The fair: Monday

I got to Stoneybrook at 7:00 am on saturday. I came in to find Robert preparing feed but I also found that the cart was not finished! It didn't have wheels, or a singletree, or a seat cushion. So I fed while Robert worked on the cart. Then I got back and I held the cart up while Robert tightened the wheels. Chuck came with materials for the seat and Robert build the seat while Chuck put the singletree on. So we got everything slapped together and ready to go.

The trip there was amazingly painful for me. I sat in the back so that it wouldn't be so obvious that I didn't feel like talking. Chuck offered to sit in back in my stead, which was nice. I realized to my dismay that I was going to be sitting in an enclosed space with a smoker. It wound up coming in waves, first the smell, then the next few breaths I got used to it and then it snapped back into my consciousness again. Eventually the periods of being used to it got long enough not to be too bad.

I enjoy a good argument, and I enjoy even more a good discussion, but an argument will do. Chuck has a reputation for being argumentative, and I'll grant you he is contrary but thats not the same. Anyway, over the course of the trip we talked about some things, I enjoyed watching Robert come in and defend my position, often drawing directly from his own experiences making an argument unassailable by those without his same level of background. Robert can be very articulate at times, its nice. I was a little annoyed to watch Chuck then repeat his exact same point, and having proved himself right Robert left it at that.

Once we got on the highway I tried to sieze an opportunity to play one of my favorite games. It goes basically like this:
Take a fairly simple idea and express it with as much precision as possible. You can play it with a more complex idea, but it takes longer and you usually dont finish, which is fine too.
I like this game because in the process of honing in on exactly exactly what you mean you learn a lot by what you have to exclude and how. Its good practice communicating, defining your terms, thinking about the abstract concepts behind ordinary things.

I knew this game would be harder with someone who wasn't used to speaking in this way. It would be harder for me and harder for him but I picked something so simple I thought it wouldn't be a problem. I was wrong. I wont go into the gruesome details but in the end Chuck was shouting at me that what I was talking about was totall bull shit (a quote, by the way) and I was just doing it to be argumentative, that I understood exactly what he meant, agreed with him, etc. He said this several times, got a little louder each time.

I was depressed (and irate). This all seemed to demonstrate that I was only very rarely ever going to be able to play this game again. I've graduated and I wont be around reedies without making a special effort. They'll all be in class and wont have as much time. Later Robert told me that it wasnt worth arguing with Chuck because if you didn't say precisely what you meant he would pick it apart. He's very logical... I dont remember the rest of what he said because my brain started bleeding. Thats what it felt like anyway. As the imaginary blood started diffusing through my cerebral spinal fluid I think I said something to the effect of thats not true, or something, but the aneurysm wiped most of it from my memory. Robert decided I was beyond his ability to help, which was true, and left it at that.

We got Luca into his stall and then discovered that our first class was coming up a lot quicker than we expected. So we got the sawdust out of Luca's mane and brushed him, harnessed him, and they were off. I had to change right away. I was given the impression that I was in much more of a hurry than I actually was. As I was changing and fixing my hair in the bathroom I discovered that there was a dressing room upstairs. Too late! Or so I thought.

I went over and discovered that there was a lot more time and I went back and found the dressing room and fixed myself up some more. I had on very dramatically red (thats how I'm putting it anyway) lipstick and a black strapless gown. Everywhere I went I heard people say to each other "is there a costume contest." One girl in the dressing room asked me if I was going for a title. It took me a second to figure out what that meant but I answered no anyway. She said that she had been her counties princess and that it sucked. She showed me the rest of the dressing room facilities and wished me luck.

The dress was long enough that it trailed a little past my feet. Higher heels would have prevented this but I wore my more comfortable work shoes, black but basically no heel on them. I've walked through mud in high heels, it goes poorly even with my giant feet. What that meant was that everywhere I went I needed to be holding my dress up, so I held my dress in one hand, my duffel bag in the other and my helmet under the arm that was holding my dress. I passed the duffel back off to Chuck. I still didnt have the use of my hands but now my arm wasn't at an awkward angle. It was too hot to don the black velvet helmet and I sat around for a while. Except I didn't sit, what with the dress you know.

