Productive Day

After my 'interview' this morning, I ran to the bank then came home to drink more coffee while waiting for the weather to warm up.

I was back at the barn after lunch and brought CP in to work.

I lunged him to refresh his brain and he was very good, forward, but not crazy. He's starting to carry himself in a frame consistently at the walk and with a little asking at the trot. Hooray!

I hopped on him just a few minutes later and, after a brief warm up, schooled Training Level 1. He is really starting to get the hang of the halt at X and is starting to listen for my trot-canter and canter-trot transitions. We don't have a stretchy trot yet, but he's really getting the difference between free walk and working walk and follows the contact in and out BEAUTIFULLY. We actually ran all the way through the test without any major glitches today.

Since the pony was being so good, I decided to see if his trail lesson from the other day stuck. We walked across the big back field and he moseyed right along despite windy conditions. We have a short trail through the woods behind the property that loops from the conservation easement all the way to the back of the big horse pasture behind the house. Today I rode CP through the whole thing. It was his first time being ridden in the woods. It rained a good deal over the weekend so there was a big puddle across the trail. After some sniffing and hesitating, the pony walked right through it. He even bravely faced a Ninja Squirrel without freaking out. Good boy!

I also made CP walk across a piece of plywood that we use as a bridge through the mucky area behind the pasture. I was going to just ride him over it, but then I thought about the proximity of the electric fence and decided to lead him the first time. I don't mind if he gets zapped, but I'm not a big fan of being electrified myself.

After our ride, I took some time to shed MORE hair off of Ozzy. Then I tried to run over to Bluestone to help Brenda with a computer issue, but I forgot she's off on Mondays so she wasn't home.

As I was sitting at the light before Jen's office, she texted me to ask when I wanted to get adjusted. I warned her that I smelled like barn, then stopped right over. The day after a CTR was definitely the perfect time to get my bones fixed. Haha. I'm going over there on Wednesday to start working with her two year old. There will also be a pet pig for me to take pictures of...

I even came home and did dishes like a productive human being. And it's not even dark out! Go me. Haha.