ok…so here is what I THOUGHT i was getting myself into last night-  a young girl who has been riding at 4 or 5 years, who has ridden both western and english (maybe 4-H, maybe WSCA).  Intermediate skill level, who had the basics down and was working on the finer points…

 As she was riding around on Calvin and i was watching, wondering if i should correct what she was doing wrong, i asked her mother if she has been taking lessons…”oh no, she just started riding about a year ago.  She has taken some lessons on how to run around the barrels, and gone to some fun shows and really seems to enjoy it”  and then to her daughter she says “hey honey-so how is this english thing different?  is it harder because there is no horn on the saddle?”  Come to find out the girl has never ridden in an english saddle.  Which is really ok, because the basics are generally the same…but poor Calvin has enough trouble balancing himself at this point, that trying to balance under an unbalanced rider was probably very frustrating and confusing to him.  I didn’t know how to politely offer my assistance over the next 8 weeks so that she would at least start learning what she was doing…It was pretty cute, because i could tell as she was walking around trying to get him to trot, he was misinterpreting her cues as going from the walk to the canter, something i was working very hard on prior to my riding hiatus…it was cute to watch him try these “advanced” skills with someone who was asking him for “beginning” skills.  I am sure he thought thats what she was asking for, and she just went with it so i am not too worried…yet…

I think i need someone who knows what they are doing to get on him every once in awhile, just to make sure he keeps his head in the right place.

And, now for my daily, funny, pregnant lady story-  i was in carribou this morning (the majority of these stories seem to take place there)

I order my new “thing”- medium coffee cooler, and the kid looks at me and says “jeez, do you always get the same thing?”  What i COULD have said was “No, it depends on the mood i am in”  but instead, i look at the kid and say “look, when you are 8 months pregnant and you find something that works, you stick with it, and never question a pregnant lady”.  He looked horrified and offered me a sample of their “guatemala light roast”.  The other guy working (who i have never seen before) says-  My wife is pregnant, I know how that goes.

Stupid kids.