ah Labor Day

I needed this holiday. I found out my co-workers got laid off. My boss's boss called me Friday and told me my contract told him he needed to pick 5 peeps to keep. I was his top 3 pick. Since my performance record is good I stayed. The newer folks fell into that last to hire first to go column. My other co-worker I know he doesn't like so I doubt he was on the top 5.

I've been writing a story on and off for the last four years. Paranormal romance. If you like Sherilyn Kenyon and stuff like that my story is kind of like that. Werewolves, vampires, angels, oh my. I've been very inspired.

So has my pony. I've been riding every other day pretty consistently since Sunday. When I haven't been at the barn I've been at Borders. When I was there Saturday I saw that they had 101 exercises for dressage riders. I didn't have any cash to buy it, but I did flip through it. So Sunday when I rode I incorprated a few of the exercises in.

One of the simple ones was bending. Trying to get her to step more under neath herself. She's better going to the left. The right it's really hard for her. She's more resistant.

Then there was a loopy exercise that I tried. Again same thing she was going above the bit more towards the right. Her turns are better to the left.

Then there was a simple trot exercise. Slow trot at the corners and on the straightaways working trot. While I did this one I worked on my sitting trot. I was doing real good with my posture and using my body to slow her down instead of being hand heavy. Because my posture was good I did well with the sitting trot.
When I get hunter minded I tend to not be able to sit the trot real well.

Then I worked on canter. I think because I worry that I'm somehow going to mess her up at the canter I don't canter for a long time. But then I was thinking maybe I'm plateauing her a little bit. So I worked on the canter both directions for a bit.

I even did walk-to-canter transitions. She nailed them on the head. While she has a harder time flexing and bending to the right she has an easier time getting "uphill" to the right. Logically it makes no sense to me, but she does. Her right canter is better than her right trot.

And my mare neck reins. It was something that I taught her 'cause I thought she was going to do western pleasure shows. But now she really gets a hang of it.

When I let her stretch down and forward at the trot I had my hand at the buckle. I wonder what my scores are going to be like for Training Level 3 at that element. We'll find out Nov. 1st.