I was supposed to show tomorrow, but that got rained out.  This is only important to note because this exact same show has now been rained out three times.  Excuse me while I pout in the corner.

Small chance I might get to show next weekend, but we’ll see.  I’m not holding my breath.  At this point, we have one last guaranteed show in 2014 – the weekend before thanksgiving.  Will we do 2’6″?  Will we do 2’9″?  Will we do jumpers?  You’re in just as suspense as I am, trust me!

Anyway, I took yet another rainy can’t go to the barn night as an opportunity to play with a Wacom tablet a co-worker is letting me borrow for a while.  You know what this means – slightly more advanced stick figure drawings… but only slightly more advanced.

Since the weird-not-quite-lameness episodes of the summer, I decided Simon can’t loaf around however he pleases anymore.  We’re going to trot with purpose!  We’re going to work on our flat work!  This has been paying off very well, and now we pretty much look like this at the trot.

That drawing may be a slight exaggeration.

Once the trot work started feeling really good, I realized (aka my trainer told me) that I needed to push the boundaries a little bit.  First this started with simple leg yields at the walk, which turned into shoulder in at the walk and trot and eventually turned into leg yields at the trot.  We’re still working on that last part… and if I’m honest, pretty much anything that requires sideways movement.

The laterals are where Simon slowly starts to get into his “I’m a bit flustered” place.  As he learns more what I’m asking him and more of what I want, this attitude gets better and better.  I can now do lateral work and go back to our happy trot above without too much drama.

Then my trainer suggested we work on bend and counter-bend at the canter.

And that my friends, is where Simon’s brain pretty  much leaves the building.  He throws his head, pretty much his best and only evasive trick, and I do my best to keep asking him politely but not letting him get away with ignoring me.   The first night we got three nice strides.  The next night, some more… and so it goes.

My riding has been super inconsistent due to travel and rain and such, but hopefully things will pick up soon.  Until then.. stick drawings.

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