A Walk Through Town

I wanted to work with both horses at the fairgrounds arena this afternoon, so I saddled up my guys and rode Keno while ponying Flyboy across town. Granted, we live in a pretty small town--it's only 8 blocks to the fairgrounds! I often ride Keno that route, but it was a first for Flyboy. He did great--he looked at a few things of course, but no really big spooks or excitement!

In the arena we did lots of circles and serpentines walking and trotting. Flyboy learns quickly, and I suspect that he has done some of this before but maybe just forgotten. After about ten or fifteen minutes, he got quite soft in the bridle and was finding his own release. He was starting to listen to my leg as well. A couple of times I could tell he was getting frustrated, but then he would get it figured out. I didn't ask for much--kept it simple. We worked on bending, moving away from pressure, moving forward, halting with seat and voice. He was really getting it! I think I need to add in a few trot poles and maybe some pole bending poles or something to keep it interesting for him, though. We did two big multi-looped serpentines across the arena and he was so great turning and bending with my seat and leg, I hopped off and told him what a good boy he was!

The only thing I didn't like was his behavior while I was riding Keno. He was tied to a solid post outside the arena, and he didn't pull back but acted like he wanted to a couple of times. He paced. He actually paced with only a three foot rope! Back and forth non-stop. Hmmmm. How to fix that? It will come to me I'm sure, but if it already came to someone reading this, please clue me in!

We rode back home, and the scariest thing we had to pass was the big diesel Union Pacific truck. Not much courtesy from that driver--and Keno really hates big noisy trucks due to a bad RC Willey furniture truck experience a few years ago! Whatever. We all survived and Flyboy was not as rattled as poor Keno was.

I have an appointment with the chiropractor vet for Flyboy on Oct. 11. That's the soonest she will be down in this area. :(    I couldn't really feel anything to worry me, though. I liked what I felt today for sure!

I do need to get in the picture-taking mode though!