Playdate!

Today was a fascinating day.... 

I was hoping to sleep in because it was supposed to be raining all day, or at least all morning, so I figured maybe I could sleep in. Especially since I had opened the far field so maybe the horses would stay out there. But nope... 7:15 or so... Dan started banging. Non-stop. Fine... FINE... I'm up. Jeeze! But when I went out to feed he was in Lyrics stall and not facing them. He was facing the hay stall. Odd... and staring. So... I looked and the black cat with socks was on the hay pile. And he just stayed there. And didn't move when I came close. So.. yeah... Dan looked concerned. So I went and got Mike and we came back out to investigate. Mike is the cat whisperer and convinced him to get in the carrier with some treats. Dan was relieved. But man did that cat stink! So... he sat in the carrier while I fed and then I took him to the clinic. Dan told me his name was Toby... I thought Spaghetti Jones was better, but... Toby it is. Anyways... Toby is now in the office chilling and recovering from his wound care, neuter, vaccines, and medications. And Dan is glad we saved him. 

So anyways... after that I rode Lyric at home. Dan and Funny came galloping up as I got Lyric out of the pasture. Goobers. And then they followed us back. But Dan rolled. And oh my goodness he was NEON orange.. NEON ORANGE! It had rained all night so that red clay was super sticky. Dude.... DUDE!!!! Oh well. After I rode Lyric I took Funny to Ashland and then once we got home.. it was Dan's turn. I had invited Judy and Teller and Kirsten and Eiffel over for a play date. I figured we could run through the obstacles. So... I debated hosing Dan off or just brushing him off. Luckily by the time it was his turn, he was dry... so I opted to just brush him off. 

 

We got to use our new breastcollar because his "giraffe tugs" had arrived. Ha! I custom ordered him a breastcollar and she sent it to me and it fit, but... the strap that goes to the cinch was WAY too short so she remade it for me and shipped me new tugs too, since they were on the last hole. She joked and said she felt like she was making tugs for a giraffe. Ha ha.. I mean... ;) Anyways... it fits now. Almost. Ha. Now it's a hair too big, but I can shorten it and/or punch holes so we're fine. 

 

We walked on foot up to the arena because I told the girls that Jean's horses may come galloping up. Instead it was MY mares.. They came in hot and loud! Hussies! Sorry.. I'm so sorry my horses are awful! We all made it to the arena and then the girls came rip roaring towards the arena. Good gravy. Luckily everyone eventually settled and we had a fun ride. 

It was fun sharing my arena with friends. Although I'm a dumbass and can't do geometry or math or read for comprehension. Part of the reason my double slalom line was so hard was because I made it way too short! ha ha. It was supposed to be 23' apart instead of 20. Which, no big deal. But then I had set my second line of poles only 10 feet out instead of 23' out. Oops. No wonder!!! Plus, you're supposed to have more than 5 total. It's 5 and 5, not... 3 and 2. Oh... Dang. Good thing Kirsten set us straight!

We had fun though. We warmed up and then took turns going through the obstacles and giving each other pointers. It was nice to have friends over enjoying the arena with me. And I got some good pointers. AND... I wore my "jeans" and they worked with my cowboy boots and spurs, though I did put my rowel spurs back on. Although I didn't canter so.. we'll see how that goes. So yeah... it was a fun "dress rehearsal" kind of... even with him being orange ;) 

WE test practice

 good boy.

pulled my saddle slightly more forward today. had slid back some, so maybe I do need the BC.  he moved decently though

practiced our test. felt quite nice, but a bit lame at times here and there. but trying and was decent with his hind end and sitting. canters were both pretty decent... right lead was worse actually today. did our strength training. ran through the test a few times. decently square halts. 

chatted with quantico and skillet briefly.. then rode on the trails with sharon and baylor. good boys. did the "water crossing" politely.. then let him snorkle while we trotted it. then walked it properly again. then went and hacked and had fun. did some trotting.

good pony! So dirty!! 

photos: 6-26 friends

video of water crossings

Lesson with Liz

 Fascial issues on the right neck, hard to bend right. adjust him and fascially help him (left hand on his right neck) before every ride. Also hot in his right stifle. but happy and felt good. 

