Progress

I've brought River in for three days now, and each day he has been better..  not that he was ever actually bad, but he wasn't perfect.  Tonight, I'd say he was perfect.

Yesterday we rode.  He was... eh.  Ok.  Much more forward than normal.  Which is to say, he was forward, period.  Set up an elevated pole, walked him over it, and he jumped it.  What??  Normally you need to kick him or tap with the whip to get him to jump from the trot.  But I guess we haven't done poles in a while, so I guess he was just being goofy.  Next time, I'm going to put ground poles in a couple places and start from there.  Also, when we were riding the neighbors were riding snowmobiles around, so he was a little tense.  Then the leaf blower got turned on to blow out the aisle, and we halted and I jumped off before I could find out if it spooks him.

I'm debating ear plugs.  I don't know that he actually needs them, but I kind of think they might make me feel a little better.  I turn on the radio in the indoor to help drown out noises from outside, but ear plugs might help.

No riding tonight, I had another commitment.  But great news:  my car is done, so I have my paddock boots and half chaps back!!!!!  I hate riding in muck boots, partly because they're too wide for my stirrups and partly because they hurt my ankles.

We are going to the show in a few weeks..  eek!  My plan is to start putting out a "course" of ground poles, then gradually working up to crossrails and little verticals.  I'm not worried about the walk-trot dressage tests, we'll get all the practice we need for them just doing normal riding.  I put in a request for the crossrail jumper classes to be single fences, mayyyybe one long line, with all the fences being plain and simple.  I've already told one person that she may very well have to school Riv for me if I get scared.  LOL, my wimpyness is pretty darn amusing.