Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall...

Well, hello! My, what a handsome gent you are...
Steve Holt! loves to look at himself in the arena mirrors.

The temp has begun to climb and the roads were once again passable. Steve Holt! found himself in a new situation once again. He was led to the trailer as usual, but once he arrived at the door he found Sandy already standing inside. This was new, and of course deserved a bit of pondering. The divider was swung closed between the two, and Steve Holt! was not sure his long body would fit. However, he gamely gave it a try and to his surprise, all four feet fit neatly inside.

Being the second horse in the trailer wasn't his only first, for no sooner was he loaded than I had him tied. This, too, was a new experience. Not the tying itself, but being tied while in the trailer. Despite having a riding companion and finding his head held somewhat stationary, Steve Holt! traveled down the road without complaint and soon found himself unloading at the riding club.

The purpose for bringing Sandy along was two fold. Naturally, I want Steve Holt! to become accustomed to riding with other horses. Secondly, I wanted to spend some time ponying him over obstacles and around the large arena. I wasn't sure City Boy was going to find time to make it up there; climbing on and riding may not be happening with Steve Holt!, so I wanted to be sure he was able to learn a few other new tricks.

Among the things he was asked to do was stand tied while I rode Sandy. Steve Holt! is not fond of standing and relaxing, so this proved to be one of his biggest challenges yet. I decided it would also help with the whoa button, as the reason he struggles in that area is due to his not wanting to stand still. You may recall a couple of weeks ago when I talked about running my hands down his legs and him moving in circles around me. This is how he deals with his nerves. Not kicking, biting or striking...just moving. So standing at the rail for 20 minutes at a time was good for him.

City Boy stopped in on his way home from town and brought me lunch. He said he'd also bring Darling up after school if I just wanted to hang out up there for the afternoon. Cool beans! Yes, I'd love to just spend a few hours doing nothing but switching back and forth between horses. And when Darling came back, City Boy stepped into the center of the round pen as my anchor, holding onto the long rope and reinforcing from the ground my request for a whoa as I rode Steve Holt!. I would say the word, relax my legs and open my knees, then use my reins. If the whoa didn't happen, City Boy would give a pop with the rope, letting Steve Holt! know that this meant stop now. It was sloppy going the first few times, but he began to understand and respond, so off came the rope and off went City Boy for home while I finished riding.

Darling had climbed on Sandy and she, too, has been working on the whoa. Sandy knows how, but Darling is learning how to use her voice and seat before her hands. That's a struggle for most of us when we begin riding. This weekend she used her hands first and once her body got the sequence figured out, she could feel an amazing difference. Yesterday she commented on how she now hasn't got to do anything but say the word and shift her weight. Good job, Darling!