good lesson. Liz got on to show me a bend trick... said he felt better than he did 5 years ago when she last got on. but she only walked! and had my helmet on.

grab the reins pulled "tight"... in one hand and then slide the inside hand as far forward down the reins as I can and hold them regular. Then keep my hand there as a "barrier" when he walks... so as he walks, I don't let that rein flow with him quite so much and he "runs into it" a bit. It encourages bend. But I also have to keep my inside leg on to encourage bend. And tracking right I have to put my left leg back to keep him from swinging out. 

trotting.. sort of same thing. Shorter reins.. ask for bend. Liz made me sit the trot. It hurts.. unless I slide back in the saddle some. I sort of wish I had gone one seat size smaller... but I can sit back in it and then the twist doens't slam onto my butt bones. And I can sit the trot, but.. not very long and he has to stay small. played with stirrup lenght and might have gone down one hole but not sure. i am crooked though. Or he is.. because I'm off a whole hole. But they actually looked even.. and felt even. So.. not just me, but it was hanging longer on one side. Dan?? 

got a nice canter too... left lead is harder. And he almost ran into the jump. goon! But we got a nice canter both ways for a few steps. 

called it quits. tried to cold hose his stifle a little bit. Will shockwave tomorrow. And order adequan

good pony. He's happy. He's trying. He's just... that stifle isn't great. 

photos: 6-26 liz lesson

videos: 6-26 sit trot and canter (green pad)

WE Lesson

 Went to Kay's farm (this time for WE obstacles, not beanie dressage). Such a lovely place and so close. 15 minutes.

Got tacked up and was all excited to use my new breastcollar and cinch and new bootcut riding tights... and.. the cinch doesn't fit. It's barely longer than the non-custom one (sadness) but the middle piece for the chest is about 6" too short! Even on the very last hole. Ugh... sadness. I so wanted to use it tonight. Was even matchy matchy ;)  and slightly sad because it's not really what I would call turquoise.. more of a greenish blue.. and then a minty blue. Sigh.. oh well. The "blue" and brown cinch is more turquoise, but that's a 30" and apparently his other cinches are 32". so.. not sure it'll fit. Sigh... I'm striking out left and right here... But it does match both his bosal's nicely, so.. that's a win. 

Anyways... so I rode without it.

warmed up but probably should have done a bit more. then did the obstacles. She didn't have all of them, but most. But not the double slalom which sucks. Oh well. we did the drums and it was the same theory. And a rope gate instead of a wooden gate, but fine. It was helpful. She even had us do the side pass and back the L, which.. dan did way better than I expected. :) 

Switch cup: practice my halts and timing. Prepare... 3 strides out at least start with "Think halt" and shorten the step and tighten my core.. then Sit... then ask for the halt, WITH my legs on, so he doesn't splat. If I overshoot it and we are going to get to a halt too soon, just walk him into it. 

bull line: Half halt him going into it so he doesn't "race" through it. Half halt if needed again... keep him slower and rocked back on his haunches. It changes his trot from dragging along with his front end, to quite nice and lovely. And once he starts rushing the bull line, it'll be harder to get him to stop. and it gives me more time to manuever the pole. Those big strides eat up that distance. 

single slalom: show change of bend, but yes.. ride it tight and "straight" vs big loops. and slow him down again so it's pretty. it's not a speed round yet. 

Ring the bell and back the L: She made us back the L... think of it like "back, back, back, back, then turn the hips (like a reverse turn on the forehand) then turn the shoulders (reverse turn on the haunches) and then keep backing... and eventually smooth it out into one smooth motion vs hips then shoulders. 

drums: Move my shoulders in.. but not just my shoulders. my belly button because I can move my shoulders and have my hips twisted the other way. Turn my whole body to the barrel and watch the barrel. aim for bigger circles. ride the center of the "doorway" everytime and ride one straight step before changing directions so it's not so sudden. Again, PREPARE the transitions (gait and direction). At home, while schooling, stay on the circle until he softens and relaxes and then let him out. If it takes 7 circles on A barrel, then don't go to B barrel til it's good. 

