Well I must say I have dug up my half chaps and breeches and that makes for a much more enjoyable ride in my hunt seat saddle. There is a reason those things were invented. I still feel the burn every now and then, but it is way better than that first day in slippery jeans! We have ridden english a few times and I really enjoy it. I can feel so much and stay really connected to her. We have been working lots on a rhythmic medium trot and still our canter departure..we even started some simple changes of leads too! Lindsay is so light on the forehand it comes quite natural for her. It is as it's always been...if I can explain it she will do her best to do it...I am loving the feel of her canter more and more each day. I still have to be careful of letting it get to "up" so to speak..when she is feeling good she can bounce like a bunny rabbit just about in one spot at the canter! So we still incorporate lots of long and low.
We trailered to Lake Waccamaw today and yesterday for the NBHA barrel race. What a fabulous facility to ride this time of year. The entire place is sheltered by huge pecan trees, it was a cool day anyway, but with the added shade it was just perfect!
Yesterday it was really quiet, not many horses there and Lindsay was really good. We rode in the indoor and she was a bit looky as they were unloading the panels and barrels and setting up, but she held her own and really seems to enjoy just watching everything.
We even walked over and meet a donkey that lives on the grounds. Lindsay Loved him! She perked her ears up straighter than I've seen them yet! She would have jumped in the pasture with him had I let her I think. Wonder if any burros ran with her in the wild? She sure appeared to recognize him...she didn't snort and try to run off, she wanted to go see him!
We crossed a bridge too...a real one... she was a star with that, no hesitation at all. I am always seatrching for things to walk her over and this was perfect, it had rails and was ~20 long crossing a deep ditch. I've had many colts at this facility and they typically do not cross this bridge as well as she did...it's amazing to me how much confidence she has.
We trailered back out today and there was a much bigger crowd..Lindsay could feel it. She was really on edge at first and was even antsy to mount. I still remained consistent with my plan of always having her stand after I mount, so we did..even though she was way ready to go see the sights. At first in the warm up pen she was quite jumpy at everything...the horse trailers..the stalls...it's the people coming in and out of nowhere that bothers her. It's like she thinks they are all a bunch of little gremlins creeping out of every corner to personally attack her! We moved over to a quieter pen and I really put her to work...trotted lots and loped lots. She was so fresh she even tossed her head at the lope and soooo wanted to play and bounce around, but we worked through it and soon enough she was loping great..we practiced some simple changes with a trot stride or two in between the leads and she did wonderful. We miss a lead every now and then, but for the most part she's getting it..and is by all means good at it when we get it right..it is quite the fun ride!After she had settled and was more focused we went back in the warm up pen and trotted and loped around. She was still very aware of the surroundings and the opening and closing stall doors and people sitting under their horse trailer awnings, but she let me work her through it much better and once we stepped up to the canter she really became more focused on her job. She was far from being oblivious of her surrounding when we finished up, but we were at a much better place than before.
We then went in and stood in the holding pen while they were running exhibitions, she was exceptionally good at that and seemed happy to get to rest and watch some other horses work. One horse loped circles around her passing her face with in a few feet each time and she did not even flinch...it's never been the horses that she's worried about anyway, but it was still good for her and I was thrilled to see her be so mature.
We headed home and hoping to do it again tomorrow!
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