Well Lola and I had sort of a check up tonight, an evaluation of where her training is and how she is perceived by an objective party; I had a LESSON!
Now first lessons are a little nerve wracking because, let's face it, we're trying to impress, and usually it is more evaluation than work. Especially in this case, where I've never had any sort of feed back on her training or progress. Everyone in the barn comments on how sweet she is, how well behaved she is, or how friendly she is. I've even had a good comment from a mom who thought she was such a brave and steady horse for standing still at the tie rail while she and her two kids worked very hard to roll one of those 250lb barrels of feed past Lola into the grain room! Now I've had someone really look at where her training is at, and the verdict was good!
The trainer thought that Lola was doing really well for 2 months under saddle. We talked about the things that are harder for Lola, and why that is, and it all comes down to her being young and unbalanced, and they are totally normal things for a horse at this point in training and physical condition. This was so good to hear. I know quite a bit, and I feel like I'm doing a pretty darn good job training her, but I'm not a professional so I don't have a point of reference to see if I'm not pushing her enough (which is my natural tendency with horses) or pushing her too fast for things she is not ready for. Sounds like I'm right in the happy medium, she's coming along at a normal pace. It was a good reminder of how long it takes horses to build the strength to physically do what you're asking in a way that is comfortable enough to not either stress them out or make them overly tired, sore, and sour.
She gave me two exercises to work on over the next few weeks, so we have some homework. This is fantastic because I was getting bored with our exercises, so I'm sure Lola would have quickly followed. Plus these are things that will really help us move forward in her training. So we've got a few more building blocks to put in, and I'm feeling really good that I haven't left any gaping holes in what she should know by now.
Anyway, its an awesome feeling to see that all my hard work shows in her training, but more than that, I got to hear the trainer point out some of her great features. I think she's a darling sweet horse with a whole lot of sense about her, a good nature, and a fantastic work ethic, but I'm also her owner and although its only been a few months, I'm totally in love with her. So it was nice to hear that someone with a more objective eye was seeing those characteristics also.
Overall it was a great way to end an otherwise hectic and stressful day. Thank God for horses!!
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