Friday, March 22, 2013

3.20, 3.21 & 3.22

3.20, Mo and I played in the arena.  Good times, good fun.. Nothing too serious.  He's lazy lately, not an abundant gas pedal.  Is okay with me.  Had a few simple changes, and he got them correct, so I didn't push it. 

3.21, Harley and I played dressage.  He was cooperative, nothing exciting.  Lots of transitions, and things are coming along nicely.  I asked for canter over half the arena, rather than just the one circle.  Nicely done. 

Today, we walked.  Harley and I up first, endurance saddle, in the muggy damp recently-rained air.  It was so humid it was almost drizzling out, and temps in the upper 70s, asking for hard work didn't seem quite fair in his winter coat.  He was great.  No shudders, no spooks.  No heavy wind to bring out spooky creeky trees, either.  He was very well behaved, and while alert, he stayed on a gentle contact on the bit, and seemed to walk out pretty well.

Then Mo and I repeated what Harley did, but with a little more distance.  Probably another 5 minutes of walking just a little farther down the road.  Bareback pad, just to make things more interesting.  A nice time, relaxing.

See, there are days I *want* to work.  I want to ride, train, learn, push for just a little bit more.  Then, there are days I know I need to work the horse's mind, and mine.  I need to push the envelope, expand my safety zone, and get out of the fence.  With Mo, this isn't really a problem.  He's good, and he knows to trust me, and walk-on.  Harley hasn't had enough miles to realize it's "safe" outside the fence, and he can take care of me while exploring.  Today, he was terrific, and super quiet.  That's progress.

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