An idle mind...

We took at trip over the weekend, so Lance got two days off (I try very hard to avoid breaks of longer than one day). Even so, he was surprisingly good for me this afternoon when I got him out – not saucier or mouthier than usual.

That's probably because he found something with which to keep himself occupied (besides the dangling milk jug and the Jolly Ball).

He started destroying the fiberglass sidelight in his stall.

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!

Today's commercial

Two dumplin' forks on sale: $9 each. New rubberized reins: 40% off. A break in the drizzle before dark so I could ride Lance: priceless.  :-)

Well, THAT was interesting!

Sunday afternoon I rode Lance in the arena while Brian and a friend did what boys do nearby in the woods. Lance was alert to their whereabouts but not spooking – until the boys got leaf rakes and started raking paths to the campsite they are creating. I can't blame Lance for reacting; it certainly looked like the boys were preparing a secret burial plot and it might have been for him! Lance spun and bolted, ending his short run with some crow-hopping. It was all relatively smooth; I stayed in the saddle and we immediately resumed our schooling session.

When it came time to canter we were tracking right, and Lance fell in dramatically when I asked for the transition from trot. I persisted and finally got canter – or rather, cranky crow-hopping. It didn't improve much; left-lead canter was better, but not great. I've been thinking about working him on the lunge line to improve his canter (balance and strength); this settled it – even if it was precipitated by the earlier spook.

So today, after walking and trotting under saddle, I got off to work Lance at the canter on the lunge line. I was told that the trainer who started him does a lot of lunging so I figured Lance would know the ropes, but left off the sidereins until I saw how he went. Well, he went like a horse who has issues with lunging – or at least lunge whips! His behavior was quite out of character at first, but I kept talking calmly and quietly to him, praising him when he cantered or trotted on the circle instead of bolting or bucking or kicking out at me. Finally, finally, he settled down, although it took quite awhile before he was willing to walk quietly on the end of the line. Lunging is definitely something we need to work on!

After this I rode him down the lane to get the mail. He was a good boy, and didn't bat an eyelash at the paved road this time.

How green was my valley

I just had to share another "lookout" photo (sorry Theresa; I hope this doesn't make you green with envy!). Yesterday I schooled a pent-up Lance for awhile in the arena, then headed down our gravel lane to get the mail. I thought about going to the other end of the gravel lane where Brian and I rode (and I snapped the last post's photo) earlier in the week, but by the time we conquered the paved road it was time to head home.

You see, we live on a dead-end gravel lane intersected by a paved road, and the mailboxes are next to the paved road. When my son and I rode Tuesday, the paved road was wet and Lance was just sure it was a waterway – even though it didn't act like water. He was leery, but the steadying influence of Brian's been-there, done-that pony got him across and back.

Yesterday the pavement was dry so I thought it would be a non-issue. Wrong. Lance crab-walked back and forth along the edge of the pavement for several minutes until I finally got him across. (I had to abort a couple of attempts because of passing cars.) But he didn't cross at the intersection, so we ended up in a muddy field that had been a cherry orchard until recently. There he acted alarmed at the MUD, staring at it with head lowered and ears forward while backing up! I was worried he was going to step in one of the root areas and hurt himself so I jumped off, then lead him back and forth over the pavement several times. Once I remounted, it was easier to get him to cross the road under saddle; we practiced that until he relaxed and stopped reacting.

The green field in the photo is volunteer oats on the other side of the paved road from the mailboxes. After I snapped that photo, Lance seemed to realize he was "all alone in the world" and whinnied loudly – the first time I've heard his voice. He got a little up on his toes, but we made it home without incident.

It's all training!