Gate: just... don't let him touch it or eat it. Seriously frowned upon. So retrain it. Even at home.. just go "park" next to things and don't allow him to mouth it or touch it. May need to take Linda's advice and add fake decor so he isn't tempted even at home. First attempt was icky but second and third were pretty decent. Right handed. apparently it's always right handed I guess... unless it's a reverse gate maybe? Guess I should check. 

side pass: he did better than I thought... you have to walk in straight to it, through the markers, then do a turn to get him lined up (so like a pivot.. not a turn on the haunches or forehand). And you can't step over it to start.. you have to start next to it and then go sideways. She had the second pole spaced out and you had to turn around and go the other way. Which was kind of handy. He does that pivot from outside rein on the right to outside rein on the left (right side pass to left side pass) better than he did backing the L the other direction. So note to self. 

GOod pony! Other things... take my rear cinch off.. it's blocking my leg. And... add spurs. Easier than a whip doing EOH and he does need to be a little quicker to my aids. And then I'm not "spanking" him. but note to self.. in warm up... do "shock and awe" and make sure he's moving off each leg... one foot at a time. make sure he's hot off my aids for go and stop. and do a litle canter to warm up too. 

But very good boy. He got lots of cheers. And was friendly and nice to Cindy (who came to say hi and watch) and Laura (same) and Shannon (trainer). and then Kay's daughter in law came up and he was friendly to her. Good pony!! Good mood I guess. Liked his fuzzy cinch too. even though it's silly looking. HOpefully once it breaks in it won't look so new, but also not look dingy. 

also liked my boot cut tights.. will order more. Might go down a size. they are a little high waisted too. And the sweat in my butt crack felt like it was pretty noticeable. I didn't get to ask Judy though discretely in time. Also had the tag down my crack the whole time.. it was soggy. Ewwwww! ha ha.

Got a little in my head after... the devil was telling me lies... that dan and i weren't good enough... I needed to be more competitive. Even Shannon said something to the effect of... he can't play... he kind of has to be a tool... make him behave and do his job instead of costing you points cause he's mouthy. more or less. And... she's not wrong. but also.. the whole point is to have fun with it. But I do want to be competitive and i do want him to look nice. And feel good in his body. So .. not today satan, not today. And the videos' showed a happy dan who was quite nice. And we'll keep encouraging him to rock back on his haunches and use his hiney and maybe, he won't mind it as much. Now that his noltrex is kicking in and then I'll shockwave him again. So I'll balance being a bit more adamant that we do things correctly while still allowing him to have fun and not insisting if he's telling me it hurts or that it's no fun. A delicate balance but I think we can do it. And if not.. we'll just keep eating the obstacles and having fun :) 

photos: shannon lesson and breastcollar

Glorious Day!

 Oh how I love Tuesdays!! (wait... today is Tuesday right? yes.. it is!). It was a beautiful day too. God has really blessed up with a most amazing year weather wise this year. This is what every summer to feel like! Green grass, blue skies, fluffy clouds, no humidity, lovely breeze, and sunshine! Ahhhh. It got a little toasty at times today when the sun came out and the breeze died but overall it was glorious!

 

I ended up riding Dan first after spending the morning doing adult things... Did some scheduling, shipped my trode back, and then spent a good bit on the phone with the bank. And did some laundry. And ate breakfast. But then I decided to go ride. Kelli couldn't join me that early so I decided to ride Dan at home first. Which worked out well.

I brought him in and we walked our raised poles twice. I noticed that his left hind was puffy laterally and he had a large scrape across his hock and cannon bone. Dang son! I don't know what he scraped it on or if he got kicked, but... it took some hair off! It looked more superficial though, although it was pretty puffy. I figured a bit of exercise might help and if he was sore, we could just practice the gate, so we carried on. And he was fine. I honestly forgot he was puffy because I didn't feel anything. 

We warmed up and did some walk work. We practiced our "refined aids" and responses to my leg and then did some leg yields on the rail. Then we did the slalom poles at the walk and the cloverleaf at the walk. And then we played with the gate. It's definitely getting less problematic and I'm figuring out the best way to maneuever. We even had our BEST pass through yet today!! He was almost perfect and I don't think we would have even let any cows out. Yay! Cookies for that sir!

