Friday, October 23, 2009

Big Day

I finally did it! Yesterday was gorgeous out, so I saddled up the two boys and David and I went for a ride, with Bailey in tow. She was awesome as a ponied horse, staying exactly where I asked, turning when I asked, stopping, trotting along. I couldn't resist putting the saddle on, so I hopped off Scout and put his saddle on her. I played all the games with her on the ground and got her nice and warmed up. She cantered both directions, picked up both leads, and never offered to do anything silly, not even in the slightest. So, I called David over and had him keep an eye on us while I took her into the round pen and, after a couple of other exercises (flexion to check the brakes and a little additional desensitization) I hopped on her back and swung my leg over, sitting up in the saddle. The first time, I just let her walk around a bit and when she stopped, I dismounted. Second time, she stood still and we practiced lateral flexion both directions. Third time, she moved off nicely again and I bent her to a stop. I thought that was plenty good, so we called it a day. Next time, mounting and dismounting from her off-side and more lateral flexion are the plan. It was an outstanding first, if you ask me.