Time on the Ground

Journey hasn't had any real saddle time, actually almost no saddle time since the CMO at Salamonie.  What I have been doing is working on yielding and respect from the ground.  A little piece at a time, and seeing small improvements and better overall attitude (though she's generally a pretty gregarious horse personality in the first place, she does though have her mare moods).   We did make it to Brown County State Park yesterday and the place was packed!  Being the first of December is was so weird riding in mid sixty degree temperatures, but I'm not complaining!  I met Teri there who had Journey from a newborn when her arabian mare was accidently bred by an appaloosa at her boarding facility.  Surprise!   I determined that Teri looked fabulous as she has lost 25 lbs. by "eating right."   She determined that Journey looked great as she has muscle definition after 800 miles of consistent trail work at the walk, trot, and a wee bit of canter.  Journey determined that she hadn't seen a hill for nigh on three months and probably thought I was trying to kill her.  We were riding in a group of four counting ourselves, and group riding is where Journey can really act up.  She bucked once when I didn't let her rush a steep uphill and an aaaaaaack! word made her quit, she broke gait once when the long striding gaited horses we were with had pushed her extended trot to the limit.  Otherwise, she was a good spotted pony, reasonably well-mannered, with me doing the driving.  Much more respectful with her her hoof handling, booting, loading, and general ground handling.  We've been working on "whoa means whoa" for a while and I hadn't made much ground on that, but have changed my tactics to if she steps forward out of whoa...she has to back up three steps, EVERY SINGLE TIME.  It is starting to make sense to her that holding still isn't too bad of a deal.  Bonus points for the back up improving as well.  It felt so good to be back out riding, especially with this funny female trio.  It was good for Journey to move slow and in a pack.  The thing it is very difficult for me to do.  I'm happiest trotting along, or loping a nice flat stretch.  But if Journey is going to be a mentally well-rounded horse she needs to learn all those things.  It was a good day.

And now my creaky back is out again.  I know when it is out because:

A)  If I attempt a  roll over in my sleep I wake myself up screaming from the sudden sharp pain.
B) If I elevate my left leg there is an audible popping sound between where the pelvic girdle in the rear intersects/attaches to the sacrum.
C) If I lay on the floor my left hip bone is higher than the right.
D) I can "feel" the instability of something intermittently moving back there.
E) It sucks being me some days!

LSEGH fixed me last time by pushing on my lower back something moved and just popped back into place and I was good to go for a month or so....not working this time.  I feel fine until I try to do something that requires leaning, or lay in the bed and try to roll over.  Bad joo-joo happens.  ~ E.G.