We did walk the double slalom and didn't bother trotting it today because I figured we may just be better off walking it. Though I do need to check the rules to make sure I can walk it. We trotted the single slalom and it sounds like that one is more of a very shallow line vs the double slaloms. So we should be okay with that. We also did some general dressage work... working on our bend. Which is much improved lately. Yay! I just need to make sure I'm not nagging with my inside leg. We did some leg yielding too.

Then we did the walking leg yield on the rail and then turned in and cantered. And the right lead canter was okay. Not great, but not bad. And the transition was maybe better. Then we did the left lead and ... wow! That made a magnificent improvement! He was round and lifting his back and very collected feeling. Like a beach ball! It was lovely. I didn't make him hold it long and gave him cookies for that. We tried again both ways and it got a little better to the left. 

We finished with a bit more trotting and then did some transitions. His backing is getting quite good and smooth too. I do think that I need to "sharpen" him up in my warm ups more. He starts off rather dull to the aids and sluggish but after we canter and do some transitions, he gets quicker and more engaged. So I'll have to remember that at the show. Even though we don't have to canter in our test, I should probably canter in warm up. For dressage and ease of handling. And then we've got a lesson Thursday at a new farm so I'll ask Shannon about whether she thinks we'll score better walking or trotting and see if she has any other hints for us. 

Good pony! After I got off, I walked him through the poles again and the doofus tripped hard and almost fell down. Dude! Pick your feet up! Which, reminded me that his leg was all scraped up. It didn't look much better but also didn't look worse, so... I cold hosed him a tiny bit with his rinse. And then he got to go spend the rest of the day chilling. 

 

Except when I brought Lyric back from our ride and turned her out, he walked up to say hi and I had turned my back and heard a squeal and a thud and they had clearly argued! I don't know if Lyric kicked Dan or Dan kicked Lyric but they both looked fine, so... jeepers! 

Escapees

 apparently i left the gate open this morning because I took hay in through the pasture gate but then i think I left via the stalls... maybe.. maybe I tossed some old hay in the spreader though?? I don't know. Regardless, the horses got loose around 10 this morning... Mike said he heard a noise and looked out and saw Lyric and Funny in the front yard... and then heard more noise and walked out and Dan was on the porch. All up in the porch, clip clopping on the concrete. Ha! Of course Dan is on the porch! Glad he didn't eat the regumate in the box setting out for a client. ;) 

Luckily mike shooed them towards the garage and then got a halter and lead rope and got dan haltered and put back in the pasture and then was able to get the other two. phew!

Whoops!

photos: 6-26 wardrobe malfunction

Western Lesson

 Fun day!!

And kind of chilly! Which was a nice bonus. I was expecting humidity to the max but while it was humid, it was more clammy and chilly than muggy. There was a nice breeze too.. a cool breeze, like a storms a brewin' breeze. But no rain today, so yay! We've had enough that I was grateful to not have it today. Anyways... I wore my Fleck shirt! The one that I had made with his sunset photo on it. And it's such a cool shirt...even if it doesn't really match anything. And I rode all three horses today, so it was kind of cool that Fleck joined us for all three rides. ;) Ha ha. Not really... I do need to make myself a hat band or something so he really can ride with us. 

Anyways... today was lesson with Kelly Eaton day. I opted to take Dan first because I wanted to hack Lyric after and felt like she needed a longer hack than Dan. And I was hoping to get there early enough to do a little hack with Dan too. Which I did. We were able to hack around the small lake and then head to the arenas. I told Kelly where we were at and my concerns.. basically that I needed "more bend" and was worried about his posture and him not using himself correctly - whether it's saddle fit or just.. the work in general. We had done a tiny bit of leg yielding before my lesson started as she was finishing up with Caroline, so she had us pick up the trot to see what we had. And then we went back to "shock and awe" to get him moving off my inside leg. BUT... it didn't take much shock and awe. :) He was actually quite good. He's so freakin' smart. I swear.. he kind of cheats. Ha ha.

