It's hard to tell how fast Ruby is going here, sometimes her weave poles, since last year when she was not so sound off and on, can be really slow. Not really slow like, I am just walking through the weaves here, but not speeding thru with her head down and forward at top speed. Which they are when we practice, usually the first few times through, then they get slower. This picture is funny, the poles look so tight, but there are 12 of them and they are 21 inches apart, 1 set pf poles is way longer than it looks in the photo. This would be called Foreshortening and what a good example of uses of perspective.
I have been treating her a lot when we practice for really fast poles. But I am also on the fence about how much to practice poles. If they do make her sore-that back and forth and hard action on that right shoulder-then they're going to maker her slow. So I can ice her shoulder, give her antiimflammatories, like I do for my knee. Or not practice much and when I do, give her a big huge treat? I dunno. The only thing that we really need to work on with the poles is doing them at far, Masters Gamblers distance. She has a mean entry from anywhere, and is really solid in them otherwise. The only time she has popped a pole in my memory is last years big Labor Day Show Steeplechase Finals, when we had a great time and I rushed her out of the poles at almost the end of the course, totally blowing her chances to win maybe $8 or so!
We are back to class tonight. I may give Ruby a break and run my teacher's dog instead with Pop and let her relax and have a couple weeks off. I have to think of some good things to teach the students too. One of the students moved back to Switzerland over the break. And another riding student mom (mom of 2 paying kids) called yesterday and said they just cannot deal with the drive and they are putting the kids into an afterschool program called Pony Pals instead. Ok. Sounds great. They were beginners, Pony Pals should be just fine for them instead of me chasing them around trying to get their horses to trot more than 2 steps in a row. But that is 2 more paying customers gone. Augh. I have a feeling it is going to be a thin summer and then in the fall will build up more but am going to somehow have to weather a summer of no money. I am too old for this. The moms just like to drive 15 minutes to a barn, no matter how crappy. They don't care. It's not worth it to them to drive 40 minutes to a barn that is good for horses. Likely not a good long term customer when that happens.
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