dancinghorse | One More Day on the Hamster Wheel

Counting the days till the deadlines are done. It's a weird combination of being excited about the projects but being worn ragged by the timeframe I have to do them in--totally enjoying the worlds and characters and the story-crafting per se but slogging through the page quotas. This year everything just happened to bunch up at this end of the year. Usually the deadlines are more spread out.

Believe me, after I finish book number three-in-a-row, I am taking a month off.

So. Anyway. Book's done and handed in to happy editor at Roc. Collaboration, version 2.0, is done and sent off to happy collaborator for round three and last--did that this afternoon. Now, finally, to the last of the three, which really really really needs to be done by the end of November. I'm starting to eye the big block of interruption called World Fantasy and wonder if I can do it. It will seriously throw me off my stride. But there are Other Considerations. Urg.

In the Horse Neep category, we are working on Aids, Contact, and Transitions. Capria had Sunday's lesson, and transitions were the order of the day--quality of gait going in, quality of transition, quality of gait coming out. I've taught Capria over the years to ignore my half-halts and blow off aids in general, also to drop her back and go llama-neck and ignore me like totally. So in its way it's very good training for riding da Pook, who needs my aids to be perfect so he won't ever learn to blow them off. The thing I do most is stand up when her back drops, pitch forward when her butt comes up, and try to get her to get her head back down by lowering my hands. Wrong on all counts. So, we worked on hands up (forearms light, elbows heavy, front open, shoulderblades down), seat down into her back, sit back so she can't throw me out of the saddle in the first place. When I didn't snap back to default, it worked. She liked it. Back up and soft, reaching into the bit, soft boingy gaits. "You just need to ride me right, Mom!"

Keed's been doing his dressage with Teacher and his trails with me. He's unbelievably hatracky--worst growth phase he's been in since he was 5. If I hadn't seen Ylla at his age--oy, she was arful--I would be seriously worried. As it is, I'm expecting him to go sploop! next year and become a swan. Right now the Ugly Duckling part is all there is. Still, he's happy, and he's working well--we were out yesterday evening moseying around down in the big wash. He was disgruntled when I said we had to head home--it was getting dark.

Da Pook has graduated to Trail Stallion First Class. He's alternating between ring work and trail work. We have some serious hills around here, and he's building up topline like mad, which translates into much better ring work and much better trot under saddle. Unlike Capria, when he gets tense he gives me his back--he wants me there giving him a full-body hug--and he hates to go hollow. That makes him a lot easier to keep together when things get tricky. That old guy who kept his horse from going bananas when a helicopter landed next to him was using his seat--and he was riding a Lipizzaner. Relative of da Pook, actually. The rider was one of the best there was, but I have a feeling the horse was helping him.

He's teaching me a Lot about Aids and Contact. Aids have to be extremely light and extremely precise. No pulling or tensing up. Timing has to be just so. Hand-riding doesn't work. Got to use seat. But contact has to be just right or he lets me know it. On trails he wants me all around him, quiet but ready to help if he needs anything. He is awesome on hills--strong and balanced, and with those big, boingy gaits, the steep, rough stuff is extremely interesting. It is cool to go down a steep, rocky hill using aids for collected walk and feel him tuck his butt under and lift his withers.

He Does Not Spook. He may look, sidle, or in extremity snort, but that's it. Compared to keed, who, with Ayrab Side Up, can be a whirling dervish, Pooka is as solid as a rock. He is a very good Trail Stallion.

Next up: Finally get Camilla back under saddle. She seems to be getting over whatever was bothering her through the summer. I knew the World's Biggest Mover was back yesterday when she executed, for the first time in months, one of her patented combo moves. I dubbed this one a courbouette. Gallop forward, rear up, go airborne, whirl around in midair, come down, gallop off. Cross between a courbette and a pirouette. Babies do these things, but this is 1100 pounds of extra-chunky. I do love my Mo' Powah Girl. The Galaxy-Class Starship is back!