Update For the Week

The weather has been rather yucky this week. We had snow on Tuesday - the steady rain of the morning turned to huge, cotton-ball sized snowflakes. Thankfully the snow didn't stay, as the temperature stayed above freezing. Welcome to the prairies! Two weeks earlier we had broken a heat record at 32 degrees Celsius, and then we had snow.

So it has been cold, and damp, and just yucky. And I have had little incentive to get out from under my heated blanket to go out to ride.

I did get rides in on both ponies on Monday. Cisco was better when I lunged him at the scary end before riding, and was quieter than he had been the last few times. So I kept the lunging short.

At the mounting block, he shifted himself away, so I tried to get him to line back up without me hopping down from the block. Which worked! And then he stood quietly so I was able to get on him for the first time without having someone hold him! Yay! Progress!

Not much to talk of about the ride - he was okay, but still not as relaxed as I would like him to be. I have a feeling that relaxation is going to be a very long journey for us. His brain is just too busy.

Likely Cisco's first whole apple - I think it took 8 bites to finish

But we did have a couple of nice points during the ride - he was much better about steering into the corners than the last couple of rides had been. And we had a couple of really nice "lengthened" trots - I lifted a bit with my core and he responded. He felt really good through it - even with his head up in the air. He's going to feel really good when he actually relaxed and used his back properly!

For my ride on Phantom, I felt like I was riding pretty good for the first time in a while. She totally mirrors me, so when I ride like crap, she doesn't go nearly as well. When I ride her up and engage my core - shockingly so does she! It's like magic! Amazing! (But so exhausting!)

We had a bona fide shoulder-in to the left at a trot! I have struggled with this movement, all due to my position. A couple of years ago I managed to get some lessons in, and almost a whole lesson working on shoulder-in and leg-yielding - 90% of which was at a walk. A crawling walk. I had to really slow the walk down, as Phantom would ping-pong off my aids and bounce back and forth with her shoulders. So I was told to slow her right down until we could start to get the mechanics of the movement figured out. My shoulder-in right is great, the problem only comes up to the left.

The trick for me is to make sure I am sitting to the right, and push my lower back back. Then turn my torso to the inside. When I set myself up correctly, Phantom's shoulders shift to the inside without needing any rein. When I don't get it right, she just bends her neck and her right shoulder just keeps going straight down the track.

Phantom is an apple-eating pro.

So I was super happy with our attempt tonight. It was by no means perfect - it needs more bend through the body, and we'll need to work on adding some impulsion. But for the first time it was something that I thought we would be able to work with.

And those are the only rides of the week until the weekend.

Tuesday was a bit of a stressful day at work, and I hadn't slept well, so I fell asleep on the couch in the evening. On Wednesday I made it out to let Cisco play in the arena and did some clicker-training with him, and planned on heading back out to ride Phantom in the evening after teaching lessons. But I was chilled and tired and was just done when my last rider was done. So it was a nope. Thursday's in general I don't visit the barn due as I work the late shift. And on Friday I am planning to attend a Yoga for Equestrians class.  So hopefully I will be good to ride on Saturday after work. If I can move after my yoga class.

Suit of Armor

The weather changed last week to cool and damp. I blanketed both ponies - Phantom really hates to be wet and cold.

Cisco wore his new Century Superline rainsheet, which is 1680D. I picked this up for half price when a local store went under and cleared their stuff out.

It's probably not the best fit for Cisco - it's a 76", and he could probably use a 78" to fit a bit better around the front. But since he has aspirations to be my first blanket destroyer, he's getting whatever I can get a deal on.

I am also going to try a suit of armor over Cisco's blankets - a Kensington fly sheet.

I found this on, of all places, Amazon.ca. It's the SureFit version - it blends the Traditional and European cuts. It runs for about $200 CDN - it was on sale for $126. It was even a good colour - Baker plaid!

I had planned to use it as a fly sheet for the last few weeks of summer, but decided that Cisco could suck it up and go naked so that I could save the Kensington to go over his other blankets.

