Quite the show exvet. I have had a couple like that. Totally unknowing that 2 horses can fall in love...or just be horses...in a short haul to a show.
Aleuronx...that looks so familiar. Kyra was a pistol like that in her younger days. She did come out the other side
.
Kyra and I have been plugging along. Our outdoor FINALLY got worked yesterday. During the week it was difficult to find a workable area. We got a bunch of rain over 2 weeks ago and the arena got too wet to work. It took about 5 days to dry sufficiently but I don't know why it didn't get worked sooner. It gets to a point after a heavy rain like that where it "sets" up so all the hoof prints become little craters. I can't walk in it with my sorry feet and I sure as heck won't ride her in it either. So, we have had one track session, one long rein session in another arena that was more level but far from ideal and finally, I got a good ride in today.
On the track, she had her alert level at about DefCon 3. There are a ton of geese along the canal that isn't far from the track and they have had constant turf battles for nesting and many goslings of different ages and that day they were horrible. A couple were ON the hay shed stomping around. That happens to be where I mount so that was exciting and started our ride with a bang. She stood fine but was just hyper aware from that point forward. That said, she was pretty good but hard to hold her attention (Oh...look, there is a car going down the road 1/2 mile away
). Our long line session was kind of blah. My feet hurt and I suppose I just wasn't that into it but she had some nice moments and was prompt and obedient.
Today, since I have been doing a lot of walk work, I set up a cone at random places in the arena. I had five in all. This is a Karen Rolhf exercise from one of her videos. We would ride to a cone and I would do one of three things at the cone...move her haunches around her forehand, the forehand around the haunches or sideways over the cone. Then change focus to a different cone and head straight to that cone and another exercise. By the time I was done, she was very nicely off the leg and matched with my focus. We did take it up to trot between the cones and after halting, doing the exercise then trotting off to the next cone, she was trotting off wonderfully forward with just a whisper of leg. My back felt pretty good so I am hoping that I am getting healed up whatever I did to it back in February. We finished off with our hill work
(there is a bank behind the indoor and it takes about 5 strides to the top). I have her serpentine down the length of the building and back so she gets about 4 ups and downs each trip. We did a walk around the barn and she didn't even lose it over the quail that were popping out of the bushes. That is pretty amazing for her.
I have managed to row 3 days last week. I am up to 2000m. Yes, I start slow but at least I have started. My feet have just not been interested in walking at all so I have to find something that gets my body moving. I need to add some strength stuff 3 days a week also.
Happy riding all.
Susan
I hadn't thought about it not having a gray, but Tesla has a persistent sarcoid in her right ear. We were joking the other day that she would need to get a hole in her ear and she could get a grommet and be punk rock. Hope Joplin's is not too troublesome.
I do find that the cavaletti can help to do some of the work for me though. Keeping Annabelle together so she doesn't pull my seat apart is definitely a challenge. After the jumping lesson today, I'm eager to try some canter cavaletti and see if that gets her carrying with more lightness and less help from me.
