Grotty Groom found her inner dressage diva for the first time in a few years!

Today Baggy had booked Grotty Groom her first riding lesson in over two years, possibly even three! Yes bloggees, it was well overdue.  But as Grotty has just not been able to trot Wesley properly in the school since her surgery, Freda Fretter was getting worried. Worried that Wesley was in pain. He isn't, as confirmed by his physiotherapy yesterday. Worried that Grotty did not have the strength and was totally wonky and making him go badly. Worried that she will be wasting hundreds of pounds, if she can't even trot a straight line before heading to Ashen Equestrian Centre in three weeks time. So worried in fact that on the way to the yard, Hormonal Hannah had put Baggy into a bit of a panic! She convinced Grotty that it would all go horribly wrong. Ridiculous, considering just how beautifully Wessles has been behaving and how chilled out he is. Also her instructor is also a good friend, who although Baggy hasn't really seen her in all that time, knows Baggy and Wesley well.

So Baggy fought off Hannah's tears on the way to the yard and had a bit of faith in Grotty. Imagine, if you will, a top dressage horse and rider; all effortless movement with the rider looking as though they're not doing a lot. The horse, soft and relaxed with his nose in a vertical line and his bottom swinging powerfully as he glides across the arena. Now imagine Grotty on Wesley; all stiffness and drifting, with Grotty pulling faces as she is trying desperately to get Wesley to go in a straight line. Wesley's nose pointing at the sky and his back dipped with his bottom twisted sideways. Just visualise it as Grotty sitting on top of a fast, sideways moving banana and you'll be about right! So Clever Bird's plan was to get her trainer to get on him first. She had other plans! She wanted to see what the problem was first. Grotty hopped on and took a slightly spooky Wesley round the huge arena in walk. The wind had picked right up and haylage plastic was flapping threateningly from afar. But Baggy yacked away having a catch-up with her friend and explaining everything that has been going on. Talking equals breathing, which always helps, but actually Baggy was perfectly relaxed. Eventually, Grotty had to ask for trot. The moment she did, Wesley shot left in a diagonal line away from the track - nose skywards. The other rein wasn't quite so bad, but was still banana-shaped.

Grotty's trainer hopped on. Wesley immediately tried to do the same thing to her in walk! She used a little gentle persuasion to remind him what "proper" riding on-the-bit is. He fought back subtly, leaning his full weight on her right arm. She explained just how hard he was making it for her; Grotty understood, as he's been doing it to her for weeks, but the point was that she'd been letting him. Very quickly though, he realised that perhaps he'd better just get on with it, as "fighting" was even harder work, and suddenly he looked like Wesley the dressage diva. The trot which followed, was a soft relaxed glide. Grotty was delighted. Until her trainer said it was her turn, then blooming Hannah put all kinds of negative thoughts in her head. Clever Bird shooed Hannah off and Grotty hopped on. Within a few minutes Grotty and Wesley were in full dressage diva mode. Her trainer said that she should be videoing it as Grotty and Wesley both looked like divas! It was such a lovely feeling to feel "as one" with the Boy again - it's been a while and Freda Fretter had Grotty convinced that she could no longer ride well.

Baggy had the biggest grin on her face and agreed that she will enter a dressage competition later this summer! Hormonal Hannah laughed at her, but with her trainer's help, Grotty knows that she can do this. (Her next lesson is this Thursday and Creative Clara will try to remember to get some photos!) The point being that apart from the fact that Baggy always feels better when she's around horses, especially her own Boys, the moment that she is, (usually) every other thought/stress/worry/fear, instantly disappears and she lives in the moment. As a result Hannah tends to leave and Baggy's spirit is lifted. When she is driving to her stress management course tomorrow, Clever Bird will attempt to get Baggy to concentrate on that feeling. She actually reminded her that whenever Baggy needs to try to relax (just before her surgeries for instance), she always imagines herself with Wesley. Baggy has been Wesley's human for eleven years now and she cannot imagine him not being in her life........