Good Ride!

 I love this horse! And I'm oh so grateful to be back on him again, and have him feeling so good!! He's just so much fun to ride. 

We hacked up to the arena and headed in. We did a long bit of walk warm up, working on our forward, down and out but not cheating by bracing. He didn't get as low as Kelly wanted or even as low as I got him in my lesson, but he was staying soft and straight for most of the time. We went both ways and even did a little bit of serpentines. I also did some of my Equitopia riding - ride to the loose, soften the heavy rein and their exercises for helping creating even contact. Then we did some trotting and he was pretty good. He was much less likely to go behind the vertical today! He stayed more out in front. Yay! And we got a soft quiet mouth with a little bit of nice chewing. No chomping. 

 

We did our canters too and they were actually pretty nice. The right lead was harder to get him to stretch down into it but I did. I had to ask with the outside rein. But he was great! We got a lot of really nice steps. We did two canters each way I think and I only asked a hair longer than he was giving me and then I let him fall out of it. Then we went back to our trotting and he was so forward! But, I don't think it was forward as an evasion, because it was a nice forward! Not a running forward. And he even broke into the trot or canter on his own a time or two. He just genuinely seemed happy and wanting to do things. We got a nice trot and then I asked him to bring it down a notch or two to make sure that he wasn't evading. We went back to our more slow and controlled trot and then we went do our controlled walk. Not our western pleasure walk or trot.. because he was not having that today! And really, not even our economy trot, but.. still a better more balanced slower trot. And then we got a good walk and then we called it quits!

Good job buddy! We rode back through the pasture! I was tempted to take him in the neighborhood, but... with the weather rolling in I decided I'd rather make sure I had time to ride Lyric too. So he got to go back out. After cookies of course!

 

And look how handsome he looks in his new green jump pad! I've been eying it since before Christmas and it finally went on sale for $40. :) Worth it!