Great Day!

 Ahhhh, Saturday! I slept in a tiny bit and got the animals fed. Then Dan and I headed out to Ashland for a ride. The jumper show was happening so he started out a little distracted, but settled quite nicely. We had a pretty good ride. We did the same stuff we did Thursday and had similar results. Lots of really good moments, including one amazing medium trot across the diagonal. Kelli said it looked superb and was our best one yet! Yahoo!! We also had some really good 3 loop serpentines with him staying collected and balanced and even able to change the bend but not motorcyling or swapping! Although the very last one... he might... might... might... have swapped super clean and quick from the right to the left lead. Which would be the hard way I think. He was going nicely and all of a sudden I was like "Did you swap?" and about 4 strides after I thought that, he broke to a very balanced trot. So... hmmmm. Oh well. We did some semi-decent trot and canter half passes too and some good stretchy walk. 

Then we went on a shortish hack with Kelli and Marvin. They splashed in the lake a bit. And then we came across Indi so Dan got in a minute or two of bitey face with him. As we were finishing up our hack... Kelli asked if I wanted to take Dan for a gallop. She said that she knew her "nephew" was itching for it. I giggled and agreed. I actually was going to let him have a lap at the halfshire hay field but we got distracted talking and I forgot. So, we did. We did two little burn outs in the XC field. Much harder to do in a dressage saddle! But Dan and I both had fun. He dropped a gear and went super fast. :) Not just a canter, but a legit gallop. Yay! Fun! And after... despite doing a 45 min hard dressage school, hacking for another 45 min to an hour, and two quck pipe openers... he wasn't even breathing heavy. :) I mean.. he was after dressage but that was due to the heat and he was working hard. Yay for fitness.

Then we hosed off and headed to Taylors farm for his massage with Kathleen. He was super. He's getting into his bodywork. Much less fidgety and much more cooperative and he is definitely enjoying it. Kathleen is so good with him too! And for him! She said he felt and looked amazing. I agree!! :) Yay! The weird new tension she felt last time was gone too! 

Then we came home and he enjoyed the rest of the day while I went and unloaded 60 bales of hay with Peri and then raced home to unload my 50 bales of alfalfa, which unfortunately... most got wet. So they are in the barn aisle hopefully drying out. 

 

Tomorrow I plan to get up and go hack... a nice w/t/c through the woods in the jump saddle day. :) I'm soooooo tempted to take Funny. We'll see. She's so bored. I just don't want him to get super attached before AEC's, but.. maybe I will. We've got three weeks still til AEC's. EEEEEEKKKKKKKSSS! Still... as fabulous as he was today.. I"m getting excited. Although it's a shame we won't be able to show off our 3 loop serpentine or our medium trot. ha ha!