Everywhere we can ride has been miserable and muddy and slippery lately. We've mostly been in the jump field, avoiding everyone else's tracks. I noticed when we were trotting downhill he'd cut in on his circles, so we've been working on lateral and vertical response to leg. I eventually got some half-assed leg yields out of him today, and our gate opening/closing skills have vastly improved. Just in time to leave, of course, but he has figured out how to open the gate by pushing it with his nose, which makes leaving much easier. His circles and bending were terrible today, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that it was the footing.
We also did a big thing today for me, at least- we rode up a little ways into the neighborhood. Halfway down the driveway he realized we weren't going to the jump field and stopped, backed up for a while, and I haven't decided if he was trying to run my leg into the fence on purpose or not. So I remembered mugwump's post about her trail horse. So I sighed, and sat there with a loose rein, as long as Sunny was pointing towards the bridge and up the hill, and nudged occasionally with my legs when it seemed like he was willing to listen. And we got there. A few snorts, not too much. I used to let him run in the field, and I think he remembered that and we got a little prancy but came right back. Too muddy to run today. We made it back much faster than we got up there, and it only took 15 minutes total, but we made it out there. The only part I got nervous at was when the abandoned barn door started creaking- I thought it was about to fall and I was about to die. Two squirrels were chasing each other through it, though, and I'm pretty sure Sunny thought I was an idiot for asking him to whoa.
In Oregon news, Robert has approved teaching Keno to jump, so that'll be one of my projects. I have
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