My Crazy Awesome Pony...

On my first official entire weekend off, I am taking my time getting around to doing things. I took my time this morning with Mo and reaped huge benefits. WhenI got to the ranch this morning, I got her morning hay, and dawdled about brushing her while she ate. I used the shedding blade forever and she is finally looking like her excellent summer self instead of the wooly mamoth I brought down here with me.

After she finished eating i put on a halter and my 45' and we went to water with me in zone five. From there we drove around behind the mercantile and passed her old pen [she tried to stop there, it was cute] and finally into the Enchanted Forrest and into the 50' round pen. I let her go at liberty right away, just to see what would happen, and to see how much energy I had to work with. I got some pretty enthusiastic trots right off the bat, but no AHHHHH CANTERRRRR circles, so that was a good sign.

After some miserable failure at maintain gait at a canter, I changed my game plan and did a gazillion transitions instead. That worked wonders! Suddenly I was being offered lovely canter departs and graceful halts and attention and connection HMMMMM. *headdesk* DUH I will get this eventually, I promise.

Mo was super cute and tried really uber hard. My draw was all at a trot, and even when I was aiming for sideways and she went off at a circle, she would trot back over all "oops, my bad, I thought you meant something else" and try again. So cute!

After a whole lot of transitions we went on to change of direction where something interesting happened. When I would ask for the change, Mo would go ultra introverted and just stand there... I am still thinking on that one, but ideas are welcome. She eventually came out of it and we got some good ones and I called it quits on that for now.

One thing that was really cute and funny and great was that there was a barrel in the middle of the pen, and it kept getting in my way so I eventually decided to move it and put it in line with the other barrel on the fenceline [not my setup, previously existing] The funny part is that when I went to move it, Mo was on one side of the barrel and I was on the other and when I started dragging it away Mo came with me... SIDEWAYS! It was to cute!!! I am dragging this barrel across the sand and shes keeping in line with it like "Is this what you want?" ... WHOA and I didnt even ask her or anything! Totally her idea!!! Completely won her a cookie! :-)

Eventually I ran out of ground ideas [I am working on that though] and I mounted Miss Mo. She had her halter on, but no line because I had only my 45', and bareback because I hadnt wanted to influence my ground play with my "lets ride" drive, because I am terrible like that. So I am bareback and bridless in the 50' pen, pretty normal for me and Mo on a good day. The COOL part came when we went over to the gate and opened it and walked through the playground a little ways to go hang out in the 100' pen. Confidently. ! I wasnt worried about her running off or anything! In the 100' pen we did a bunch of transitions and stood on the pedestal and did figure eight around some cones AND THEN [in my infinate tiny attention span] we went out INTO THE PLAYGROUND!

Bareback and bridless, there we were, moseying through the enitre enchanted forrest, moss point to moss point! COOL BEANS! And Mo was perfect. We alternated between passenger and my idea, and it was wonderful! On one of the passenger parts she started aiming for her pen so I said hey cool and we crossed the creek and went out the gate and walked all the way across the lower part of the hill playground to the water trough and then right into Mo's pen! It was perfect!!! Mo was a STAR!!!!

Later I went and brushed up Indy to get her ready for her ISC stint, and she was great to. She REALLY need to be brushed! I feel so bad ... but she looks shiny and happy and FAT! I hope Mo will enjoy her time off!!!

J invited me to bring Indy to a playday with her tomorrow, so that should be uber fun!!!

:-)
S

[better, T?]
PS: It was 80 something degrees today, so gorgeous and warm - not a cloud in the sky!!!