps", and she's willing to do things like put her arms out to the sides, pet Connor on the neck, and do other things that would have scared her six months ago. It's a fun progression to watch.

The biggest jump Annie has "jumped" to date

We did almost have our first incident on Sunday! I had brought a bunch of stuff to the barn in an IKEA bag and put it all away while Mary was tacking Connor up. While Annie was riding, the wind blew that bag all the way down the barn aisle and into the indoor.

Connor has this "Annie speed" I've only ever seen him do with her, where he puts each foot down very slowly and deliberately. I am trying hard not to anthropomorphize, but he really does take care of her.

To Connor's credit, although he grew a foot taller and he was blowing, he didn't spook or bolt or really move a muscle. He just stared at it and snorted, which gave Mary time to grab Annie and me time to grab the bag. I don't think I've ever been prouder of him than I was in that moment, when he took care of Annie even though he was legitimately scared of that bag.

Also pink sparkle boots, because duh, he's every little girl's dream pony.

It's so fun to watch Annie grow up with him. Last weekend was her first time riding in stirrups, her first time "in two point" over jumps, and her first time telling her mom "No, I can do it!". She's also almost grown into the tiniest TuffRider breeches I could find last Christmas. 

Totally treasuring every single one of these pictures <3

Can't WAIT for this show!