So here I am now playing with posting in WordPress (and crossposting to LJ). Lots of stuff going on, publication-wise as well as the horse. Netwalk is out and attracting a bit of interest. River is building up a head of steam as well. I’ll probably post more about those details later on, after I get everything else figured out.
But for now, Mocha. Miss Mocha is definitely back in “working horse” mode. No-nonsense, tried a few small resistances (“But Mom, I’ve gotta try a few things to keep you on your toes”) on the ground, but…each hoof was popped up and waiting when I went to pick it out, she dropped her head and was ready to work right away, and we did some light work in the sopping wet indoor.
Why sopping wet? Well, all of a sudden the local weather has remembered that this is supposed to be the Pacific NorthWET, after all, and it is still December, so we’ve had a deluge. With flooding, and the flooding includes parts of the arena. We’ve got slick spots but hey, beats riding in driving rain. Mocha executed very nice, crisp whoas, decent rollbacks, and now she’s figuring out the game of the cloverleaf pattern I’ve gotten back into doing. This time around, however, instead of arguing with her about tight lope circles, she’s actually seeking to find a way to make them tighter. Which makes me work my hips and lower back and core more to support her in a correct lope around those tight circles.
Oh horse. Sometimes you are just a wee bit too smart. But fun.
Still, she demanded the toll of a couple of thundering laps around the arena. Which we did do, and she put good effort into that hard run. A good riding afternoon.
And now, onward. Other commitments will keep me from the barn for a few days, but hey, it’s always nice to leave the place on a good note. I started thinking again about the conditions under which I’d try riding her bridleless, and if there’s more works like this one, then on a quiet barn night, I might just try it.
In the round pen to start with. You think I’m a fool or something? Not on that horse. Not until we get the whole process figured out.
Not that I’m trying to be Stacy Westfall or anyone like that (think more along the lines of Lynn Palm instead, need to find Palm’s video on bridleless training because that’s the line I’m following).
So we shall see. Conditions need to be right, though.
