Weekend Recap!

Our Saturday started looking a bit like this.

Shannon was up pretty early, so Mike took the oppurtunity to enjoy the weather with some much needed time fishing. It was 'Free Fish Saturday', and he took advantage of it for sure. Shannon, Dixie, and I took a nap on the couch for a bit.

Then woke up to this.

Yea, that's a dog on my dining room table. She was growling at Shannon's balloon.

Genius.

 

Mike came home and we made a much needed shopping trip. Hannafords was full to the brim, and I have to say that I enjoyed the people watching a bit more than was normal. I also scored a sweet new pair of flipper floppies, since Dixie has had a ball beating my other pair to a pathetic pulp. We spent $6 and it was the best purchase of the day. :)

After our grocery adventures, I was lucky enough to head out to the barn to do afternoon chores, and work the Mare.

Willow was freakishly good. I just stuck her bridle on, and played around a bit on the lunge line. I'm working on installing a voice enabled breaking system, and so far so good. When you're starting young horses, breaks are always a plus because steering is iffy at best.

She was really light on the line, and didn't take much convincing to come back to me. We lunged all over the ring, not just in our usual circle and she didn't care about that at all. I had more control then I've had this entire time, and didn't use the side reins or anything. I was so proud of her. The next issue that I decided I want to address is how when she goes to the right and I ask her to halt, she swings her butt around so she's facing the opposite direction.

I ended up 'whoa-ing' her, and then walking to the end of the line and making her stand to the count of 5, then doing lots of praising. We did it once and called it good. She's so smart, and it's SO important to end on a good note with her that I didn't want to push it. Then she comes up with new battles, and I'm good with one a day.

She got a nice bath, which went well for the first 3/4 until she decided that the water MUST. BE. DEADLY. and proceeded to spook, run backwards, and jump about like a fool. I lined her up next to the fence and sprayed the suds off while she ran forward, then back, then forward, then back over and over again. I finally held the water stream on her and called the adventure quits after she stood quietly for a 5 count. Lots of praise and carrots.

Mares.

I turned her out and wanted to take a video of her lovely trot out to meet her buddies...this is what I got instead, as she decided to have a 'Thoroughbred moment'.... Enjoy the genius.

I love the moment when her motor kicks in though.

Mike cooked up some knock-your-socks-off burgers for dinner and we enjoyed them with a glass of wine, then put the plus one to bed.

Sunday morning came a little too quickly (moreso for me, since Shannon decided that 2, 430, and 530 would be good wake up times. I ended up bringing her into bed with us at 530 so I could squeak another hour of sleep in before my alarm went off.

Thank you Lord for giving me the ability to nurse laying down! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

When the alarm went off, I got up to swap this.... 

For this...

I finished chores in record time and while Mike was hoofin' it to Albany (poo) and Shannon ended up enjoyed my sister's Senior Brunch with my Mom and Dad, I got to ride my girl!

Normally she is a loony on the cross-ties when everybody else is outside and she's inside. Today she was actually acting like a normal horse. I was floored! It was also about a million degrees, but I'm going to blame it on my powers as a trainer.

Heh.

I lunged her in full tack with side reins today, and she was even better than yesterday. We are focusing on slow (we're talking western pleasure jogs here) since she is such the forward type. She listened like a champ and didn't even flick an ear when a certain adorable little baby raised much Cain. (Not my baby, a four legged baby.) Her right side stopping was even improved! She turned to face me, instead of flinging herself all the way around. I did the same thing that I had done the previous day though. Made her stand while I walked to the end of the line, held for a 5 count, and then lots of 'GOOD GIIIIIIRL!'

Even though it's been two weeks since I sat on her last, I swung right up and she walked off like a champ. We did some solo flying, and she makes it very clear when she's had enough because she'll dive in to stand next to B. When that happens, we'll do another half circle, a whoa, pat and dismount.

Again, it's all about ending on a good note and making her feel good about herself.

Another bath was had, and when I left it looked a bit like this...

It's cool if I drool over my own girl, right?

(I actually took these on Saturday, but I'm too lazy to scroll up and add it, but it still looked the same when I left. Willow is the one in the middle, rockin' the fly mask.)

I picked a happy Shannon up at her Nana's and spent some time with them before heading home to sink into the couch for some baby cuddles and a movie while we waited for Big Daddy-o to come home. A good day was had by all (except maybe Mike, who spent it driving).

<3