Reset

One of my goals this year was to make sure I don't get caught up in what anyone else is doing. I've worked hard to make that happen, and every time a hint of envy or jealousy or self-doubt tries to creep in I immediately shut it down. Your horse is not my horse. Your struggles are not my struggles. Your wins are not a direct challenge to me to do better.

However, I did get a little carried away and start to compete with myself. I got caught up in wanting to make up for last year's lost show season, and Opie progressed so well and took everything I threw at him so mostly easily that I was able to jump right in and show show show and push push push.

Then an emotionally upsetting deviation from his schedule the day before yet another show really threw him in a mental tailspin. Fortunately it coincided right when I was planning to give him a week off anyway. Unfortunately, it happened at all.

i swear he has different snoot spots every time i look at him.

I spent that week doing a lot of grooming, cookie feeding, and nothing else. Opie started to get a little reactive though. His BFF is a bit of a mental case, and it felt like Opie was starting to pick up on his tendencies to get wide-eyed and twitchy over absolutely nothing. While I firmly believe the week to himself was a very good thing for both of us, I was eager to give him and his hamsters a job again.

We've been doing mostly long and low work followed by long trail walks. The next show isn't until the 14th, and I feel like I have ages before I have to check in and make sure he's show ring ready again. It's a great feeling as every ride has had zero expectations finally.

lots and lots of walking

Opie has responded by being super relaxed yet responsive, and all the sudden he's figured out how to stretch down at both the walk and trot. He's taking the reins all the way to the buckle and flicking his giant clod hoppers out and loving his newly discovered freedom. I still have to remind him to balance himself as he gets so carried away he starts to sort of somersault forward and out of control, but I'm hopeful we'll have an actual stretchy circle from now on instead of just having to write that movement off.

a very good pone also starting to really figure out leg yields

I've also tabled lessons for the time being. There are a few reasons, but mostly that I don't want to feel like I have to get something done by Friday to make sure I'm not wasting my own or BM's time by spending the entire lesson getting my horse to focus because I didn't feel like drilling him during the week. BM put us on a good track with the basics and I'm not doing much right now beyond making sure the w/t/c aren't a complete mess. I can handle that all by my lonesome.

We've also been doing some jumping, including Dopie's first (very small) cross country jumps! I'll make that its own post. It's really not that exiting, but I'm going to need some blog fodder for awhile.