It was an absolute whirlwind of a 4-day weekend, with a super successful ending to a great start.

Fridays I usually don’t work so I can get my weekly errands done, so I took the day to get the barn cleaned up and rearranged for winter. Friday night a friend and I went to dinner at the Daily Grill and then to the 10:30pm show at the DC Improv. The comedian’s name was Bob Marley, and he is best known for setting the World Record for longest stand up comedy. The guy is absolutely hilarious, though I will admit when he first came on stage we were thinking he was a bit out of control! Overall it was an awesome show.

Saturday I had a lesson in the morning with Cathy Fredrickson, and we had an extremely productive lesson working on Wanda’s movement and my body position. By the end of the lesson I was feeling much more comfortable with the tools I had to control the horse. Saturday afternoon I went wine tasting with some new friends at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. I had never realized there was a winery so close to my house! The wine wasn’t my favorite. Plus they only grow one type of grape there, so their red wines are all imported-grapes. Still a fun time. Afterward, I met up with my best girl friend, and we made stops at Fat Tuesdays, Red Lobster, and Patriots Cafe before calling it a night.

Sunday was a relaxing day, and I was able to hang out and watch TV in the morning. Mom and I took a trip to Dover Saddlery to pick up a few horsey things, and I bought a new pair of body clippers to take off some of Wanda’s winter coat. When we got home, I gave her a quick bath and trimmed her up as much as I could before it got too dark.

Monday morning I loaded Wanda and mom up in the truck & trailer and drove the 3 hours to True Prospect Farm for a lesson with Phillip Dutton. I hadn’t been back there since I stopped working for him in April, so I was a bit nervous! Definitely had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome to see the old co-workers (Jennie, Ryan, Susanna, Emma, Silva, Sara, Phillip and Evie!) and great to get a one-hour lesson with Phillip for the first time in a few months! He had me working on a lot of the same things Cathy did, and helped me get over our little ‘down-bank’ issue. We also did a few more complicated x-country obstacles, like a coffin, road-crossing, and prelim log down in to water. I was surprised at how well Wanda adapted to the new questions, and felt so much better about the work I’ve done this summer. I was definitely not riding well when I left True Prospect last Spring, and finishing this lesson without hearing ‘terrible!’ or ‘do this again’ or ‘we’ll come back to it another day’ made it that much more rewarding. I can thank Cathy for that one 🙂