So, we had halted and she had me very lightly tap him with my right leg, slightly back. He should step his right hind over. And he did. It took a few tries to get him more prompt and I had to use the whip to remind him once or twice, but.. .in general, he was pretty anticipatory. So then we did it at the walk and then at the trot. I have to make sure I'm timing it right... when the outside fore comes forward, that's what I ask, because that's when he's lifting up the inside hind. I *know* this, but I think sometimes I get sloppy and don't make my aids clean. So I need to consistently ask very softly and not keep getting louder and I need to make sure my timing is right. And when I did that, he was actually quite nice. And quite bent in the trot even. 

So then we went the other way and he was actually worse with the left hind. Interesting! Ha ha. A nice pat on the back for me... way to rehab that right hind Holly. Ha ha! We did the same thing tracking left and got some nice bend too. And he was soft and forward and quiet in his mouth. 

We also did some leg yield on the rail to help him engage the hind end and use his core. At the walk. It also gets him more even in both reins. She did tell me that I do need to keep the contact, especially with the outside rein, even in the bosal. Don't throw him away. 

We finished up and she mentioned that he had a few bobbly steps here and there, but more so in the beginning and not really at all towards the end. She didn't see anything worrisome and said that basically if he needs to warm up out of his discomfort, so be it. He's 15 and has had a lot of trauma! Poor guy. But she also said that she didn't see anything else and thought he looked mostly symmetrical and happy. He was soft in his mouth and seemed to be enjoying himself. Yay! She did say that she saw the neck muscling that I saw and agreed it wasn't great but that he was using himself nicely, so... give it time. So, maybe it isn't the saddle or too much work in general. Maybe it's just... getting back into work and compensating and me not being as balanced in the saddle myself. We'll give it time. As long as he seems happy, which he does. Mostly. And he tells me when he's not, so.. as long as I listen, we will hopefully make progress. I did mention that I wondered if some of it is from him throwing himself up into the canter with his head, vs pushing with his hind end. But we had run out of time, so.. she told me to try the leg yield on the rail, then turn for inside bend and canter and see if that helped. So we'll try that next time I ride. 

 

I was going to do a cool down ride but ended up talking to a friend I hadn't seen in awhile briefly, so I opted to just head back to the trailer and head home so I could swap ponies and come back for lesson number 2. I don't think he minded. 

So yep... good pony! He felt pretty decent so hopefully we can keep building on this. 

Obstacles

 photos: 5-26 sat obstacles

trying hard. good boy. backing is way better. stirrups shorter is helping me. got good circles on cloverleaf but still struggling a little bit with double slalom. may need to walk in the show.

neck still looks awful, but was using himself better today i think. rounder. left lead quite round and nice but right lead still a bit wonky. using his neck (hence the awful neck muscles???)

dressage and hack

 hacked hills... 

then hacked with marvin to lake. saw one snake

then arena work. shortened stirrups two holes. big help! felt silly but could ride. still wider twist but doable. even canter, even in cowboy boots only. 

pretty good kid. trying hard. didn't feel bad and had a decent ride despite the fact that i think his stifle is bothering him. but has only been 2 weeks and 4 days since noltrex, so.. will shockwave it in a few more days. may consider osphos too.

frothy though! lathered like shaving cream under his rear cinch straps. need to pull them off or use the rear cinch

hosed off and chilled while i shockwaved marvin. good boy

photos: 5-26 hack and dressage, video of hose and in the woods

spa day

 chiro, acupuncture and myofascial work on accessory nerve

Poor Daniel. He really is trying!

Today was a rough day. Long story short, but I had to adult this morning and ended up having the ATM eat $17,000 worth of checks that I deposited into the business account. I'm hopeful that it will get resolved.... eventually, but... gah! That's stressful. So... I finally did all my errands and ate some lunch and then grabbed Dan for a ride. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day but, it was very cleary not going to stay that way. There were some ominious dark clouds in the distance and the radar was not looking good. But I figured it was a decent enough chance and since we were at home, I could always head back in if we had to. So... we rode. 

I put him back in the expensive bosal to try it and see and put my roller spurs back on. We headed up to the arena and did a hill or two while Jean was finishing up and exiting the arena after her lesson. Then we did some walk work and he was much bendier today!

