Handing Over The Reins, Part II

I started June receiving a denial from my insurance for the medicine my doctor ordered. A definite low point when I was already having to use sick leave and feeling bad. So my insurance snail mailed the options they would allow and we started the process all over again.
Well amidst that drama, a friend contacted me on my birthday and asked why I was not riding. I told her about my health decline. She asked if Roscoe's dance card was full and if she could ride him. Hell yes!

This is a friend we met years ago when I put out a request for someone to ride Winston. She was the one brave enough to take on an arab who takes off in an open field. She got Winston to the point where we could ride and enjoy him.

Three teens riding the three cobs on the 4th of July

Roscoe now gets worked twice a week, on Wednesday by the teenager and on Saturday by our friend. Mom is able to help the girls ride both the red boys. They kind of get a dressage lesson while Mom makes sure the boys don't slack off. Then on Saturday, Roscoe gets a mental and physical work out with our friend. She got the feel of him the first ride and he tested his limits. It was pretty amazing to see Roscoe change under her guidance. His holes were obvious and she began to plan what to work on to fix them. One of the first is to get him to go straight. Even as little as he is, he can feel like a wiggly worm. It makes asking him to do lateral really hard. When she rides I can see some of what Lauren is trying to get me to do.

Last Saturday, she worked on getting him elastic in his posture. She took him from long and low, to a working frame and even onto a more upper frame raising his base. Roscoe's ears were on her with this new challenge. She was a little unsure if he was cheating since she normally rides bigger horses. Her boyfriend came and took pictures so she could review and see what Roscoe was doing. At one point she asked him to open his trot in the upper frame and asked if he could be rounder. I told her he definitely could because he looked like the horse chess piece. Roscoe improves each ride and shows hints of what he could be capable of in the future. She ends the more recent rides by running through a first level test. Roscoe had his mind blown when she did 1-3. They are no where near ready, but it is fun to see him thinking really hard.

It is a bit of a drive for her to come ride, so I was really happy when she asked if she could still ride when I was feeling better. Definitely. Roscoe is happy and being challenged in a way that I do not have the education to give him. She is even talking about showing next year. I may have to save my pennies and get him registered with USEF. I hate being sick, but the fact that it has brought the opportunity to share Roscoe with others has been a good aspect. I wish I could improve as quickly as Roscoe. Now to find some short cheek pieces so Roscoe can wear the bridle she brought. We put him in a loose ring and a flash so he does not open his mouth too much to avoid the cues. Cob heads can be tough to fit.

And not to be forgotten, here is 3.0 "Turbo" who earns his name by zooming around. Such a cutie!