i'm lazy

Really. I really think that is the real issue with me lately. I am just plan lazy. Even though Shyloh's hips and withers were sore, I could have been working her in the round pen or on the lunge line. But I was being lazy. I can come up with a million reasons why: tired from work, tired form working at the barn, tired from thinking of all the housework I have piling up. . .but it just comes down to the fact that I am lazy.

Much easier to do this with Shy than actual work. . .

Today, I pulled myself out of my lazy funk and worked Shy for about 20 minutes in the round pen. Yay us! I am really hoping that next week we can get a consistent ride schedule between Beth and myself. I am hoping Beth can work Shy to put time and miles on her to boost Shy's confidence. And I asked Beth for lunge line lessons so I can work on my position and balance on Shy. And finally get that trot down. 

I warmed Shy up with some walk/trots in both directions, with just her halter on. Then I put on the surcingle, bridle, and side reins and did some more walk/trot work. I worked a lot on transitions. Going left, she was able to transition smoothly into the trot, but going right, Shy often gave her little hop up into the trot. Ugh. But then considering we have not really worked on it, Shy is out of shape. But she did do exceptionally well at reading my body language, so that was a plus.

Eat Shy's dust!

After our little session, I loaded up all the tack on Shy and she became my pack horse back into the barn.

Carrying all the tack!

Tacking her up, I noticed that Shy, yet again, scraped her head. What does this horse do? I swear she gets more surface scrapes than any horse I know!

I promise it is there! Just really hard to see. It is right on the edge of her blaze.

We are on the second clutch of barn swallows. This little guy was not able to fly back up. He was so cute! So me and Kathy put him in a tree by the barn. 

The goal is to work Shy in the round pen Thursday and possibly ride. Possibly. . .

silence is golden

I actually took pictures today with a real camera and not my cell phone! Here are a few of Shyloh and Ryleigh in the pasture.

Waaaay in the back of the pasture!

Hiding behind this plant. . .You can't see me!

Oh. . .you found me. . .

I must run away now!

C'mon, Ryleigh. . .let's go! We get hay when we go in!

Okay!! Yum!

Fun fun fun!!

Dante and Lexi in the pasture next to Shy and Ryleigh

Once I got Shy inside, I had intended to lunge and long line. But I could not find the long lines! I started freaking out because I hate losing things and I had borrowed those. But, I texted Jaime and she said she used them last night for Clutch the Clydesdale, but they were in her locker. So only lunging it was. . .

Shyloh had her dinner waiting when I brought her in, but I did not let her have it. We had work to do. I lunged her each way and  we worked on our transitions. They were rough. But every time I asked Shy to trot from the walk and she threw her head and gave a little jump, I asked her to walk and started over. The head swing and jump does not seem like it is defiance, it is more like a whoo hooo, she is used to trotting in the pasture how she wants and it is fun! Eventually, she was able to transition more smoothly. And I did not use the side reins to do this :) I asked Kathy to take this video of Shy's head toss, but it was after she had been tossing, so it is not as pronounced as it generally is.

Yesterday, another discovery that Beth told me about was that Shy was able to lunge without me speaking because she was very in tune with my body language. I tried the silence today and it was amazing! I can get to her to walk on with my body language, trot with a cluck, transition back to a walk with a wiggle of the rope, and stop with my body language. It is pretty cool! 

It was relaxing to lunge in silence and only speaking to praise Shyloh when she was doing as I asked or when she made a smooth transition. We also did not have an issue with her backing up or being preoccupied with the door back to her stall. I ended the night with giving Shyloh apple and granola as a treat. And she got to eat her dinner hay!