We did the gate and.. man, that's a tough one. It's like... sometimes I can nail it and other times.. we let the cows out! I'm so glad that I can keep practicing on it, because I need to get a "technique". But he's getting better about not helping. Then we did some trotting and he felt pretty decent. He tripped once or twice but was more forward. But he's still dragging that right hind. I can hear it. We cantered too and he's more forward for sure and hasn't tripped/fell out of the canter in the last ride or two. BUT... he got a little proppy and I think I'm jabbing him with my spurs! So I took them off. Sorry Buddy! I think my leg isn't as stable in the western saddle with the longer stirrups and then the long roller spurs are more pokey! So, I took them off and he was still pretty forward and bendy but not as goosey. Okay... I hear yah! I'll either have to get proper western spurs or try my nubs again. I need to ride in jeans with the paddock boots and my nubbin spurs to see if that works too. Or just go back to no spurs. But he definitely struggled at the gate without the spurs. Or... *I* struggled more. So.. hmmm... gonna have to figure something out. We also played with the sidepass. I decided NOT to drill the obstacles today. Mostly because Mackenzie had moved some of them for their lesson, but... also because I felt like maybe I needed to give him a break. Even the intro division is a lot of tight turns. So we worked on our western dressage.. just suppleness, circles, etc. He felt pretty decent but was a bit forward and maybe not as soft in his topline today. 

We finished our ride with a tiny bit of turn on the forehand and then I noticed he had stuck his tongue out and flailed it a tiny bit. It's not as obvious when he has a bit in.... and he didnt seem quite as stressed, but... it's there. And then I felt horrible. I really do think it hurts him to bend his right stifle. And I'm asking him to do all sorts of sitting and engagement... and he's trying. Bless him, he's trying. And.. honestly... this happens everytime I put him back to serious work.. he starts to look like crap again. His neck is getting that sag at the base of his withers... his traps are maybe filling in, maybe not... but.. his neck looks awful. Sigh... I wanted to cry. Bud... I'm so sorry. I just wanted to find a job that you could be comfortable in and enjoy and... now I've turned it into something that isn't. Ugh. And I don't know how much of it is the saddle itself... but my gut is it's more likely the stifle creating all the issues. Ugh... I should be mad at Funny, but I really am not. In the same way I'm not mad at Dan for breaking Fleck's jaw. It's just.... sad. And.. I'm mad at me.. because I can't just enjoy something... I have to be all competitive about it. And while I tell myself, Dan likes to be the center of attention ... he likes to show and show off..., maybe he does, but... it doesn't mean he still can't hurt too. So.... maybe he'll be okay. Maybe the noltrex will really make a difference soon. Maybe I can do some more "things" to help him out. Maybe I just need to back off and give it some more time. Maybe not.. maybe I need to realize that his comfortable place is the trails and only the trails. Or the occasional obstacle challenge. Sigh... But it's so hard to tell. Am I just emotional today and putting too much into one ride? Or is this something I"ve been ignoring in spite of the obvious signs for ... heck, probably years? I don't know. Maybe both? I signed up for a lesson with Kelly Eaton on Sunday so I'll see what she thinks. I guess at this point, I might as well continue to do the whole buckle series show and just take my foot off the gas pedal about trying to win it. I'll just go and do the series for the fun and joy of it. We'll go and have fun and maybe we'll walk the ten meter circles instead of trotting them. And we'll just have fun and enjoy it for what it is... a weekend with my bestie who's trying his heart out for me. And in the meantime, we'll simmer down on drilling and just do more hacking. 

I just pray that I hear him and put him first. I know that I do... but sometimes I think I stop listening for a bit so I don't have to hear. Because I just want him to be happy and comfortable SOOOO badly. So hopefully he'll get a nice trail ride before our lesson on Sunday. Or two. :) 

Oh, and poor guy... during our ride today I didn't realize that my get down rope had come loose and he stepped on it twice and stopped short twice before I realized what had happened. Ouch! Sorry buddy! My bad! When we left the arena, I let him shut the arena gate with his nose... to make him happy. :) Then we headed home and I untacked. Poor guy was sweaty! It's so humid though. It was starting to look pretty dark when we were finishing our ride and sure enough, the skies got real dark as I was untacking. I just managed to get him untied and was walking to the wash rack when it started pouring. Like.. my timing was SPOT ON!! ha ha.. Just like with Lyric yesterday. :) 

 

I hosed him off anyways cause he was dirty and still hot and turned him back out. Good pony. Thanks for trying. Then later tonight after dinner... he snuggled. Or used my face as a napkin. Whatever. ;) But we snuggled a bit. I hope he forgives me. 

