This is sort of a weekend recap, but minus the Saturday and Sunday, because not much horsey happened those days other than a hack in the fields Saturday and a brief grooming session Sunday. Friday, there were doughnuts.

Amanda has already explained this. And yes, bacon is not vegetarian. Still struggling with leaving meat behind me, but when I do indulge it has been deli turkey, bacon, or prosciutto, and about 3 or 4 days a month. Meatless otherwise.

While the arenas were too wet to have a Saturday lesson, my schedule allowed me to fit in some schooling with my trainer on Monday afternoon. I built my own grid (which meant tearing down a bounce grid that we had already been through), that I hoped would get Eli using his body and his hind end especially. Oh yes, here is your extra special diagram from Microsoft Paint…

But more interestingly there is video of us going through it three times.

x-oxer-oxer from rennikka on Vimeo.

My sense is that the grid did its job, I did my job, and Eli not only did but excelled at his job. He will be taken on a long lazy stroll through the fields today, since he’s gotten a little wistful about leaving the arena to do just that lately. Like if I stop paying attention, he will walk right out of the arena toward the fields. But I will take brattiness over pissiness any day, because I see it as a sign of confidence rather than reluctance or fear.

Monday evening, I got to visit with a really good friend who was in town for basically a day, and she gifted me with a spur bangle from Swanky Saddle! Belated Christmas gift, but I love that I got it in person because it meant seeing my friend, who lives out of state, and having margaritas like old times.