August 22, 2011 - The bottomless puddle

 I rode inside today, because the sand ring was soup after the rain.  We had a quick walk/trot on the longe.   Rory was a little distracted by the wind rattles and looked out the doors but was very good.
I mounted up and walked him round a bit.  I felt the saddle was a bit far forward and his elbows were thumping over the girth.  I rode the figures from his dressage test and ran through the whole test once.  He was good.  We won't be setting any high score records, but since I just want Rory to get the show experience I'm not concerned about marks.  We just walked and trotted today so I don't know if the chiropractic adjustment fixed his canter problems.

"But I'll get my feet wet..." Rory checking the puddle.

 I'd set the camera on the big mounting block just outside the big front door and as he approached it on the left rein he often gave it the hairy eyeball.  I figured out it was the blinding whiteness of the white paint in the bright sunlight - when the clouds covered the sun he was okay.

We finished the day's ride on the grass, and practiced point to point riding in straight lines.  He wobbled at first but got much better. 


and over he goes

 After I dismounted I spent a while working to get him to go through the puddle outside the ring.  He was determined not to get his feet wet and I was determined he was, soaking my boots in the process.  Rory really didn't want to walk through the puddle, but eventually he rushed across.  We went round and through a couple more times, then I turned him once he had his feet in the water and walked along the puddle.  Rory tried to get out to one side and then the other, but he followed me along.  By the end he was walking through the puddle, then picking up a trot on the other side and my feet and boots were soaked through.