Media Dump

Sometime last week, Ashke and Ardee got to go into the turn out together. They seemed to have a great time with one another and the light from the setting sun was absolutely breathtaking. Ashke and Ardee handled being out together really well, but it was a hot mess when we added Noosh. Ashke got all arched and squeely, and thinking he was all that. We separated them before the playful front strike thing became deadly serious.

 Look at how uphill he is moving here.

 Chasing Ardee

 Wide nostrils and attitude.

Visual difference between TB and Arab?

Or respectful guy chasing his girl?

I tried to ride on Sunday in the late afternoon, but between the gun shots outside the barn and the wind, I had a hot spooky mess on my hands. I got off and we cantered in circles for twenty minutes at the end of the lunge, until the pitiful looks I was getting from the unicorn finally melted my bitter, hard heart. 

Last night, he was amazing. It is so interesting how I can ride and work on something without feeling like we are making progress. For like months. And then one day, I step into the saddle and he has taken a quantum leap forward. That is what last night felt like - a huge jump forward in ability.

One of the things we are working on is the areas of his responsibility and my responsibility. I want to ask him for the transition to a new gait and have him maintain that gait without me having to nag him. He is working on it. I also had canter work that approached straightness, without him throwing his hips around, very soft transitions between canter-walk-canter on the figure 8 and a definite change of gait in the medium to collected canter. 

Second of three in each direction

To the "hard" direction

I was riding with my hands wide. Ashke still has a tendency to throw his head up in the air when the work becomes difficult. Amanda and I are encouraging him to live in the house we are building and if he continues to work over his back, he will get strong enough to carry himself there all the time. 

 Trying to get Irina to agree that he works very hard all the time.

Doesn't he kind of look like a Beatle?

 Artistic impressions

New leather halter with rolled noseband. Really looks great on him.

We opted to ride mostly in the "safe" end of the arena, because I have very few rides left here and there is no reason to fight about it. This week, we have visitors coming into town for Tristan's graduation, the actual graduation ceremony, the dinner with family and his besties the night after graduation, and a tattoo consult for Tristan's arm band Saturday morning. I am hoping to ride on Saturday afternoon, but then will be at a show all day on Sunday (not riding, working). Monday - Wedsnesday, he will be left to his own devises, supervised by Irina, while I am traveling for work. Then, on Friday morning, J and I load up the camper and the horse trailer to head to Fort Robinson for the weekend. I'm both excited and nervous about going. Then we have a short week and I move him to the new barn on the 1st.