What Happens When You Think the Trailer is Locked...

As per my newly assumed routine, when B leaves to her feeding job, I go over to feed Indy and Crystal and then over to the other J's to play with Mo, and then B comes to play with Chance to. Well! Yesterday I was clever, and asked B for her trailer keys. She normally keeps it locked because we have all of our things inside the tackroom. Today I wasnt so clever. I later found out it wasnt locked for this express reason, but for the time being, keep in mind I thought it was.

As far as tools go that left me with my shiny [ugh] new 45' and the savvy string on my belt. Oh Boy! Looks like I really get to practice that liberty I have been procrastinating on! I called Mo. She looked up from her hiding spot in the woods but didnt come over until I got closer. But she did come somewhat in the end so that was good! We played hard yesterday and it was very warm so I am glad she doesnt hate me for that. It was a little cooler today and overcast so that was nice for her. We even got showered on two or three times, so a nice little cool down mid play was good.

When I met up with Mo, Chance and Reggie [J's horse] came to say hi to because I was carrying a plastic bag with my water and a snack in it, as well as Mo's carrot chunks. I was thoroughly investigated before shooing the other two away and protecting my herd of two. I put a coul of my 45 around Mo's neck and we set off over to the trailer. Half way to my end point I did a big interal DOH and groaned aloud Im sure, becuase I realized I had no keys and therefore no halter, no carrot stick no saddle. GUH. Round pen and liberty it is!

We went over to the round pen and played a bit. Our departs we crappy in the bigging until I figured out that swinging a small portion of the rope to make a whirring noise works better than throwing the whole coil at her hind end. THEN we got some go. But not a lot. Mo goes on a rollercoaster of adrenaline. up and down in the span of a minute. One second shes all "WHOOOHOO YEEHAWWW" and the next shes plodding around like shes eighty. Which is fine. Its just an observation.

I have been playing with transitions to backup on the rail in the circling game so we played some more with that and got our stick to me yo-yos going pretty good! Some real hind quarter power going on there! That big draft butt is actually getting some use! In my grand lack of imagination I got bored and just jumped on bareback and bridless because with Mo I just can... in a round pen her go level is uber low anyways so mostly we just stood around. Eventually I jumped off again and we played a little more with stick to me.

B came around then and showed me my brilliance in that the tack door WAS OPEN. *headdesk* Oh well. I ran with the theme and only extracted a carrot stick from the formerly-locked-but-not-any-more room. Mo perked up then. TOOLS are important. It was so much easier to be CLEAR and precise with what I was trying to get across with the carrot stick. We played in the round pen with B and Chance there to and THAT was an adventure!

Each horse had to figure out who was directing who and not react when, say B was slapping the ground at Chance, Mo had to know to still stay with me. I kept jumping on and off Mo because I am not creative enough to keep coming up with things, but on one of those time I DID kneel on her back, and stand almost all the way up! I could have stood all the way, but I dont trust MY coordination. Yet anyways. I am working on it.

We played around doing little things and I found out that my sideways circle game that I invented [?] works REALLY well at liberty! I just put my hand in the same place and off she goes into a sideways circle! I knew I was being super precise about the change in REGULAR circle hand to SIDEWAYS circle hand for a reason! I felt slightly clever at that.

I hadnt planned on riding really. Mo worked hard yesterday, and I was happy just plodding around bareback, but when I finally [and I mean like hours later] got Mo on the 45' with a halter and we were playing around in the yard with the logs an drunning and jumping and doing changes of direction at 40', my addiction kicked in and I just couldnt resist. I LOVE playing on the ground, but I am ADDICTED to riding. It fuels my passion. Ground play is fun, and very cool, it is something I always want to get better at, but riding is what I want to excel at. I ADORE being on my horses. Sometimes that bites me in the ass and I mount to soon.. but live and learn right?

So anyways after that strong run around warm up [adrenaline boost inserted here] I saddled Mo and did our preflight stuff. She was happy and so I bridled her [which she is getting SO GOOD AT! I am super proud of that, no more head throwing or anything, bridling OR unbridling!] with the Cradle for kicks and off we went. We played around circling the round pen from the outside since B and Chance we in there, and that went good, just freestyle. Then I made myself pick up the reins, since thats another thing I procrastinate - FINESSE! I am just fine riding around freestyle, I like it, my horse likes it, and we have a good time. I found out in my six weeks that Mo is ready for Finesse, so I know all thats holding us up is me. I have a hard time picking up those reins. Donno why, I just have a brace about it. I am working on that to...

Reins in hand we went around walk and trot and over to the logs, where Mo 'saw' something and got all snorty [for her.. she doesnt really 'do' snorty!] uppity, lets call it uppity. Her usually level head comes up and her ears prick and she looks at whatever and she trots faster. We did figure eights around the two logs until she calmed down and thought about the pattern. Yey Patterns! Ill have to get pictures of J's Playground. Its really cute !

When my dearheart calmed down we trotted over the two logs, jumping them and that was COOL! We started with one and then the other and then jumped both as a double jump! YEY MO! I will make a hunter of you yet! Then we went down the scarier end of the feild and did patterns ddown there and jumped the other single log and then the medium size pile of three logs! YEY! I am so proud of Mo! The only set she hasnt done [undersaddle] is the big pile of logs that is just *this* side of my comfort zone with Mo because she is such a sporadic jumper. Maybe tomorrow :-) I also dont want her to get sick of jumping, so we only did it two or three times.

After jumping we went back over to the round pen to work on should swinging and then went on tour around the pasture fenceline over to the water trough to get a drink. Yesterday in the confidence snaffle Mo couldnt get enough suction to get a drink so I had taken off her bridle for her to drink. It was quite the to-do to get the thing back on without dismounting [lazy me] so when Mo turned her head to ask me to take off her bridle again I politely declined and listend for lacking suction noises, there were none, she was just trying a new trick HA! Smart pony!

Finishing our tour of the fenceline I headed us back to the trailer to unsaddle. We went into the round pen again and played some more at liberty. We played with our figure eights at liberty, which, after some support from B to reinforce stick to me, went really well at a walk! AND then I had a Mo glued to my shoulder thereafter. It was great! Mo was even sad to see me go! Looking all forlorn at the gate and whatnot! SO CUTE!

We were supposed to bring Indy and Crystal over to the other J's [home] again tonight like last night but we were all to tired so we just skipped and planned for tomorrow. Indy was happy for dinner today, and is happy and healthy except her left lower eyelid is swollen a little. B is going to red light it for me tomorrow. Hopefully that will help.

Other than getting some groceries [by me-style groceries I mean milk, OJ and some tasty brownies that caught my fancy] thats about all I did today. About 4 hours with Mo, home for lunch, groceries, then tired relaxing on the couch and computer! I am liking this 'holiday' concept!

:-)
S