Free jumping and other lessons

Rory is a little bored these days.  Now that he gets fed twice a day with Totyo I'm not giving him mini lessons every day.  I do tend to go through his paddock at some point during the day and if I have some carrots I'll run him through a few yielding exercises, but it's not the same.  I took my other horse for a hack around the back fields today and Rory watched us go as if he wanted to come along.

After my ride I brought Rory in for a quick grooming, put his bridle on and took him out to the arena.  I let him go and he did his usual run around for a while.  Totyo was screaming nearly non-stop but Rory only whinnied back once.  Eventually he came back to me when he'd finished running.  I decided to see if he'd free jump a cavaletti today and set up a cavaletti with a couple of guide poles/standards.  I lamented my failure to recharge the camera batteries and considered waiting for another day, but decided we might as well give it a go.  Rory followed me back and forth as I took the various pieces out of the corners and set them up.  He kept trying to rub his face on the first standard as I carried it out.  Once everything was set I sent him out around the arena.  This free longeing is not something I've done with him - usually I let him run as he will with just the odd bit of encouragement to keep going if he gets stuck in a corner.  The first time he galloped over the cavaletti, not really noticing it was there.  The second time he didn't get far enough out to the track, missed the chute, change directions and trotted over the cavaletti from the other direction (no chute on that side).  I laughed.  Rory was very relaxed about the cavaletti and banged his toes the next time through lack of effort in his trot.  I did manage to get him to canter it a couple of times and he got a awkward distance once which didn't upset him.  I'm happy to see that he doesn't feel it's a big deal to trot over a cavaletti.  We've done it before with me leading him so it wasn't a totally new experience.

After I put all the jump pieces away I clipped on the lead rope and stood him up as if for a conformation class.  He stood well and then I turned him and walked halfway down the arena, came back and then trotted all the way around the outside of the arena.  Rory was very good, giving me a nice, long strided, relaxed walk and then staying with me at the trot even around the turns at the far end (I was on the outside).  He did get a little fast as we came back towards the door, but I slowed him sharply when he didn't listen to the light reminders to wait for me and then continued in the trot past the door.

We had a little walk around outside before going back to the barn for a quick brush and his rainsheet.  I want to leave it off to relieve his shoulder rubs, but it's supposed to start raining tonight or tomorrow.  The new darts in the blanket neck line are holding, and they seem to be lifting the buckles up high enough to take the pressure off his shoulders.  I can't tell yet if the rubs are getting worse or staying the same.  I think they're not getting any worse.  The heavier blanket is ready for the colder weather with shoulder darts added and seams sprayed with water proofing.  If we get the colder weather...