King of the Derps

I know I mentioned my fun little catch ride, and holy smokes is he kicking my butt - in a good way.  Today I was convinced we were finally going to have one of those rides where I end up in the dirt and he ends up with a crop across his backside, but in sprite of an ominous start, he was a gracious mount for my lesson.  We worked on some tricky (for me) bending line exercises with poles.  I continue to be impressed at how much harder pole work is for me than jumps.  I know why but still, every time it shocks me.  Nothing makes me feel remedial faster than not being able to get to a pole on the ground...

I will say that my core has to be much more engaged on this guy than it does on Prairie, for one thing he's got a sneaky little kick out/lurch/jolt that will get the best of me if I'm sitting like a loose sack of potatoes.  For another, Prair's massive shoulder and neck mean that I can lean off one side or lay down without having a tangible effect on her balance.  With this guy, a 2" adjustment of my upper body drastically throws him around, so it's keeping me accountable, and maybe starting to resurrect my poor, post baby tummy. 

Maybe.

Mostly though he's a hysterical dude.  he is all derp faces and klutz, where Prair offers more of a unimpressed mare stare and caution.

I don't know what this is, but it's *not* the look of eagles.

Whatever he is, it's good for me and hopefully I'll be a stronger, more balanced rider for Prair when she needs it.