Thinking Caps and Good Luck Charms

Hi Everyone!

K and I have gotten back to our exercise regimen this week.  We're starting slow with a lot of walking.  K has been asking me to walk circles in each corner of the arena and in both directions.  Then we work on directional changes, moving across the diagonal and also in serpentine patterns.  After working at the walk and limbering up, K has me do a number of walk-to-halt transitions which remind me to listen to her seat and legs. 

Next we move into trot.  K doesn't ask me to do as much bending at the trot just yet.  For the time being I am asked simply to trot at a consistent pace around the entire arena.  Occasionally K will sit my trot, asking me to collect just a bit and then send me forward again by resuming posting. Each day I am gaining a little more confidence and strength.  In fact today I didn't put a foot wrong!


K has only asked me to canter a couple of times.  She told me Tuesday that I had a beautiful departure into canter from trot, but that I was on the wrong lead.  What is this "lead" thing?  Apparently I favor my right lead too much.  In order to help me to tell my right from my left, K attached a charm for good luck to the left buckle of my breast collar.  It's a little horse (who looks like me!) that K found under my hoof a few weeks back.  This mini-me is positioned in a lovely trot with his left foreleg outstretched.  I'm beginning to see a pattern.  Are you?  Left buckle, left leg, hmmm...

"Mini-me" for Good Luck!

In addition to my mini-me charm, today I also got to sport a "thinking cap."  Truly, K had me wear an ear bonnet!  She said that this was to help me concentrate on my job and not on the farm owners' laying of a water line beside the arena.  While I think it was a little ridiculous, I will admit that it kept the flies out of my ears and eyes and did not impede my hearing.  Personally, I think K was just having a silly moment and dressed me up for fun.

The "thinking cap".  I look pretty professional now!

Charms and thinking caps  aside, we had an excellent workout this morning.  K added the cavelletti back into the workout and even had me trot a small cross-rail.  Progress!

~ Polo