So... yeah... I am still at the point in my life where I just can't do Tuesday dressage lessons. I am still liking the ability to sleep in a little if I want.. hack.... jump if I want. And... yesterday I ended up with 4 migraines in a 24 hour period and adjusted 12 horses and a dog and then had to come home and clean the house because someone wanted to look at it today. So I was super glad I had not committed to a lesson. I was torn on what to do. Part of me wanted to jump XC becacuse... I'm showing Saturday and ... you know, practice. Part of me wanted to jump stadium because the course was still up from the Ashland show. And part of me thought.... don't break it! Just... jump with Kelly on Thurdsay (although I'm guessing I will get monsooned out... :( ) and you guys don't NEED to school XC because... it's not the XC that is the issue... So I didn't. I decided not to jump and possibly mess it up. Plus no one else was out there and technically I'm not supposed to jump. So I put on my dressage saddle and off we went. 
We started off with a short hack, which turned into a slightly longer than usual hack because Danny was in a power walking mood and it was so nice out. Then we went and did our dressage. He was SUPER!!! Our left lead canter feels amazing!! Our right lead is still a struggle. He just doesn't want to soften at the base of the neck on that lead and lift his back and I can't figure out how to fix myself to make it easy for him. But we did get some nice canter work on that side and at the very end it was even really nice. We also got a actual legit 3 loop serpentine on the right and left leads! Whoo hoo. We played a little with picking up the right lead vs the left lead no matter where the rail was and he got all the leads every time! :) :) We did some shoulder in and some haunches in (renvers?? I can't ever remember). We also played with some half pass at the trot and even a little attempt at the canter. :) Trot is sort of coming along.. the canter... not so much, but... he did go sideways a little. :) So then... I decided that I wanted to go up to the jump ring and just..... I don't know, maybe go over one crossrail to prove that I can still maintain forward. (Because oh, we did a lot of "leg means go" in our dressage ride). So we hacked up there and the jumps were all set at Beginner Novice Height. Well darn.... I did walk Dan over to the skinny and we knocked the top rail down so it was super small. And so I picked up the canter (and he was a firecracker with that.. no real shock and awe needed!) and off we went. He jumped it out of stride, and really almost supermanned it. Hee hee. We did it 3 or 4 times and almost ran past the distance a few times, but..the point is.. he went when I said went and we had forward! So... then, I couldn't help myself. I popped him over the oxer that he wouldn't go over on the show... both directions. And he went. Happily. Willingly. Forwardly. ;) (That's Cindy's word!). So whoo hooo!!!
It was sooooo tempting to just do the whole course. But... dressage saddle! I was tempted to go back and change tack, but... instead, we were good. We walked around the woods a bit more and then called it a day.
And then that night... we snuggled a little. :) He was silly! Sassy, but sweet.
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