So, besides Woody putting Liza on the ground, Schooling went GREAT (6/10/2010)

Phase one of get Woody’s shit back together began on Tuesday when we took him to Rubicon for XC Schooling a’la Liza. As mentioned, there was a incident wherein Liza and Woody parted company.

That was towards the end of the school, and after Addie and Sheri galloped over hill n’ dale and ponied him back, Liza got back on and finished the fixing. It might have been close to done before if Woody hadn’t spooked at the edge of the water (at NOTHING) jumped straight up in the air, squirrled around in a pretzel, and landed straight legged. They were SO doing nothing, that Liza was sitting on him all relaxed, one handed on a loose rein. This was precariously close to tadpole filled waters and Woody then high tailed it back to the trailers. Liza said it was adaptive behavior, cause she probably would have murdered him had he stayed around

I will admit to enjoying Ozzy’s penchant to stand, stare and judge after there was an involuntary dismount.

Ozzy–> 

Woody – -> 

The day began with her jumping him over 2-3 fences, galloping by me and saying, “Yep, Lisa, he’s being kind of a douche, don’t know why, don’t care, but it’s going to stop today!” I’m sure I HAD to have done something to create the monster, but we can’t pinpoint it. She also told me that it feels NOTHING like it looks and she understood why I was getting so frustrated when she’d tell me to do one thing, I’d try it, and it wouldn’t work.

He’s SUCH a weird little horse. I mean genuinely weird. Liza LOVES him but every time we have to suss something out she marvels in his bizarreness. He’s this unexplainable combination of brave and chickenshit and cocky and needy. I’m still trying to find a character from a TV show/movie that describes him and I’m failing.

By the time the day was over Woody was looking more like the machine I had last year. Liza is just the perfect balance of firm, patient and calm that Woody needs to engage his brain.

I of course took video.

I bought Liza lunch on the way home.  She was unscathed from her tumble, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve a burger from Fosters.