Weekend flip flopping

 So, my plan was to go to Hard Labor and hit the trails today and then tomorrow, dressage at home. That way there was a little bit more time between our frustrating ride and I've been itching to hit Hard Labor anyways. But Mike and I ended up doing things Saturday and then Liz could go ride with me Sunday, so I ended up dressaging at home Saturday. Mike and I had gotten the fourth mirror delivered (the fourth one broke before we could get it put up, but luckily it was the one that was already missing a corner anyways). So we put it up and tried to realign the mirrors as best as we could. The 3rd one is a little warped because our post is slightly offset, but... close enough. So it was kind of nice to be able to see how they worked. 

 

I tacked Dan up and checkes and adjusted his neck real quick. Then he got the bemer blanket on his neck as well as his leg boots, so... I'm not sure if that's what did the trick or if I just wasn't quite as insistent as Rana makes me be, but.. he did feel better. 

I took him up the hill twice as our warm up. Funny came galloping up behind us and hung with us for a little bit. Then when I got off and opened the gate and kept her from coming in, she got mad and went galloping off and went to hang back out with Fleck. ha ha.. Okay! 

Dan and I did our walk work homework - the square... turn on the haunches in the corners, and turn on the forehand in the middle. We used the mirror to make sure that the hind end was staying tight, but still moving. Then we did some trotting and focused on just getting him into the bridle. And he was quite good! He did grab at his shoulder a few times, but he wasn't quite as incessant about it as the other day. Then we did a little bit of haunches in at the canter and even tried a little bit of shoulder in at the canter. That's hard! We also did a tiny bit of half pass and then some more transitions. We also worked on him collecting his gait based on my seat, without me having to keep kicking. And I feel like he's actually getting really good at that! We quit with a lengthen at the trot and then worked on our halt in the mirror. 

Then I gave him a bath and I was thinking I would clip him, but.. then I decided that maybe I'd wait til after his injections... because it's cold enough at night to have to sheet if he's freshly clipped... and he was going to trail ride tomorrow and then Tuesday we have a morning lesson and then his injections, so... then he'd get off til the weekend, so.. might as well wait. Maybe I can do it Thursday since we won't be able to ride.