Ride Times!

Ride times are in! Show is 55 minutes away and I ride dressage at 10 am so that means I don't have to wake up at 4 am! Winning!

sun rising this morning over my farm :)

And I have an hour between dressage and stadium but I'm not planning on do any unnecessary tack changes. I will change bits and add Twister's boots and maybe a fly bonnet as long as his bridle is off. It's going to be hot, like really hot, and that means lots of flies. My test and my jumper rounds will be done before the most hottest part of the day, not that it won't be hot.

Now I get to make stupid trivial decisions. Like what color of my new browbands to use! And believe me, for a chronic indecisive, that's a tough one!

my white pad is too thin and I don't have time to get
a thicker one... I guess the black pad under doesn't look
too bad?

Today when I rode and when I warmed up walk-trot and I was on the buckle and... and.... HE WAS LOOKING FOR MY HANDS THE WHOLE TIME! SUCCESS! When I started to shorten the reins he was right there, in front of my leg, looking for contact, all round and on the aids. Holy shit balls. It only took 3 years!

I warmed up then went into my smaller paddock and ran through my dressage test for Sunday. Our trot-walk transition wasn't horrible and 1 out of 2 halts he was square in front which isn't awesome but I think for an Intro B test, we're going to do all right. After the test I warmed up his canter on both leads, a couple circles each way. He was awesome. I almost wish I'd added another dressage test, one with cantering, to my card Sunday, after the cantering today.

he's going to ride my dressage
test for me!

Then I started him over some jumps. I had a one stride set up and warmed up with that and the little xc jump that's in my "arena". Then I cantered him to the 2'3". The first time we chipped, pole stayed up. The 2nd time we knocked the whole thing down and I had to get off and put it back up. I was temped to just say fuck it and do the 1 stride again and call it a day. But at the show, I can't. I have to keep doing the height that is there. So I set it back up. Gave him a few taps with my crop to wake him up, sat deep and pushed him to the jump and tried my damnedest to day out of his freaking way. And whah-la! We cleared it smoothly!

After that we did the 2'6" from both directions, smoothly. And after landing that one coming back toward the gallop paddock, I just kept him on the left lead and circled around and did the 2'3" like it was part of a course and he was freaking perfect. We're ready!

Tomorrow I'm going to do one more dressage school and Saturday if I ride at all I'll just hack down the road.

Ranger and Pedro, bffl's!