So Long, January!

Between Huck's injuries, the Holidays, the COLD, and my work schedule, December and January were pretty much a bust as far as riding goes.

This past weekend was glorious and though we will be back down to highs in the 20's by the 9th, I'm crossing my fingers that the worst is over.  After all, I bought a pair of insulated bib overalls that arrived just after the temperature went above freezing.  Murphy's law, you know?

Huck's face and leg are healing.  There's still a tiny stubborn spot of scratches on his RH but it's SOOOOO small.

Things are going well with Huck on the riding front.  I mean, I still don't have a flying lead change, but we are figuring more things out and I'm consistently pleased with our rides  He seems to give his best try and doesn't get upset if I need to correct him.  He minds all my aids and I think we've gained some proficiency in the "I touch you here you move your hip, I touch you here you side-pass, and I touch you here you pivot" department, which goes a long way for gearing up to lead changes and our trail class work.  We have done some respectable simple lead changes, which would be allowed in the Green Reining class, but I am REALLY hoping we can get a consistent flying change anyway.  Some days I can get 3 distinct (well, kind of) speeds of lope. The slowest I call "OUCH", the medium "Yassssss" and the fastest "Whhheeeeeeee!"  He is exactly opposite of Kevin where the slower you go the smoother he got. Huck is the other way around.  I do miss Kev's smooth lope, but I am SO happy with my choice in buying Huck.

Showmanship practice is yielding good results as well.  He seems to get the idea of the setup now and his pivots are improving.  He's shaped so differently (from Junior)  that I can't see his pivot foot when I'm in proper position so I'm having a hard time correcting something I don't know is happening, which means I have to cheat my position for now.

Huck does Yoga when he's tied....

One of our barn friends is entering the Equine Affaire Versatile Horse and Rider Competition so we've been experimenting with lots of obstacles.  We even brought in some pistols (loaded with blanks, of course) to do some gunshot desensitization.  THAT was interesting. We did this on the ground, of course.  Huck did pretty well considering how alert he is.

We have some fun clinics coming up this spring and leading up to our show season starting in early May... wait WHAT?  That's....like... THREE MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!  Oh boy, we have a lot to do!  I open a play on the 18th and then I get to turn my schedule back into one of a "serious competitor" instead of a "weekend-rider".   Bring on Spring!