It's a 75". It fits okay on it's own, but I don't know how it will fit over a winter blanket.  I have price alerts set up so that I will get notifications for the next size up if they go on sale again.

It's hard to take decent pictures of horses who like being near me.

I put his suit of armor on him on Wednesday. As of Saturday, he had a couple of poke marks on the shoulder.

I didn't think it was this blurry. But you can see the poke marks on the right-ish.

If he wrecks the Kensington, there might be horse nudity this winter. And it gets cold out here on the prairies.

Phantom's mad that she didn't get new clothing.

Oops - I Spent Money

I wasn't supposed to.

I did plan on paying the deposit for the short-flapped Sensation Treeless saddle that I am ordering. That one was planned for. This gets my saddle in the queue to be made, and hopefully I will have it for Christmas.

In getting winter blankets sorted out for Cisco, and putting Phantom's Bucas blanket on last week, I discovered that the elastic leg straps on some of my blankets have stretched out, or are missing. I have a bad habit of stripping a leg strap from a blanket that isn't in use, and then realizing when I put that blanket back on that there is no leg strap, so I borrow one from another blanket, and on goes the cycle.

The big Bucas for Cisco had 1 leg strap, his Kensington straps were too short, and the straps on Phantom's lightweight Bucas have kind of stretched out. So that is 3 sets that I know that I need. I bought a set a couple of weeks ago, but don't think I have any other spare sets. So I needed more leg straps.

I wanted a couple of the hooks that go over a wall to hang my bridle on. The barn currently doesn't really have anywhere in the aisle to hang my bridle or halter when I am getting ready (or saddle racks outside of lockers - I have a plan in action for that). They're not expensive - only $4 each. I bought one for each horse's grooming kit, so that whichever horse I am getting ready has a hook handy.

I didn't need a new helmet.

I do like to have two helmets, especially with two horses to ride. I really dislike putting a sweaty helmet on for the second ride. And in winter, I find that my helmet doesn't really dry out overnight, so it's still a bit damp when I ride the next day. Just a yucky feeling. And a total first world equestrian problem.

I had been thinking of picking up a second helmet over the Helmet Awareness weekend for a bit. My current helmet is the Troxel Intrepid Allure. I've had this one for about two years, after falling and hearing my beloved One K Defender Pro (with the flip down sun shield) go crunch. I was quite saddened by the loss of that helmet. But since I no longer have show aspirations, when it came time to replace it I had a hard time justifying the cost of a Charles Owen or One K, when a schooling helmet, at a fraction of the price, would suffice.

The current helmet. I always forget that there is a design on it. From the Troxel website.

I have an oval head, I need good ventilation, and I hate dial systems on the harness. So for schooling helmets, that limits my options. I had had a Tipperary Sportage in the past, and really like it, but the newer style doesn't fit my noggin. Wrong shape.

So I bought the Troxel, and have been quite happy in it.

But now I have two horses to ride.

My first thought was to get another Troxel Intrepid, in a different colour. That would cost about $80 after the Helmet Awareness day discounts. And that colour would likely be black.

But maybe I could try the Tipperary again. Because it comes in navy. And my new saddle is going to have navy accents.

Wait a minute - it also comes in brown. And my half-chaps and boots are brown.

Yes, I need a brown helmet.

So the plan was to try the Tipperary in brown, and hope that something had changed in the last two years and it now fit my head. And if it didn't, then I would get the Troxel in black. Because I could justify spending $80 for a second helmet.

The day before the discounts came into effect, I checked out a bunch of Canadian online tack shops to see where the best deals would be. Some stores were doing 20% off across the board, some gave you a free helmet bag, some free shipping.

And then I found some great deals. On One K Defender helmets. And they had some options in brown. And they were beautiful. And they were $300.

It's so pretty. From the One K website.

I am very aware that my desire for a brown helmet is a want, not a need. A black Troxel would work just as well.

But I wanted that brown helmet.

