New adventures

My person and I went to a show last weekend. It was like nothing she ever made me do before and I'm still not sure how I feel about it now. It was at an arena we have gone to before, but things were SOOOO different this time. There was stuff hanging on the fence and stuff scattered all over the arena.

We didn't warm up inside like normal and we weren't going in and out thru the gate where we usually did either. Another thing that was confusing was that there were a bunch of other trailers and horses there, with people running around too.

She took her time saddling and warming me up and soon it was our turn to go in and face all the scary things.  The first thing was the tunnel (of death!) I'm sure it was going to eat me and I was having NO part of it. Even as we walked past it after my person gave up trying to get me thru it, I was facing it and keeping my eyes on it. No sneaking up behind me! Eventually by the end of the day I did relent and go thru the tunnel (of death). I was too tired to put up any more fuss. Obviously 1) it did not eat me and 2) I did not die.

There was also a Ball Slide. We would stop by this big wooden spool and roll a plastic ball down a kids slide. Again I avoided this thing at all cost and by the end of the day I was too tired and gave Zero shits. There were also four circle hoops on the ground. I think we were supposed to go thru them, but I avoided doing it as much as I could. I also jumped them a couple times.

There were also jumps. At first there was No way I was going near them, but again, by the end of the day I was going over them. One was some small white barrels laying on their side and the other one was a cross rail (which I have done before) but the poles had some shiny foil stuff stapled to it with fluttery pieces and that freaked me out at first. By the end of the day I gave Zero shits and jumped them both from whatever direction.

Another obstacle was the Cowboy Curtain. It was a gate with pieces of garden hose hanging down. I went thru it the first time around (actually I jumped thru it),  was not having it anymore the rest of the day until the very last time thru the course and did it again for the In Hand, but only after my person put her hand thru and pushed those things aside for Her Highness -> Moi to get thru them unscathed.

There were also tires we went around instead of stepping over or thru them like the other horses did. A three tiered 'bridge' that I was having none of until I decided to jump it repeatedly back and forth without setting hoof On it, God Forbid! The Noodle Platform was also a NO-GO for the day. Two platforms to step thru a couple jump standards with pool noodles sticking out off them. PASS!

Ground poles we did a few different ways, mostly either walking thru them or jogging over them. The roping dummy- take the rope off the horn, step back, rope the dummy, gather the rope and put it back on the horn. Proud to say- my girl can rope!  😁

All in all it was a good day. We were in the ribbons for every class. My person was proud of me for trying and One of the people watching had come over to the rail to see me and told my person that I am a very smart pony. She had been watching me and could see me thinking about things and that she likes me. I had the warm fuzzies hearing that. People are starting to really take notice of me.

3rd gear....

Lately we have been working on our cantering or loping. My person decided one day (thankfully), that she couldn't expect our canter/lope work to be good if we avoided it. Part of the issue is that I tend to give 1,000% when something is asked of me. When she asked for a lope- I gave her almost an all out Run. We would go around in circles at a quick pace. Appaaerntly that's not what she wanted. How was I to know????

Starting our work on the lunge line- I'm a bit short strided as I haven't loosened up yet

Aaaand before long I have loosened up and relaxed. So we change directions and keep going....

Then she asked me to lope

So I obliged and rolled into it.

I could understand doing this on the line. But when she gets on me, things changed. She would ask for 3rd gear and I gave her about 6th. We went fast. Really, really fast. 

One day we both finally "Got it!" Things clicked and we Hit our Stride so to speak. What happened you might ask? Well she sat up straight for starters, relaxed her legs and seat, asked for the lope and when I rolled into it, she gave me a few strides to relax, sat up straight and slowly brought me back to her with her hands.  

Her weght shifted back slightly and I shifted my balance back onto the rear end where it belongs, rounded into the bridle and softened, loping along all relaxed..... for which she Heaped on the praise! We got a few circles one direction that way and a few the other way too, all calm and relaxed so she quit us there.

Cropped from the above pic. 

Jogging again before being ridden. 

Our next workout, things seemed to fall apart all over again and I found myself racing around, braced in the bridle, tense and up tight. My person wasn't thrilled about it, but she let it go. I could tell she was disappointed, but at the same time it didn't seem like she blamed me. Our next ride we found IT again and I rolled into a nice relaxed and collected lope. Again she Heaped on the praise. When she does that, then I know I'm doing things right and she is pleased. I like making her happy. 

A day away

Recently my person took me on a field trip to a local arena. I have been here before and there was supposed to be a horse show on this day, but it was cancelled. Obv's my person wasn't on the list to be notified and we were the only ones there. Which means we had everything to ourselves.  

Show cancelled she decided to use it as a schooling opp. 

Lemons make lemonade.  

There weren't any lunging pics, and only a few once she got on. 

Fuzzy ears. Don't judge. Part of it is my forelock.

Another pic from my back

My person has gotten me all ready to make the trip home. There was a bit of a breeze so my mane blew over to the other side, showing off one of my hidden spots.

She even wrapped up my tail because I rubbed it on the way there.  This pic she was able to crop from the one above. 

She looked over and thought I had a 'big horse' look about me so she snapped these. Look at me all squared up. That was one of the comments on both of our dressage tests, "nice square halt".  I am also still growing a little and starting to balance out. Not looking so much like I'm built downhill.