Mo and I took it light. I gave him a very thorough scrubbing with the curry and grooming block to get shedding hair off. It was successful, but he's nowhere near done. I ended us with a 15 minute walk down the road & back. Bareback, halter with the lead rope tied back to itself (lazy neck reins). At the back edge of CRNG's yard, a deer rustled up out of the trees and into his yard. Mo came to a complete, startled stop. Good boy, Mo! Especially when Momma's got nothin' to hold onto but yer mane. Good Boy!
Harley and I were out in the arena, riding dressage, looking for any inkling of 'tude from the day before. None apparent. His warm up was easy, and the ride was a giggle. He fought the bit more than I would've liked, and didn't have all the energy I was hoping for. I did a few simple canter lead changes down the diagonals, and it seemed to wake him up. Since Mo had counter-canter Thursday, I wondered if Harley could do the same.
Nope. Not one bit. Harley broke to trot before the end of every diagonal, and changed leads to the "correct" on every circle. I laughed. It was about all I could do. I'm sure down the road, once he gains better balance and more topline muscle, he'll be better developed (mentally and physically), and the counter-canter won't seem such an impossible chore. Still, with all the work I've done to get the "correct" lead every time I ask, it's nice he has learned the lesson and is willing to stick with it.
Saturday, however, work needs doing. He's hanging on the bit, heavy in my hands, and generally lazy. I need to find some steady impulse trot rhythm again.
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