Still no left lead...

Rode Gem around the front and then around the track to the left. Then in the center around the indoor arena. Never once get a left canter. A couple times he tried but shuffled and changed leads as he departed. Do I need to buy a different dressage horse?? Ugh.

Trimmed Z. Need to do Rain and Gem this week. Z is dragging her front left (the club foot). Is her shoulder out? She's not very fit right now - maybe I need to ride her more to keep her fit and more balanced?

Teaching with Z

Gave a lesson today with Z in the indoor. The wind was atrocious and the indoor arena was miraculous!!

Worked with Kris on circle game and sideways. Also, Rio now knows the "smile" trick - which Kris loves. Rio loves it too - he gets treats. We had some good laughs over it. Rio's sideways was beautiful. He's made some very nice changes! I played with Rio a bit on sideways and try to show Kris how soft it can be. Rio is such a nice horse - a great, willing mind.

Kris rode Z for a few circles and got to feel Z's big trot. Z was especially annoyed today with all things - maybe her cycle?

Home from vacation

No one really wanted to be caught at first. It made me giggle to see them choose to stay out as a herd rather than be caught. But, as I always do, I wanted for my horse to make the decision to be with me before we got started.

Rode Gem just a little, amazingly light backup. Some sideways, isolated ends. Then some liberty to see about the left lead canter. He can canter left now - phew! It's not consistent and we'll need to build it back up. Time to get back to work.

Cowboy trimmed

Kris came over and got Cowboy trimmed. I've trimmed Rain and Starlet is gone, so only Cowboy needed Kris' services today.

Kendall is getting addicted!

Home from school, grabbed and apple for a snack and went straight out to play with Rain. Her comment when she got home? "I've been thinking about riding my horse all day!". I was stuck at my desk, but I love to see her put energy in effortlessly. She came in after and told me how it went - the good and the bad. She's really learning now.

Later in the evening, we watched some of the Success series together. She was engaged and asked questions while we watched it. Pretty cool stuff!

Kendall and the 7 games

We worked on the 7 games today. Kendall learned these a few years ago, but she barely remembers. I really want her to spend time with this for her horsemanship. I taught Kendall teh catching game and she fell in love with the concept. She showed great timing too!! Rain was following her in no time in the large arena!! She also rode bareback in the indoor. Great fun!

I had Z with me and just goofed off a little.

Enjoying the indoor!!

A few mins with Kendall, Rain and Z. Just stayed on the ground, KK practicing bareback.

Bus Stop Pickup on Horseback

With Rain and Z, bareback. Kendall was so happy. Then practiced bareback in the arena until it was too dark. I love riding bareback!! Kendall couldn't get enough today, either.

Gemini's Hock gets injected

Well, here we go. I hope this has positive impact. He sedated Gem and tried to pull some of the fluid from the swollen tendon sheath. The fluid had viscosity and Tom was pleased to see that. It's not near the hock spur, which is bizarre. It's about 2" higher. A few days of rest and then we'll see how Gem feels.

Helping out Rio and his human

A good session with Rio and Kris! Zarah is great as my "teacher's mount", too. Kris is still working through trust issues with Rio, but it's time to push the envelope a little. We rode around the front a little bit and worked on Rio getting relaxed. We were right by the barn, but still farther than ever before. Rio was certainly on edge, but I had Kris ride patterns and the 2 of them settled in. We've got to do much more of this type of session.

Gem's hock and Doc's opinion

Spent time with Tom today figuring out the best protocol for Gem and his hock. Tom quickly saw the lameness and we talked about options. We decided to inject his hock with cortisone. If that doesn't work, I don't know what I'll do. I sure hate to stop doing dressage with him. He'll be a fine trail horse, but I had bigger plans. We'll see...

Kendall bareback in the snow

So much fun!! Me on Z, Kendall on Rain. The snow was nice and deep and we plodded around with smiles on our faces.