And another day that I did not get to ride.  Have to work to pay the bills, but Ike did get back to work today and actually spent most of the day outdoors.  Ms. C put him through his paces and he was tired when he was done.  “Can I have a nap now?”  I like having her ride him so that she can better guide us along our way.  Her aids are never two seconds late like mine.  She also better understands the subtleties of getting him to unlock his jaw and properly flex.  I am but a mere novice when teaching a horse a concept like flexion.  I swear some days unlocking his jaw is like getting concrete to bend.  He is starting to better understand the idea and be more responsive to the request at home.  It will be interesting to see how much of his training is retained in the show environment.

And speaking of the dressage show, ride times are posted!  I am the first ride down centerline on Sunday.  We will draw the line in the sand for others to follow.  Should we focus on straightness or go for a slanted or wavy line just to mess with the next riders?  Yeah, yeah, I will focus on straightness and promise to focus to prevent the drift off centerline.  And breathing, yes, breathing.  I know I keep posting about breathing, but it really is an important component of a successful ride.  It is my mantra for the next few days; I’ve also been practicing yoga on the non-riding days which also helps me with proper breathing.

The farrier comes tomorrow to get Ike’s hooves in tiptop shape.  If all goes well, I might actually get to ride as well.  Fingers are crossed for nice weather.