So the plan changed - I would still try the Tipperary in brown, and hope that something had changed in the last two years and it now fit my head. And if it didn't, then I would get the One K Defender in brown. Because I wanted it.

The Tipperary didn't fit.

😊💰💰💰🤑💸💸💸

Friday and Saturday Rides

On Friday I tacked Cisco up and lunged him before riding. I took him straight down to the scary end. He desperately looked for the Land Shark that he knew was there, but the doors were still shut, so after a bit he gave up. Sort of. He still looked to the outside when he passed the door, which caused him to bulge in towards the center of the circle, and thus me. Poking him with the lunge whip in the shoulder doesn't do much to get him out - the threat of the Land Shark is too high.

He was more settled than he had been all week, but still not what I would call relaxed. He wasn't great at the mounting block about standing - I'll have to do some sessions just on that in the near future. Thankfully Pony Grandma was there to help hold him so that I could get on.

Cisco's brain was in his head enough that we could walk. But we couldn't steer at all. Baby horse has a week without being ridden, and can't remember anything. We did do a lot of steering though, as a way to try to keep him concentrating a bit on me instead of wanting to stare at the scary end. Lots of changing direction, not a lot of going around the outside.

Trot was forward and nervous. He kept feeling like he might scoot, so we continued on the lots of steering and changing direction pattern.

After about 15 minutes. it got better. The trot slowed and wasn't so erratic, and steering came back a bit. Not as good as it could be, but I still considered it a win. So I left it there.

Saturday brought some wind with it. So there were a couple of good spooks at the scary end when I lunged Cisco. But overall, he was better than the day before, and a bit more relaxed. Just a bit.

He was also much better about the mounting block. And our steering came back!

But we had no forward.

I mean, he trotted. But he wasn't what I would consider in front of my leg. I hadn't started with a dressage whip, as the last few rides he has been too forward so I haven't carried it. At one point, he really started retracting his neck and sucking back, which was not a feeling I liked too much. So I picked up the whip and tried to just get forward.

We got a couple of trot laps each direction and I called it a day. I was wondering if part of the sucking back might be that his quarter was running out since he was lunged first, and wanted to make sure I ended on a good note.

Before I hopped down though, we walked a couple of times into the scary end. Thankfully the Land Sharks stayed in their hidden location, so Cisco was able to survive for another day.

Blog Hop: Equestrian Book Collection

I do love to read. I have to read every night before sleep as part of my routine. I also tend to be reading something when I am eating at home. Unfortunately, I tend to read mostly on my tablet these days, whether it be books from the library, other blogs (of course!), or even magazines. I love the convenience of ebooks, and the cost is often lower for new books. But there is something to be said for holding a hardcover book in your hands.

I have gone through many periods of my riding life where I haven't been in a consistent lesson program. So I have always turned to books and magazines for inspiration to keep going.

Here are my shelves:

Ebooks:

Favourites here are:
Dressage 101 by Jane Savoie (so much easy to put to use information)
Horses are Made to be Horses by Franz Mairinger (just a wonderful read, with humor and compassion for the horse)
The Athletic Development of the Dressage Horse by Charles de Kunffy (so many exercises to try)
Equine Lameness by Equine Research (many of the treatments are out of date, but my go-to when I need to figure out if I should panic over something or if it's no biggie)

Missing favourites that are somewhere in my house, but since they are favourites don't usually live in the bookcase:
Cavaletti by Ingrid and Reiner Klimke
Gymnastics Systematic Training for Jumping Horses by James C. Wofford
Practical Horseman's Guide to Riding, Training and Showing Hunters & Jumpers
Hunter Seat Equitation by George Morris

Books that I need to spend some more time with:
The Riding Doctor by Beth Glosten, MD
When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics by Beth Baumert (recently acquired, might not be my style of writing)
Pilates for Equestrians by Liza Randall (this involves actually doing the exercises though.)

