If there is a tourist season, why can't we shoot them?

So I can see now that this summer is going to be very trying on my patients. If I am trailering out twice every weekend, I am going to have to come to grips with the tourists. Perferable my hands gripping their throats!

But really, on Sunday I was so mad at tourists out on Gazos, and none of them were doing anything overly stupid! Which is unual! So if I get that annoyed at them just being there, imagine what I will be like when they start doing stupid stuff!


So we did make it up to Carolyns without killing any tourists, which may or may not have been a good thing.

IT WAS HOT!!!

I worked Lucy in the round pen for about five minutes doing some games, then tacked up. She looked so pretty! Both Carolyn and Alan kept telling me how pretty she was now. Which reminds me that I need to send Carolyn the pictures of Lucy while she was sick.
They were pretty amazed at her recovery. She told some of the other boarders who were up there all about her! Lucy is going to be famous up there!

So anyway, Lucy and I started with walking/trotting around the track. It took about 4 repititions for her to get that I wanted her to trot ALL the way around and that I wasn't going to allow her to stop and walk at every little thing. Once she got the idea that we were going to trot all the way around she stuck with it.
Then we headed into the arena. We did a figure eight at the walk, then added in a half circle in the corner off the diagonal. She did quite well bending both directions.
Then we added in some trot. We didn't do as well here. I was wearing capris and my hush puppy sandles so every time she broke to the walk I would lose my stirrups! Eventually we got things down and she kept trotting, but even then my leg was swinging a lot and it was hard to ask for proper bend. I got her to bend fine to the right but she absolutly would not bend to the left. I finally ended up on a circle to the left desperatly trying to push her out while asking for inside bend. It worked, sort of.

I deffinatly need to work on the long lines on proper bend!

Then I worked with Sassy on backing (she did quite well!) and going through gates because she got her fat ass stuck in the gate coming out of the pasture! Then we did some lunging over the sides of the arena, and I backed her up over the side of the arena, it took her a while but she finally got it!

Then I took her over to meet Lucy who was grazing in the corner. I told Carolyn that Sassy needs to lose weight and that I might be willing to pony her off Lucy on some trail rides.


Oh and Lucy did the cutest thing! After I put Sassy away I was talking to Carolyn in the yard. I saw Lucy across the arena and asked her if she was ready to go home. I went back to talking to carolyn and ten seconds later Lucy was at the gate of the arena looking at me like, umm yeah I am so ready to go home!! It was really cute! She followed me back over to where her halter was, I was suprised she was so willing to leave the grass!

Lucy and I had a fun day!

Mostly. She did not want to be caught at first. Its amazing how she can run full out, bucking down a steep hill and make a persition turn before running into the fence! In the end I used Huck as bait to get her to let me catch her, so I ended up taking Huck with me since I felt bad leaving him behind all alone. We were on our way to Carolyns for some arena work.
It's so nice to have horses that load so well! Huck literally loaded himself! I had just put Lucy in and Huck was standing behind me, so while I was fastening her butt strap he came around and hoped in the other side! Those two are such good horses!
I worked Lucy a little bit in the round pen, free lunging and some pressure work before tacking up. I let Huck loose in the arena while we rode, he went off to make friends with the horses on the other side of the fence but would occationally come running over to check on us!

Lucy was hilarious! She kept spooking at the ground! Its was like: " oh my god scary grass! snort! snort! Ooo I think I should eat it! hahah! Oh holy shit that clump looks vicious! Jump, snort! Oh wait I think I'll eat it!"

It took her a while to get over the grass! Then the barn owners husband had just racked the arena, soooooo,
"OMG! THERE ARE LITTLE LINE ALL OVER THIS ARENA!!! I think they are going to eat me mom!" By the end of our ride she stoped spooking every two feet but was still trying to avoid the very clear lines down the center line. Despite all this spooking and being silly, we actaully did get some good work in! I did sepintines and diagonals with her, concentrating on opening and closing my hips to help her bend around the turn. I thought she did really good! We did mostly walk but her trot wasn't to bad either!

Then I brough Sassy out and worked with her for a little bit! She remember all her Parelli games quite well and was very good.
More to come on her I think!