"The Face" and "The Look"

If you spend enough time with me, you'll notice that I'm not shy.

Okay, okay. If you spend ANY time with me, you'll notice I'm not shy.

If you come watch me ride in one of my lessons, you'll notice that I'm kind of a smart ass.

If you come watch me TEACH one of my lessons, you'll notice that in addition to me being a smart ass, most of my students are wiseacres.

What you WON'T believe... is that the most SASSY of my students... are the kids!!! Amanda and Tori have it in SPADES.

Amanda is 12 and Tori is 11.

I feel like, maybe, just maybe, they were shy when I got them as students.

It somehow seems familiar that I used to have to FORCE Amanda to answer questions... even with a nod...

NOT ANY MORE.

I got on Audrey today to show Tori how to make her bend. When I tossed her back on, Audrey turned her head to look at me and Tori said "Look Lauren! She can bend!" Her mom caught it on camera. Look at the face Tori is making.

Where have you seen that face before?

Yeah. That's the same face I make when I've just made some smarty pants comment.

Tori also makes this face when I correct her about something silly in a lesson. Like when she's on the wrong diagonal and I say something like "Whats the first thing we check when we start to trot?" and she simply changes her diagonal and gives me "the face."

Amanda has the same face. And MAN can she sass me. She makes a point to let me know when I've got the wrong diagonal or if my heels aren't quite down or something like that. And if I ask her a stupid question, she has ALWAYS got a stupid response for me. I laugh SO HARD when I teach these kids.

 This isn't quite Amanda's smarty-pants face, but think I was explaining to her how if Jazz had a refusal it was ALL AMANDA'S FAULT, so I know she's getting ready to say something sassy. 

I've refined it a little bit since then, but I obviously had it at a very young age...

At any rate... I think I have a pretty good start on giving "the look" to give back to "the face"... but I'm waiting until I master it one day. In the meantime, I have some pretty good inspiration...

 That's the one.

See? I'll get it one day.