Books that are just kind of fun to read:
Dressage Unscrambled by Bill Woods
Talk to the Hoof  by Jared Lee
The 1963 version of The Manual of Horsemanship by The British Horse Society and The Pony Club (my dad picked this up a few years ago from a library sale - interesting to read about the old ways of doing things)

Phantom and Cisco's favourite book:
The Original Book of Horse Treats: Recipes You Can Make at Home for Your Horse! by June V. Evers (they wish I would crack this book open more often!)

This blog hop idea came from Amanda at the $900 Facebook pony. She also mentioned her addiction to buying used horse books at Thriftbooks. So I had to have a look at said Thriftbooks. And consequently, there are another 4 books that will be taking up some space in my bookcase.

Winter is Coming

Yes, summer is over. How do I know?

Well, I saw this today:

That would be a bunch of Canada Geese flying, well, not quite south, but south-ish.

Then there is this:

Yep - those are night time lows below freezing. Apparently, my phone's app is the only one that shows these temperatures, everyone else is in denial.

And yesterday, I had to do this:

It was raining, and chilly. So both are wearing rain sheets, and Phantom's is lined.

But the main reason that I know winter is coming?

The horses have lost their brains.

After Cisco first lost his brain on Monday with his suspected Land Shark sighting, I planned on Tuesday just lunging and trying to do some quiet work in the arena. I was warned as I was bringing him in that all the horses had been silly all day. So, good luck.

I was optimistic. I had closed the big end door before heading into the arena. I tacked Cisco up with full tack and wore my riding stuff. But I also took my lunging equipment over with me. I was optimistic, not stupid.

Good thing I wasn't stupid, because I needed that lunging stuff. He remembered the horror of the previous day and was convinced that he was going to be attacked. We started at the "nice" end of the arena, then moved to the middle, and finally the far end. I could not get him to go on a decent sized circle - he fell in towards me every time he was on the side of the scary end.  Poking him in the shoulder with the butt end of the lunge whip did nothing to discourage this - the threat of the Land Shark was much scarier than I apparently am.

We finally started to make some progress in the scary end, and were able to trot a few small circles in a row without stopping to stare at the spot that the Land Shark was going to attack from. I was thinking that I might survive getting on him to walk him for a few minutes to cool him out.

Until it happened again.

There is a second, smaller door at the scary end of the arena that I hadn't shut. And what should suddenly become visible through the 2 feet of open space of that door? The Land Shark. AKA, the horse next door.

So all that progress we had made? Gone. Instant sweat again.

So back onto the lunge circle we went. Pony Grandma shut the door, so that helped a bit. I decided we were done when Cisco could do 3 or 4 circles at a trot without needed a tap across the butt to keep going.

His redeeming factor of the night? He stood like a rock star to get hosed off after breaking out in his brain sweat.

Remind me why I wanted a young horse. Please. I can't remember.

My Sweater

Well, I confirmed something about Cisco tonight that I have long suspected. He's a nervous sweater.

I hadn't been out for a couple of days since we did our circus horse practice. So the plan was to let the horses run around in the arena for a bit so that I could ride sane horses tomorrow.

I took some treats and my target into the arena with Cisco to work with clicker training at the scary end. It was very still and quiet out, thus he was very quiet and quite into touching the target. He barely hesitated to follow me into the scary bits.

After we finished up with that, I chased him around for a few minutes. I literally had to chase him - he was quite chillaxed. But he had some silly canter moments and a couple of bucks. I think he might be figuring the play thing out.

Umm - you're not that skinny, bud. I can see you.

He was done, it was all good. I popped into the bathroom to do my business before heading back over to the barn. While in there, I heard a couple of loud noises - I thought he picked something up and dropped it. No idea what it would be though.

I came out of the bathroom, and saw Cisco trying to escape from the arena through the gap between the gate and the wall. And I realized that he has lost his brain over something.

I yelled at him and he left the gate. And turned and stared at the scary end - which has the big overhead door open. And he makes a very loud blowing noise out his nose. A very stressed noise. This was the noise I heard while in the bathroom.

He then spent the next 4 or 5 minutes wanting to escape, blowing very loudly, and trotting very amped up tiny circles near the gate. I tried to get a halter on him at one point when he stopped - I'm too short to put a halter on a giraffe.

