Child Genius

Sometimes with a heavier emphasis on child instead of genius.

idk where the rubber stop on my standing went so it's duct taped.
things is klassy around here. also, real talk, opie has maybe not the
most attractive profile out there. 

Opie returned to work Monday after a week off while I was in IL in which BM reported that he spent one night screaming his brains out for an hour and a half while one of his buddies was doing a lesson.

BM said, "Oh noes, Opie, your mom hates screaming. You better learn to be quiet!"

And then I said, "You have my permission to kill him."

And then he tried screaming during our ride and learned maybe piping the fuck down is the better option in Carly Boot Camp Land.

"oh hai, i missed you. JUST KIDDING YOU'RE THE WORST."
-opie, probably.

It was a rough re-introduction to Land of the Rules for this kiddo, but hey--at least it kept me from whining that things are too easy with him, right?

I started him off on the longe to give him a fair chance to get any sillies out, especially since we had to have a minor Come to Jesus in the crossties about standing still to get our feet picked. He started off with some zoomies at the trot before wildly bursting forth into the canter...for three strides and then quitting. Wow, Opie. Much wild. Such sassy. I finally got him going both directions w/t without being a lazy cow and quitting, or being a lazy cow and going fast for half a circle before quitting.

We, once again, had to have a little chit chat about standing at the mounting block, but fortunately that seemed to be a quick regression as he was a pro today. 

I really wanted to get after him about picking up the canter yesterday, but he ended up being such a spicy firecracker--on an Opie level which means he kind of trotted fast and had slightly less steering than usual (which is saying something as sometimes bouncing off the wall is still what turns him)--that I spent way more time working on transitions and settling into a quiet rhythm. He ended up offering me really good stretches at both the walk and trot, and since he'd also w/t over rows of ground poles a million times throughout the ride I let him quit there.

i went full #tackho and ordered him a new bit and bridle
simply because i don't like the way the brown micklem looks
on him. black micklem? fine. brown? no. he likes his bit while
he waits for his bridle to get here tho!

This morning I was set that we were going to tackle the canter. I didn't even need him suddenly going laps and making circles and picking it up in ten different spots and yada yada. I just wanted him to pick it up when asked and not immediately quit because hard. 

He was much more settled this morning than yesterday afternoon, probably because all his friends were still in. Whatever, I'll take the wins wherever. W/T, lots and lots of circling and changes of direction, and finally I set him up for the canter and asked. He ran into a faster trot which is his go-to, but right when I was about to regroup and try again he picked it up. Maybe four strides, but that's about twenty strides less than it took before I could even reel him back in from his Standarbred gait in previous attempts. He made it one whole lap before he thought about quitting. I legged him on and made him finish another half a lap and asked for the walk. 

For everyone that calls dibs on him for their pokey hunter pony, sorry. This kid has the natural knee action of once fancy (Yeah, I went there, Emma!) AF dressage horse. You know, down the line when he's not a lazy, non-steering, carriage horse. I'll try to make Riding Bestie get video on Friday!

in the meantime he's the best at strolling about on the buckle
after rides. 

We finished our ride in the outdoor where the never ending rain and/or snow melt (haha, missed all that while I was gone, suckers) has created two decent sized puddles down one long side. Opie marched right up to the first puddle, stopped, stuck The Snoot in it, and then marched through and on to the next. 

He also trotted through both without a moment's hesitation as long as I had both hands on the reins for steering, and not one hand occupied with my phone. 

Are we sensing a theme here? #steeringishard

getting so good about just hanging out, something he thinks
is a way better idea than working.