Monday

Back to school unforchantely.

I rode Cocoa through the shortcut to Jess's. She did AH-MAZING! I was so estatic. So I had just had the horses eating in the pasture and I pulled Cocoa straight from there to the roundpen to play around a little bit. She was keyed up and I had her cutting me..and throughly enjoying our little roundpen playday. She was able to canter a whole lap around the roundpen in the deep sand. Her back still looked a little tense but she didn't appear to be in any pain...So we did some very entergetic change of direction at the canter. Figure 8's at Liberty. Serpentine's off the fence. Then something she hasn't done in a long time...she usually only does this when there are no fences...but she did it in the roundpen today. Cantered right beside me in small circles! Then we just did some mirroring and Stick to me. Since all I had out there was the 22 ft. I did some playing with the flank rope. We did some circling game with it..she struggled a little at first and then picked up on it, we haven't done that task in a while. Did some backing with it and then after that I let her eat in the yard and then snatched her for our ride.

So we went through the shortcut..I was just bareback..and we cantered about the whole thing through all the low branches and trees...it was a little tricky but fun! Then we headed to the opening and did some lovely vertical flexion at the trot. I could feel her rounding her back!!! Then I was able to ask for a very slow rocking horse canter. Now that was fun.

I let her gallop up the hills rest of the way..and then we met Jess and Roxy. Let them eat a little clover and took the horses for a walk. Roxy and Cocoa were so happy to see each other again! It was so cute. We walked them down the road and on the trails. When we got to the horse camp..Cocoa went up to one of the 'curb' parking spots for trailers and while I wasn't paying any attention put one hoof up on it and was just staring at me like 'Look what I did!!' lol It was hilarious. So I had her get both feet up..she looked so proud!

Walked them the rest of the way on the trails and then back to Jess's. Cocoa and I had to scoot to make it home before dark...I always have a tendency to be out riding too late...just ask anyone! We did make it home in time and then I groomed Cocoa and fed the ponies.

Oh..and I almost forgot..I played with Dixie too. We did some traveling circling game and then some falling leaf pattern. After that I played with her in the roundpen. We just did some of the games basically and the Figure 8 pattern. Then like what I did with Cocoa...I used the 22 ft. line as a flank rope and had her back up by it and did some Zone 3 driving. She picked up backing by the flank rope so quickly. After that we practiced change of direction online some days she gets it and others she's a little stubborn/defiant about changing so we'll keep playing with that.