In the two minutes max that I had been in the bathroom, he had broken out in a major sweat. His neck and shoulders were drenched, it was dripping down his legs, and he had beads of moisture around his eyes. Very, very stressed pony.

A really bad picture of a sweaty horse. It's hard to take a picture of a horse you are hanging onto who will not stand still.

I finally got a halter on him. But what to do? Do I remove him from the arena, and let him escape from his fears? Or do I try to make him face them, and try to get him down to the scary end, hopefully without running me over in the process?

I decided to stick it out for a bit. I wasn't optimistic that I would manage to get him down to the end of the arena, but I wanted him to relax at least a bit before letting him leave.

And then I saw the cause of all his distress. I expected it to be this:

I'm pretty sure Cisco thought it was this:

Yes, that is a land shark. Because I couldn't find an image I liked of an alien.

What was it? This.

Yep. Horses.

The neighbour had turned out their horses in the field that runs along the back of the arena. They weren't there when we were working down there 10 minutes earlier. It was also dusk, so it was a little harder to see them.

Well, now he was going to have to go down there.

I led him down the middle of the arena towards the open door. About two-thirds of the way down he started to realize what they were. Much stopping and staring occurred on the way down. And then the last bit, when he realized what they were, he led me to the gate to stare at them.

He didn't immediately relax, but he did settle a bit once he discovered that they weren't a horse-eating alien species. A very little bit.

I am so closing that door before riding him tomorrow.

Another Life Skill to Work On

One of the things that I need to desensitize Cisco to is the overhead door to the arena. I know it will be a big deal to him and blow his little brain.

The door has a button on either side to open it - no need to manually pull it down or lift it up. Yay! Cause overhead doors are hard for short people.

So I thought that I would try to use Phantom as a babysitter and do some work on it on Friday night. I grabbed Cisco first and put him right in the arena. I was pleasantly surprised that he immediately wandered off to check things out instead of standing at the gate and staring outside.

Then I grabbed Phantom, undressed her and took her over to the arena. As we were approaching, I could see Cisco through an office window - seemingly weaving. WTF???

I put Phantom inside with him, and checked out the spot he had been standing in. Phew. He hadn't been weaving - he was scratching his chest on the fence that separates the riding area from the aisle. I could see the hair and dirt on the fence board. Silly pony.

Buds.

My other hope in putting Phantom in with Cisco is that he would follow her into the scary end of the arena. She's not spooky, and usually uses the whole ring when she is loose. The first time they trot away from the gate, they get half way down the ring, the pigeons at the far end make a scary noise, they both spook, and spend most of the rest of the night at the non-scary end. Fail Phantom. Fail.

It was kind of amusing to watch the two of them together in the arena. Phantom knows that being loose is play time, which Cisco hasn't figured out yet. She was wanting to get a couple of good runs in, but as she followed him most of the time, she couldn't quite figure out (or be brave enough) to zip by him on the rail to get her run in.  I might have to invest in feathered head dresses for them - with a bit of polish there might be a circus act in our future.

Phantom hopped over this jump of her own accord. She sometimes does, but not usually one of this height! That's way too much work!

After letting them play for a few minutes, I started up the door. The video shows their initial response.

It did get better. But he was still concerned about it. It will take a few more times before he is more comfortable. Having the door open while I am holding onto him - that's going to be another story!

Problem Solving

I'm a pretty good problem solver. And I know that in general, when a horse starts to change their behaviour in a way that we perceive to be negative, it isn't because they just want to be an asshole about it. Something has changed.

Change can be as simple as not enough exercise, new turnout buddies, or weather. Or it could be due to no longer being comfortable with the equipment being used - saddle or bridle fit. And you always have to rule physical issues.

When it comes to trying to figure out why my horse's behaviour has changed, I generally try to figure out if I've changed anything first. Have I changed any equipment? Did I put my bridle back on the same holes when I cleaned it? A change in turnout pretty well guarantees some stress for a couple of weeks.

