Old Friends

Yesterday S came out to visit Miss P and I for the first time since we moved barns.  I'm all too familiar with how crazy life can get and ow quickly the days fill up but it felt great to see her, and it really had just been far. too. long.

P seemed to appreciate the extra attention, and the (carefully picked through) handfuls of Moose Munch so that she could share in our indulgent snack.  (P only gets to munch on the caramel popcorns, not the chocolate ones or the bits with nuts in them).

I tacked P up for a quick ride, and we dragged the cavaletti out to play with for a bit.  P warmed up well.  She was a doll while I free lunged her and kept coming back to me until I chased her away again.  Pretty darn sweet if you ask me.. but not very effective for "getting her bucks out."

There was about 4" of snow on the ground at the barn, so P was snorting at every tree and bush as we trotted by them.  She appeared to be supremely offended by the snow, and refused to give up on said offense for the first 15 minutes of our ride. 

Mostly I was too busy chatting away with S to get much "work" done on P, but maybe that's what we needed.  P was forward, and although she was a little tense, she was quiet and didn't so much as threaten a cow kick when I was shoving her around all over the place with my legs.

We lengthened and collected, we did lots of transitions, we cantered, we played with our cavaletti and we did lots of stretchy trot.

I'm sure that to an extent, S was just flattering us, but she was really impressed with how far Pia has come in the last 6 months.  Specifically she noted that she's using her butt much more than she used to, and that she's actually lifting her back and lifting through turns instead of just wheelbarrowing around with her front legs. 

Some of that I'm sure is the Wobbler's, but some of it is the result of hard work and muscling...

By the end of it, P had barely broken a sweat, S had almost frozen to death, and I don't think I ever stopped talking, but it was a good ride. :)

Today I'm supposed to have another lesson, but I seem to have contracted a fever (BOO HISS) and I'm desperately trying to save myself for the impending cabin trip and all our projects this weekend.  I think I might ask the BO to ride, and maybe I'll snag some video of my pretty girl. 

Then again, maybe I'll just put myself on her back and squeeze one more ride in this year...