Birthday Boy!!!

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! Who is somehow now 15!!!! What?!? I remember that email post with the first photos of you... and then meeting you and scratching your bum at 10 days old! My how time flies. But we've had some fun haven't we??!

 

I'm so grateful your mine. Even though God's plan was not for you to be my Prelim 3 Day horse. You've taught me so much. And we've had so much fun anyways. I really hope that the next 15 years hold more adventures and trail rides and beach rides and shenanigans galore!

 

To celebrate today we rode at home. I probably should have taken you on a trail ride with Baylor and had a pool party, but... I really wanted to play with our new gate. And mess with your saddle. So... sorry bubs! We'll trail ride soon. I promise. 

   

I started with checking his saddle fit. I think it's too wide for his angles but then too narrow for his barrel. If that makes sense. But with the shim pad on, it seemed to fit quite nicely. I took photos and sent them to Mark. And at first, I thought he was looking worse than he did almost 1.5 months ago, but... I do think he's actually filling in some trapezius. His neck just looks worse. I don't know how much of that is saddle fit vs going back to hard work. Because I feel like every single time I bring him back to work and come out of the bareback pad.. he gets like this. Every time. Sigh... Mark said he thought he looked better and is hopefully sending me another shim to use. So then i put his expensive bosal on and played with it and got it fitting a little better. 

 

So we headed to the arena in hand. I wanted to do some in hand work and set up another ground pole to serpentine over. When we got to the arena I tossed his reins over his horn and let him wander. While I was getting another pole, he wandered over to the new gate and immediately investigated. He took the rope part and pulled it off the post and went to open the gate. No way?! You are sooooo smart sir! Except when he did that, apparently we didn't have the gate weighted enough on the outside so it tipped. ooops! So then I had to go get two things to put on the other side of the standard to help keep it from falling over. Good boy though Dan! Then he wandered around and was at Jean's end of the arena. They were apparently riding around their farm and had come up the backside and saw Dan there without a rider. She yelled for me. Awww, sweet! I'm fine!! Just letting him wander while I set something up. :) Once I got everything set up, I grabbed him and we played with the sidepass pole. He can go left way better than he can go right. Which, I think makes sense with the right stifle. Maybe?? Anyways, he did a pretty decent job and got cookies. 

 

So then I got on and we rode. It was a pretty good ride. His canter felt quite good and forward, although I do wonder if I'm goosing him with the spurs! I didn't see any marks after my ride though, but doesn't mean I'm still not goosing him. And we were bendier. And the gate was so much fun! I'm so glad I have it. We tried it and the first pass was pretty darn easy. Like... okay, why do we need to practice this? And then the second pass... I totally forgot "how" to do it. Ha ha... Okay... yep, this is why. Then we did a few more tries and it's definitely going to take us a minute to find a technique. I can't do the two steps back, turn, and two steps back thing because... it doesn't work with him. He's long, the gate isn't bendy, it stabs us...  But I can get it fairly consistently if we halt, then back up almost to the hinge letting my hand glide along the gate (drop the rope), then we turn through and then half pass back over. This also, in theory, keeps the cows in! But it's also way easier right handed vs left handed. And it definitely isn't consistent yet. So I am very grateful that I have it to practice. We played a bit more and got some nice work in and then we headed out. 

 

I figured... the weather is cooperating.. let's take a walk through the neighborhood. It's your birthday... let's enjoy it. So we did. We had a nice ride and there was only one dog who did not follow us. And then another neighbor saw us coming and put his dog in the house. I thanked him and we chatted briefly, in a neighborly way. It was a lovely ride. 

    

Happy Birthday Dan. Thanks for being you and being such an amazing guy!