If the problem is under saddle, I likely have something to do with the problem. And if I sit square, and stop hanging on my left rein, the problem will probably go away.

If it doesn't go away when I ride properly, I'll probably try a couple of equipment changes, and usually with the goal of finding something softer and more comfortable. Harsher bits don't usually fix the problem.

If I've tried the above options, and I'm still not seeing progress, then it's time to call the vet. I've been around horses for a long time, so I have a pretty good idea on when it's safe to wait for a week or two, or if intervention is going to for sure be required, so let's get it going.

Phantom has taught me a lot about reading my horse for happiness. She has no qualms about letting me know when she is uncomfortable.

I am still learning how to read Cisco. I don't know what is normal for him yet, and what is just extra pep on a cool day.

But we have been experiencing one problem the last couple of weeks that I thought I want to nip in the bud before it becomes a real issue. He has been really antsy when I have been getting on.

The mounting step at the new place is placed in a corner of the arena. The human side is towards the center of the arena, so the horses have to walk into the corner and stand between the wall and the mounting block. It's a little tight in there.

Over the last 3 or 4 rides, Cisco has gotten worse about standing at the mounting block. I had thought that it was because he was rather up most days when we entered the arena, so didn't think too much of it. But then we had two rides where he trotted away from the block before I had a chance to get my right foot in the stirrup.  Hmmmm. Definitely don't want this to continue.

I wondered if it was specific to that location. Maybe he felt too trapped in there?

For Wednesday's ride, I brought a smaller plastic step-stool from home that I could park anywhere in the arena and use to get on and test my theory. After leaving from home, and realizing that I had forgotten to grab said step-stool, thus having to turn around and grab it, I realized I could just turn the big wooden mounting block around so that the horse stood on the open side. Genius!

Was my theory right? Well, he wasn't worried about approaching the block, and stood pretty quietly when I got on. Maybe it was due to the heat, maybe it was because I lunged him first, or maybe it was because he was quieter in his brain than he had been the last few times. But maybe I figured out how to solve my first problem with him.

Brain is Back in Head

I finally had a relaxed ride again on Cisco. I was starting to wonder if he was going to be a bit of a hot-head. But I have hope again after today's ride that he has a brain and is capable of using it.

A brain does exist in that cute head.

I was smart this time, and did lunge him first. He was much more relaxed in the arena than he had been the last few times, and this crossed over to the lunging. So we did a quick walk/trot and then I decided to move him down to the scary end.

He was definitely looking for the boogeyman. Since brain was in head, he didn't feel the need to run, just stop and stare. Which required a couple of taps with the lunge whip to convince him that I am scarier than the invisible boogeyman, and he can't ignore me.

I kept things simple, and just tried to have a relaxed walk and trot on the small circle, and decided to leave things there since it was hot and I wanted to make sure he had some energy left.

Steering is hard! (We're tracking right here, and supposed to be on the rail.Fail.)

He was much quieter than the last few rides as soon as I hopped on. We were able to walk on a loose rein! Like a big boy!

When I picked up a trot, there was still no fine-steering. We could do nice circles and changes of direction, but couldn't go straight down the track or consistently into corners. I decided today would be a good day to introduce turn on the forehand so we can start to make some progress on steering from leg. Hopefully.

It went about as well as I could expect. We had a couple of steps in each direction, which is all I expect for first attempts. So I left him there.

I then hopped on Phantom for a quick ride. It wasn't supposed to be that quick, but I had something going on that was uncomfortable, and I was too lazy to dismount, fix it, and get back on again. Her breathing has been a bit better, so I will get her back onto our interval training schedule to improve her fitness. (And mine.)

Then I had to tackle her poopy tail. I gave in and wrapped it up after washing it, and gave her a binder twine tail to swat the flies. I hate how ghetto it looks, but I am tired of seeing her tail brown within a couple days of cleaning it.

Gross poopy tail. 

Grooming Kit Makeover

Each horse has their own grooming kit. Here is Cisco's.

