Revisiting and Redefining Perceptions
amywink December 12th, 2011
I had a very successful visit with Blessing this weekend. And I had a wonderful surprise when I got there. Malen had saddled Blessing to help her respond better to the bit and I got to see the most adorable Western pony I’ve seen in a long long time. Maybe ever.
She is doing spectacularly well–in my opinion!–and every time I see her, she’s developed more muscle and balance and becoming a quite lovely mare. She’s also showing off her character. She’d only been under saddle one day when I saw her and took it all like a champ, without any issue or even resistance. While I was there, Malen began to show her how to yield to the bit and Blessing responded very calmly as she worked to figure it out 
Seeing Blessing under saddle made me think hard about what I wanted for her and for myself. I don’t think I ride very well but it has always been a desire in the back of my mind. I’d wanted to ride and drive Will when I bought him but things didn’t work out as well for that desire as I had hoped but because I love driving so much, it didn’t really matter any more that I didn’t ride.
Until Saturday.
Suddenly, it was like the first Ride for Nickel Grocery Store Pony I ever saw was right there waiting for me and I had plenty of nickels. For a kid who grew up watching old Roy Rogers movies on Saturday morning and Lone Ranger in black and white and color, there’s just something about a pony in a nice western saddle. And that old desire rushed up all over me and I had to figure out what to do about it.
So, after lots of advice from friends, I’m revisiting my perceptions of my riding skills and have planned to take a riding lesson in the very near future. Once I have a new understanding of my abilities, I may add riding to Blessing’s training regime. She’ll still be a driving pony and her brother is waiting on her return and their future as a pair remains unchanged. Except, she may be a riding pony too.
How could I resist this?
Always keep an open mind! She is pretty stunning!