It's in the mail!

Work has been all-consuming lately. I've been working 8-14 hour days all week and this weekend and will do the same Monday and Tuesday. Ugh. But it pays the pony bills so I am done complaining.

I did run out to the barn for an hour or so this morning. I got a text the other day that he'd broken a bucket strap. I think he may have gotten himself caught on the bucket. I can't say for sure because he's also been known to chew on the straps which weakens them, but it looks like one of the handle loops (where it attaches to the top edge of the bucket) is bent and he has a new-ish owie on his nostril. Not anything major but it's possible that those three things (nostril, bent metal, broken strap) fit together. I'm going to spray them with McNasty once they're fixed.

We practiced showmanship for a bit. We seem to go back and forth with the pivoting. What I tried to work on today was keeping him standing still until I give an actual signal to do something. Because of his tendency to try too hard he will move if I turn towards him and start to back before I give him the signal, or pivot before I give him the signal. Though that would be a good thing, he doesn't wait to find out what I want him to do so I sort of walked around him a bunch today turning towards him and away from him and then giving clear signals for "back" and "pivot" and "jog off", etc. It worked okay. He got annoyed after a while and started waving a foot around but I think he started to figure me out.

I am sore from riding bareback on Wednesday. Last time I rode bareback I was sore for a few days, too. Not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong, or if my back just can't take it. The thought of that makes me feel old. I have never been "athletic" or anything, but the idea that by body has hit an age where some things just aren't possible is quite depressing! I have been dealing with lower back problems for years but when I'm riding consistently I don't have nearly as many painful days as I had while I wasn't riding so I'm a bit confused. I've spent the whole month (yes it was a short month) riding without stirrups and I haven't had any pain so I didn't expect it to be so different without a saddle. I did notice I felt more comfortable this ride than I did the last time I did bareback, so that was good, but four days later I'm still not 100%. I spent Thursday-Saturday with therma-care wraps on and lots of ibuprofen. Chiropractor tomorrow, then work work work until Wednesday.

On a much more exciting note, I got an email that my show halter is on it's way! Thank goodness! Now I can stop hunting for that and move on to a new pad and getting started on the jacket pattern when it comes.