And here is Phantom's.

Cisco's is tiny mainly because I don't really have enough space for a larger one in my tack box. So he has the basic necessities. Curry, stiff dandy, soft dandy, body, rubber mitt, hoof pick, hair brush, and scissors.

Phantom's has just a wee bit more.

I finally found the clicker I have been looking for!

I've been meaning to go through it and thin it out for a while. I only use like 3 of the brushes in there, and things tend to fall out as I carry it. And as much as I like having 3 hoof picks to choose from, I always seem to have to dig for one.

So here is the new and improved grooming kit.

I've had this Eskadron ring bag for a couple of years and have never used it. I like that it has lots of pockets on the outside, so maybe that will make it easier to find some things like the hoof pick or scissors. I still probably have too many brushes in here - natural bristled ones for everyday use, and synthetic ones for use on muddy bits. But now there is space for a pack of baby wipes and the fly spray.

This is everything that is not going into the new and improved kit and it's all going to go home to my garage. Or in some cases, the garbage.

We'll see how long I last with the bag instead of the plastic caddy. I was hoping the bag would give me a bit more space in my tack box (it doesn't). I've always been a caddy user - I'm pretty sure I've had this one since I had my first pony, and she was sold in 1993.

Update - this post has been sitting for about 3 weeks so I have had a chance to get to use the new grooming bag. I really like the pockets on the outside for being able to find things quickly. The bag is quite a bit larger than I thought, so I can really jam it up with stuff, but that will make it hard to dig things out, so must refrain from that. So far I have just added a pair of bell boots. The good new is that nothing has fallen out of it like it would with my caddy. So It's a keeper (So far)!

I Will Learn (One Day)

This weekend was a lovely, autumn long-weekend. Unfortunately,  I didn't get to enjoy much of it. I had to work a mid-day shift on Saturday, teach lessons on Sunday morning, then be social for once and meet up with some friends on Sunday night, and back to work on Monday. Thankfully it was a short day at work so at least I had the evening free to ride.

I waited a bit before leaving in the hope that they were fed their hay early enough that when I arrived they would have finished eating. Nope. This is the one thing that I hate about having my horse in a smaller pen and being fed twice a day - if I take them out before they have finished eating, the other horse will eat it all and there will be nothing left when I am done riding. Giving them more hay doesn't always work depending on who is the dominant horse. I plan to pick up some hay cubes in the next week or so so that if this problem arises, I can let the horse who has missed their dinner get some forage before I turn them out.

So I waited for a bit when I arrived before bringing Cisco in. I had chased him around the arena yesterday for a bit, so I was hopeful that he wouldn't be too silly today and I wouldn't need to lunge first.  He was quieter on the way to the arena, and wasn't screaming for Phantom like he has been lately when I was do my pre-ride preparations. He wasn't standing still mind you, and he got a few smacks on the chest to remind him not to run me over.

I probably should have lunged. (I will learn one day. I promise.)

He wasn't really bad. Just really, um, forward. As in, can't walk, can only trot really fast. Not cantering him yet probably paid off today - he didn't try to go faster than a fast trot, but felt like he would have moved into a canter very easily had I asked.

With his minimal training, I was fairly happy with how he went considering how up he was. He listened in that he came back to walk when I asked, he just would move back up to a trot before I was ready. Steering wasn't great in that he kept bulging to the inside and we couldn't get anywhere near the track, but he would steer onto a circle or change direction as I asked. Once I am able to have him move laterally off my leg, this should go away.

He did get better after about 20 minutes of mainly trotting, and I was able to do some finessing of steering at a walk. Considering how we started, I was happy to end it there.

He has been really up for the last few rides. The question is why? Is there a reason? I think it might be partly the change in his turnout, and that he is really attached to Phantom again. And partly because of the far end of the arena being really scary, what with horses suddenly popping through the door, disappearing out the door, and wind blowing the long grass around outside and causing the arena to make scary sounds. Which just means more miles. And waiting until the arena gets closed in for winter.