What did we do before internet?

So my internet is back. Yay! I'm typing from the comfort of my bed. Well, at least I would be comfortable if Patrick hadn't busted my butt yesterday.

Yes, I decided to pick a little fight with him yesterday while I hacked him. Amanda had jumped him Tuesday afternoon, and he was very well behaved, but he was fighting her contact a little bit. I decided this was a developed bad habit (it's started since I've begun putting less experienced riders on him) and that I was going to work on it Wednesday when I rode him.

Well, he decided that he wanted a say in it, and he always gets rotten when that happens. It's been a while since we had a battle of wills, and this time, he got a good hit in. At the canter, he started acting stupid, so I brought him down to a halt, and asked him to back up. Instead, he went up on his back legs, and dropped to the ground. It's not even like he reared and lost his balance. He deliberately just fell over. Thankfully, since it was deliberate, there was enough momentum to throw me free of the saddle, so all I wound up with was a headache, a buttache, and a squashed foot (which only happened because when he went to stand up, he stepped on it). Anyways, when we landed, I managed to hold onto the rein that was against the ground, so he couldn't immediately get up. I made him lay there until I felt like he had 'thought about what he did' (which really translates into 'I couldn't move yet and I didn't want him getting up until I could get out of his way').

Ah, the joys of training babies. Needless to say, after that I grabbed my dressage whip and my 'no nonsense' attitude and made him canter around until I felt like I had his attention. We were not happy with one another at the end of the day, but at least he finished on a good note. This 'rearing as an escape from doing the right thing' has just got to stop, but for some reason, he only does it with me. Of course.

Anyways, what with a sore butt and all (I legit thought I broke my foot and tailbone) I just lunged Patrick and Bailey today. Naturally, Patrick was a total superstar on the lunge. We did transitions at all paces, and he was super stretched out through his topline, and was almost floating around me. Go figure. I think it made me even more mad at him. Bailey, as usual, putzed along at the world's slowest trot and did a couple of walk/trot transitions.

Now, after consuming yet more Advil, I'm going to curl up with a movie and not think about horses for a while.

Oh, but I did get the job! I start August 16th. I'm pretty excited to be making money and working again. I think it's really going to work out well for me!