Wet Saddle Pads

It was beautiful out last night.  A little warmer and more humid then it has been but it was still very nice weather so I headed out to the barn to play with Cat.  Once saddled we did some groundwork.  She has a very good departure on her LFR.  She's already picked up when I'm preparing to do a change of direction during LFR stage II so I spent some extra time just moving the stick to my hand and then moving it back without changing her direction.  She wastes no energy running to me when I yield her hindquarters.  I'm waiting for the day when she knocks me over because she runs up and puts her forehead on my chest as if she's saying in a wheezing voice "please let me stay here, I promise I will be good".

After doing some LFR stage I & II I worked on my desensitizing.  I think this was the first time she didn't flinch when I slapped the ground with the stick/string.  She was tired and just wanted to stand still.  She didn't care what I did as long as I didn't ask her to move.  Next we worked on some YFQ and YHQ and then I backed her up to the yard and worked on sending her into and out of the ditch.  I even managed to back her up out of the ditch (the same ditch MIL said was too steep to back Sis out of).  She was so hot and tired! 

I decided since she was already hot and tired this would be a perfect opportunity to ride out (off property) alone.  We headed down the road and about half way between the farm and the neighbors she spooked when some birds flew out of the ditch grass.  It was a nice jump to the side and stand still spook.  I prefer those over the jump to the side, buck and then bolt spooks.  Getting back in gear we headed towards the farmers path.  The cattle across the street caught her eye but she continued to move on willingly.

With the rain there was a pretty good sized puddle in the middle of the path.  I asked her to go through it and without much hesitation she did.  I love how willing she is.  Moving on down the "trail" we crossed a few more small water run offs.  Around the bend Cat and I noticed 3 raccoons scatter into the trees.  She really didn't care about them but the deer on the hill caught her attention.  She caught theirs too but instead of running away they started to come towards us.  I'll admit - that made me a little uneasy.  I had visions of Cat spooking and me hitting the ground.  Luckily for me as we continued to approach them they finally turned and ran.

We headed down the hill, over the creek and up to the top of the hill to be greeted by a few more deer.  To my surprise the farmers hadn't planted the back field so I took the opportunity at hand and worked on my ORS and passenger lesson.  The magnet to the field entrance was pretty strong so it wasn't as easy as I had anticipated but I managed to make some progress with her.  I was wishing I had John's I-pod loaded w/"Jessie's music" while I was cantering.  Cat was just hoping I'd let her stop.  I finally let her stop and air up facing away from the house/trail before heading back.

On the way back we visited the big scary tarp.  She could have cared less and has already learned if she touches it I will leave her alone.  A tree stump caught her attention before turning the bend so we touched it too.  Once we hit the dirt path I bumped her back up to do some more ORS at the trot.  I can feel her starting to think about stopping from my seat, she just isn't there yet.  The ride home was pretty uneventful.  We visited the cows and then rode down past the drive to visit with the neighbor (Cat doesn't like her dogs).  It was 9:30 before I got her back into the barn to unsaddle her and she was exhausted!  I'll admit, I'm a bit sore today too!

I was very pleased with how well she did on her solo ride.  Not a single nicker and just one small mild spook.  I think she's going to be a very level headed, willing to please horse.

Ride #24