Updates

Okay so updates since we last spoke. Satin has been wonderful as always. We had a show two weeks ago and it went well. Her turns were great and she had good times. We were reserve and Kayla was grand as always, so I was happy. We also had a lesson last week which went well. We did more work on lead changes teaching Lexie and refreshing Satin. Satin was extra quiet and lazy. I think this was due to the unusual 90 degree heat. She is usually very forward on her changes but sleeping and loping along making the changes either not happen or only happen in the front. R changed up the excercise and we gave Sat a pole to help her out. We started doing it in a figure eight with a change down the middle then moved to getting them on the diagnonal. By the end we had nice changes at a slow collected pace which was even better!

We worked on our homework yesterday that R designed to help improve her lead changes especially at a collected gait. I brought her up into her really collected canter which she is becoming quite good at it. It is getting easier and easier to bring her into it and hold her there. At the collected canter I bent her to the inside for a few strides then the outside, inside then outside, etc. I did this in both directions. Then I brought her into a semi-collected counter canter and asked her to bend to the inside. R said to hold her there until she wanted to change to the correct lead. I did and once I got her whole body bent to the inside she wanted to change and would do a simple change to do so. Though I will say I was proud of how good her counter canter has gotten that she was able to keep a nice pace and hold the counter canter even when I had her head bent to the inside and was circling her and she even held it a little when I first got her body bent inward.

We were hoping to go barrel racing tomorrow, but its been raining since last night and it is supposed to continue into tomorrow so its not looking good unfortunately :( Especially since I had R talked into coming. Well hopefully in two weeks we can go.

Now I have to brag about Hotty. I believe I mentioned I had begun riding my friend's Thoroughbred gelding. Well he has come such a long way in the short time I have been riding him. First off he thinks he is a western pleasure horse. He jogs like a champ with his head in the perfect headset. He has a gorgeous comfortable trot. We had a little issue trotting around to the left in one part of the ring which we quickly got over. We have been doing canter work and yesterday for the first time he was able to hold left lead twice around the ring instead of just half way around! Then we worked on right lead which is his weak direction (probably from being off the track) and after a few tries we actually got a few strides of right lead! I was so proud of him!! We also recently started going for walks around the property after we finish working and he has been an angel. I am also getting him more used to riding with other horses and yesterday my friend was jumping, doing lead changes, and cantering around right by him and he didn't even flinch. Also when I first started riding him he didn't want to back up at all and now he loves backing up. He does it like its his job and I have him backing through shoots. He is so ready for trail LOL This doesn't sound like much, but for this horse this is amazing progress in a short amount of times. I couldn't be prouder. He is such an AWESOME horse with so much potential. Now that he trusts me he is so eager to please and do anything for me. I just love him and hope to be able to continue working with him for a while. His owner is looking for a new home for him but I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon. I want to show him in the beginner western next year. Fingers crossed!

In other news, I have my big photo shoot job coming up for a local barn. And I also leave for Kentucky this week, but I am going to make a separate post writing all about that.