Progress and speculation

I'm so proud of my big red goober! Lance was a good boy today, even though I wasn't able to get him out yesterday. I rode him at the walk and trot, then put him on the lunge line for some canter work, my routine for this week. He has settled very quickly into mostly calm, obedient work on the lunge, and his canter looks lovely. I think it is his best natural gait.

Then we played pony express and went down the lane to get the mail. He crossed the pavement twice without taking issue, and stood better while I fiddled with our locking mailbox from his back. On the short walk home we practiced leg yields. The air was soft, the sun was shining and I couldn't help but smile. It was a perfect afternoon interlude!

Tuesday our farrier was out and all the horses got trims. I asked Troy if he thought Lance looked like a mustang, and he said, "No; he looks like a thoroughbred." Interesting; that's certainly not something I would guess if I didn't know Lance's breeding. Rick thinks he looks like a draft cross (?!?). What does Lance look like? I pondered that for awhile this week; he certainly doesn't look like any other horse I've seen. He doesn't have the defined muscle development of a quarter horse or thoroughbred, and I don't think that's just because of his lack of condition. His legs and feet are more substantial than a Morgan's or Arab's, although he does have a lovely arch to his neck and a pretty head. He is deep in the body from top to bottom, but doesn't appear broad side to side even though he has plenty of space between his front legs. As I mentally reviewed the various breeds, I realized there is just one I'm familiar with that bears some resemblance in type to Lance – the Andalusian. I think I would have seen it sooner but for Lance's color. Far-fetched? Well, his sire is a Kiger mustang, which means Lance has a significant amount of Spanish blood. So maybe not!