Friday Night Lights

I rode Ashke on Friday night. We had the arena to ourselves. He was still a little sore and favoring his right hind. We did some cavaletti and worked on our trot.

I used the martingale and he immediately dropped his head, yielded to my leg pressure, lifted his back and moved with impulsion. I'm going to use the tool for a while longer and see if I can get his back super strong.

We didn't ride for long, though, since he was still a little sore on his hip. And the footing in the arena was really wet and soft, kind of like slogging through mud. I also had the cavaletti spaced too far apart to be trotted easily. I had them at two steps and Nico said it was one big step. I'll try that next time.

I also changed his feed, since he has started losing weight again. I added in some alfalfa. I don't want him to lose any of the ground he has gained. He may just be a hard keeper. He does run pretty hot. I'm going to see what Diane suggests for joint support. He is still on the amplify and lysine.

Saturday, we spent at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo with Nico, J and T. It was pretty interesting. We watched a clinic on Western Dressage. Nicole wanted to go down and start slapping riders because they weren't listening. Overall, it was entertaining, educational, and a great opportunity to look at horse stuff.

Just for the record, I don't understand Western Pleasure. That exaggerated 4 beat canter is awful. Why would you do that to your horse?

The other positive from the day was looking at the three horse Bison horse trailer with LQ. I think we have found our answer to the question that has been plaguing us for a while now. We are struggling to find a truck camper that will work with a horse trailer and still give us the things we want in a camper. The Bison is perfect. Lot's of space. Something new to research and investigate.

Tomorrow we ride.