Chewie kept trying to pick up his front left leg while I was putting the polos on, so I kept notice of his warm-up with good concentration, trying to find even the slightest hint of "owwie".
Side reins 5 & 6, walk, trot, deliberately asking for canter, and kept him at it until it seemed like he was focusing on his body more than "hurrying around the round pen." About 20 minutes free lunge & side reins lunge.
Climbed up, I worked on walk & trot. The sun vanished behind the trees, taking all the warm with it. I was cold, and tense, and didn't believe cantering with that much muscle tension was a good idea. He was still stiff, and seemed short-strided. I later figured out my saddle was a bit too far forward, sitting just on the back of his shoulder blades. Sorry, buddy.. I'll do better next time.
Half way through our under saddle ride, a neighbor's golden retriever galloped through the pasture. Chewie & I both saw it, but, rather than his normal "spook & run" reaction, when he started to get nervous about it, I sat down, exhaled sharply, and within a quarter circle, he was at a halt & relaxed. What a very very good boy! I almost stopped him right there, so satisfied that he might finally be calming down.
Total work, 55 minutes.
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