Still sans stirrups

I was wrestling with my teenage son the other day when he protested, "No, not the dressage thighs!" I gave an evil chuckle and said, "Just wait; they're going to be even stronger by the end of #NoStirrupNovember!"

I just realized I used stirrups the morning of November 1 before the farrier came – and before I knew about #NoStirrupNovember. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day on our hill. We haven't been out of the arena since; Lance is (and always has been) barefoot and I hate to ask him to walk on gravel right after a trim. Today I rode the warm-up, then lunged him to focus on "forward," and finished with a bit more mounted work to enjoy the results. Here's my autumn-colored mustang man today in fine flesh: