DAY 20 – SOMEPLACE
NEW: We got word that a normally non-public arena was going to be open to
the public this weekend. So today we are heading over to South Shingle Arena in
Shingle Springs which is about 30 minutes away. We are taking all three of our
horses. Supposedly this arena has a nice round pen which is perfect for Nike!
It is always good to TRAVEL with the horses and get them exposed to new places
and new faces! The weather forecast calls for rain early this week so we want
to get in as much training time as we can with all of the horses!
Not sure it ever got above 45 degrees outside today. Welcome
to winter in the Sierra’s.
Trailering: She OWNS it now. We simply point and she loads
up. Freaking awesome! We see many folks who have a real issue with this aspect
of their horsemanship. Just goes to show that if you train with the horse’s
mind in mind you can get great results!
Round Pen: Today we did all of Nike’s work in the round pen
as there were some folks racing around the arena who had their dog loose. Not
cool but what can you do. So we did what we do in the round pen at liberty and
on the line. In general she is really getting it and moving well. She is
changing directions nicely and using her hind end. We rode in the round pen
too. Outside of getting too close with me on her back to the rail a couple of
times we got a nicer series with trotting and loping. Well, her lope is kind of
sad. The time with the dressage person really confused her and she does this
hop-lope thing under saddle. We know we can get it to feel balanced and normal
with some work but wow…it is a workout to sit it. Her trot has at least two speeds
so that is fun. Feeling good about her steering wheel so next time we’ll ride
in the larger arena and see if that helps. After her workout she got to stand
tied near the large arena to contemplate her lesson. We are heading back to the
same place tomorrow if it does not rain! It was a good session. Both horse and
human are learning and that makes the adventure extra special.
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