Friday ride

I did not ride Thursday night because I came home with a pounding

headache. I went to bed at 4:30, and slept till 6:00 this morning! I didn't even wake up at 4:00am like I do nearly every day, to try desperately to get back to sleep before the alarm goes off at 4:45.

He is doing GREAT. I am a better rider than when I got Imax, thanks to Imax. I am making sure my cues are very clear on Cajun to make sure I don't get the same confusion I got in Imax when I later tried to teach him Training level dressage passages like shoulder in and haunches in, turn on the haunches, etc. --

He is totally getting that my leg steers his back legs, and my hands steer his front legs. I set 4 poles up in a circle - poles at cardinal points (N, S, E & W) First, I just trotted him over the poles, he went right over, no problems. No hitting the poles at all, he picks his feet up nicely - as I give him a little leg over the pole. Then I got him bending around my inside leg a bit, going around the outside of the poles. Using my outside leg, I pushed him into the circle, using the striping on the poles to line him up to keep the circle as round as possible. He still really does not get straightness yet. But so what? I used my "spiral seat" (outside leg pushing him into the spiral, inside leg on the girth to bend around and encourage forwardness) and the stripes on the poles to trot a spiral - in and out. This is actually pretty advanced stuff for him at this stage. He was pretty darn good, though.

When I ride outside he is easily distracted but that is totally natural, a young horse thing. I have to ride every stride more than inside , I can coast a bit.

He is a dream on the ground, such a joy to be around. One of the guys who works at the barn actually stopped and wanted to talk to me about Cajun - that never happens! Men just love him, they get little stars in their eyes when they look at him. The jousters still have to comment every time.

I have decided he needs shoes, so he will be getting them on a week from monday, the first time my farrier can fit me in. I don't want to worry about it any more, and he wanted to walk on the grass the other day instead of on the gravel. I don't know if it was just that one time or what, but I am tired of worrying about every little hitch in his step, and everytime he does not step out when I ask. it will be a bit more than for Imax .... are you ready for this? $140!!!!!!!!! AAckk!