Throw back to some snapshots from Summer. I’m having a hard time quantifying our progress this year, maybe partly due to not going to a horse show and falling off, like I usually do as a report card.
Probably our biggest thing is that we haven’t used a bit since March–and wouldn’t you know, he puts his head in the bridle now. He was mostly alright to bridle before–oddly better at taking the bit for the people who always rode with one. I often rode him in just a halter, and he was pretty consistently refusing (at first) to take the bit for me. I guess he was trying to tell me something, and figured I might actually listen. And it did work, he has a bitless bridle now, and he really doesn’t abuse it. He’s a lot happier. Granted, I also haven’t asked him to do dressage in it. Not really.
He’s also surprisingly good in a neck rein. Trot is still iffy, but walk is getting impressive.
Bees in the grass put a damper on our jumping practice. I was hoping to get back to jumping practice, but every time we entered the grassy area with jumps we’d come out with a persistent yellow jacket on our tail. Not cool. But he’s pretty happy most of the time, and downright cuddly, and very, very good with children under foot.
