Horse Time - Tina and Gem

I started with Gemini today and played a little before hopping on. I wanted to ride the cloverleaf pattern for a while and build his stamina and while engaging his brain with transitions. However, he was a little tense so I started with just serpentines and getting him soft. I used the snaffle bit today instead of the C2 as I'd used the C2 in the clinic and I wanted to see if I felt a difference. He had nice, nice feel and was extremely responsive to the snaffle. I'll be switching back and forth between the 2 bridles to see if he shows a preference.

I didn't ride him long, just some nice work at the trot. He was a little anxious about being away from the herd, surprisingly. I finished up with spraying him down and taking him to roll in the round pen. I treated him once he was down as I want to start building the lay down as a response to a cue.

I then warmed up Tina and decided to ride her in the round pen. I want to get her going steady at the trot and bending on the circle. She's been a little tense since her Jeffco experience and I want to keep any excess energy contained for now. She warmed up nicely and we headed into the round pen. We walked for quite a bit and I was paying special attention to her mental state - checking for tense muscles or nervous behaviors. We sat at one point and stood still to see how long it would take her to lick. Surprisingly, it took several minutes! We then moved on and got some movement going. She didn't feel tense any longer and I found a good place to stop. Tomorrow we will steadily trot for a while.