In Which I Continue To Run Myself Ragged On The Weekends
Thankfully I had a really quiet, restful Friday night consisting of a frosty glass of Jim Beam & Coke while watching TV with Max, because the rest of my weekend was non-stop nuts.
Saturday started in a typical fashion with getting up nice and early to do the barn. Everyone had been in all day on Friday due to the heavy rain, so you can imagine that turnout was a jubilant experience for all involved. I made Dino stay in while I cleaned stalls so I wouldn't have to trek out to the field to get him to ride. I also gave him extra hay, so he was cool with that situation.
Homeboy is also FINALLY really blowing out his winter coat! He's gotten to that joyous stage of shedding where his hair explodes out at you when you touch him. Gently. With one finger. It's amazing and I love it even though I come home with hair in places where hair should not be.
He was also flippin' FANTASTIC for our ride on Saturday morning! Having not had his normal big-field turnout time, Dino had more energy to work with than usual, but without any excess sass. It was so fun to just be able to shape his energy rather than have to work hard to create it and keep it going. We worked on doing some "bigger" trot fences - about 2'3 - to prepare for what we'll see in the hunter derby in July. Dino was incredible and went all the way to the base and jumped up nice and round without sneaking in an extra canter step right before.
And then the flatwork. Oh, the flatwork.
Dino has suddenly decided that he is now fit enough for 'real' dressage and he is going to be round and soft in the bridle all the time. We got a ROUND trot-canter transition on the left lead, which is his tough side. So exciting! Seeing him get more balanced on that left lead tells me he really is getting fitter and stronger. I was even able to ride shoulder-fore in canter to the left! AND we got clean right to left lead changes! His Highness is feeling good! Dino is also now so willing to give to my hand; he softens and rounds his neck now instead of bracing and shooting his nose up in the air when I take contact.
He was even more fabulous for our ride on Monday, and decided during our nice, easy, half-seat warm up canter that he was just going to go on the bit since I had some light contact on the reins.
I mean, okay. That's cool.
The only real issue I had was him sucking behind my leg once in a while, but it was easy enough to drop the contact and bump him forward, and then I had a connected, marching pony again.
If we don't win our flat class on Sunday, I'm going to be seriously shocked.
So besides all of the awesome riding, I've been running around like a nutcase doing barn work, going to birthday parties, going to church, shooting video for my real estate listings, and selling horse farms like a boss. Devon Hunt Teams is on Saturday, which means I'm spending all day grooming & braiding, and then Sunday is the schooling show at the horse park.
Time to put on another pot of coffee!
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| Popcorn, booze, and History Channel documentaries?! I'm in! |
Homeboy is also FINALLY really blowing out his winter coat! He's gotten to that joyous stage of shedding where his hair explodes out at you when you touch him. Gently. With one finger. It's amazing and I love it even though I come home with hair in places where hair should not be.
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| thisfaceican'teven. |
And then the flatwork. Oh, the flatwork.
Dino has suddenly decided that he is now fit enough for 'real' dressage and he is going to be round and soft in the bridle all the time. We got a ROUND trot-canter transition on the left lead, which is his tough side. So exciting! Seeing him get more balanced on that left lead tells me he really is getting fitter and stronger. I was even able to ride shoulder-fore in canter to the left! AND we got clean right to left lead changes! His Highness is feeling good! Dino is also now so willing to give to my hand; he softens and rounds his neck now instead of bracing and shooting his nose up in the air when I take contact.
He was even more fabulous for our ride on Monday, and decided during our nice, easy, half-seat warm up canter that he was just going to go on the bit since I had some light contact on the reins.
I mean, okay. That's cool.
The only real issue I had was him sucking behind my leg once in a while, but it was easy enough to drop the contact and bump him forward, and then I had a connected, marching pony again.
If we don't win our flat class on Sunday, I'm going to be seriously shocked.
So besides all of the awesome riding, I've been running around like a nutcase doing barn work, going to birthday parties, going to church, shooting video for my real estate listings, and selling horse farms like a boss. Devon Hunt Teams is on Saturday, which means I'm spending all day grooming & braiding, and then Sunday is the schooling show at the horse park.
Time to put on another pot of coffee!
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