The plan is, at the moment, to go to a horse show next week. Just a little schooling show at the Mt. Hood Equestrian Center and only do Western (I don’t think my back will hold up to English right now). A couple of walk-trot classes, a couple of Horsemanship (pattern) classes, maybe some pleasure classes. The show is a fund-raiser for a local horsewoman who needs hip surgery. Nothing big.
Miss Mocha is getting back into shape and a bit on the muscle. My back held up well today for some lead change hijinks. But she was ready to go, especially after I booted her up front and back. Putting the boots on gets more intense work out of her, especially anything involving stops. I think they’re more comfortable for her to go fast and then stop in. She also two-tracks better in them.
We did the gate from the left side, opening and closing. Not a foot wrong, calm and quiet. We’ll continue practicing just to make sure….
Whatever it was, we finished up with a loop around the round pen and a hard run down to the wall for a fenced stop. Twice. She turned the afterburners on higher both times, faster than I’ve ever gone on a horse that wasn’t running away with me.
By then the rain showers had faded so I took her outside. The guy who hauls off the manure had left his flatbed trailer that he hauled the tractor to load his truck on out in the parking lot, and she got all excited about that, both coming and going. It’s interesting when she gets in the investigatory mode. Head high, has to move sideways instead of forward at first, but once she gets up close to it she has to snoop all around it.
On the return trip she saw it and wanted to trot toward it. And she Most Definitely wanted to sniff it all over. Interesting, again.
Full of go today. Lots of energy. Could be interesting next weekend.
