Every once and a while I have a training moment when things just click...when the horse learns something and in turn I learn something new about the horse. I had such a moment with Gjelt today. Despite being leery of Ginger in the tall grass, he finally seemed to understand the concept of leg yielding at the trot, and even balanced back into self carriage for a few steps while doing it. With that understanding came the ability to use my leg more for balancing and steering...and it turns out Gjelt loves the outside leg back. Suddenly the big boy was lighter on the forehand, and was able to carry himself on a circle that may have actually passed for a circle! His canter improved immensely too with this knowledge. Riding him was so much easier that it was hard to want to get off! He also became much more forward at trot and at walk, which was a welcome change.

So from that success I got on Aiden. Aiden was a little fresh, so I decided it was a good day to work on cantering...and he managed to canter the entire way around the arena today! He also trotted poles like a champ. I think he is going to be a lovely hunter when he grows up. He kind of reminds me of a spunkier Shawn.

Sailor has a bug bite right where the girth would go, so we did ground work instead...which he loved, and he finally stood quietly for bug spray on his belly.

Last for the morning was Dexter. I was still pumped from the earlier success so had planned to do some serious dressage work, but once Dexter had his bridle on he gave me this look..."it is too hot and I am too tired and wasn't I good enough yesterday you can't possibly ask me to work hard again today let's not go into the arena"...so we went for a trail ride. He seemed to enjoy that decision. We went for a little over an hour...him playing tourist and me trying to work on a better seat. Riding on the uneven ground of the great outdoors turns out to be a pretty good way of making sure of an independent deep seat, as it is hard to predict what the horse's next step is going to feel like.

I am a little annoyed though with all the garbage in the ditches...in particular the beer cans and bottles. Is it drunk rednecks or kids trying to hide the booze from their parents? I wish they would at least stick to cans...I worry about a horse getting cut on a bottle if they step on it.

Karen