There was a bit of excitement for us because with this new harness we had forgotten a noseband. Apparently that is required. Coleen saved the day by finding a childs belt, and we flipped it over to the black side. Cut it off at the right spot and poked a hole in it. It didn't look as bad as you might think. By the end of the day I had forgotten it was there.

Eventually it was my turn in the cart. We had a lot of time to practice driving around. Everyone was very nice to me, told me how nice I looked, etc. It was very soothing since I had been pretty wound up before.

I had watched luca in two of the classes before and was relieved to find that he was behaving allright for me. In the previous classes he had been calling and wiggling and generally making a fool of himself. Robert said that usually at a show he has lots of halter classes first which helps tire and focus him. Anyway, he was being pretty good except that he kept calling to all the belgian drafts in the arena. He and Robert have a lot in common I guess, they both have a thing for the redheads. He was also spooking at the machinery in one end of the arena but mostly he shied away and it wasn't too bad.

Then came the minis. They kept coming and coming and soon the arena was filled with minis. Some were plodding around at speeds only a mini can plod at. Some were zooming around, fast enough to make it hard to keep track of them but not so fast that luca didn't easily outpace them. To my knowledge I didn't squish any, but there were some close calls. One time I was going to turn into the center and started to cut off one of the minis that had been coming up behind us. That was greeted with curses from the driver, who was the same one I nearly ran over a little while before. I smiled and apologized and made a mental note to check behind me, and low to the ground behind me, before making any more turns. One of the things about minis is that they are harder to hear I think. Plus you cant see them in the periphery of your vision like you can a larger horse. I never came even close to running into the belgians, for example.

As it got close to time to go in we started circling near to the gate. It was a lot like a sailboat race, everyone needs to keep moving but everyone wants to be first in the gate. Well, maybe not everyone but we had a special need to get in first. I didnt want to have to pass anyone and Luca was going to go way faster than any of them. Finally we did what you cant do with a sailboat and we stopped as close to the gate as we could without getting in anyones way more than we were willing to. I was chomping at the bit to go in already, so was Luca. Finally the steward waved us in and we were off!

Luca was doing a nice working trot with a minimal reining in. We were circling constantly to keep a good distance between us and the minis. About one small circle for every lap around the arena.

I had been given only two instructions before going in: do what they tell you and have fun. I've heard time and time again Robert stressing to his clients the importance of smiling at the shows. I plastered a big grin on my face and set out to make it as obvious as possible that I was having fun damnit! Its well known that you cant pretend to have copious amounts of fun without actually having fun. I'm no exception. In addition to the grinning I was looking at all the people, nodding at all the ones that made eye contact with me, looking at the lights, looking at the float in the middle, just generally being a tourist. I accidentally dropped the grin a few times at first when Luca had an unexpected surge of speed, or when I realized the reins had been slipping through my fingers. Mostly though, I kept it up. Robert thinks that lip syncing to the music while rocking my head slightly to the beat was going too far. ("...where have all the cowboys gooone?")

Luca threw one buck during our extended trot. The judge didn't see it. They asked us all to line up and I picked a spot on the end of the line like Robert had told me before. Luca stood beautifully after a couple of initial reminders. Although my face was getting tired I kept grinning. Robert told me it was fine, encouraged actually, to talk to the judge. I told her it was my first horse show and that I was pretty excited. I bounced a little in my seat. I was laying it on thick and without shame.

She asked us to back up and I picked up my reins and asked. I didn't ask as loudly as I should have, but normally Luca throws it into reverse with little bidding. This time he didn't, he had been told to stand and stand he was going to do. I kept smiling and brushed him with the whip. Nothing. Kept smiling and tapped him with the whip. Nothing. "Oh, I'm so awkward with this whip sometimes" I said in what I hoped was a bashful voice. Tap Tap Tap until he backed up. Pause then we stepped forward and back into line, I kept smiling.

The judge asked us why our reins were on the furthest hole down on the bit. Fortunately Robert answered before I did because his answer was better than mine. The one on the tip of my tongue was that he hadn't been out for a while. Robert said this is a stallion, and although we use a very light rein on this setting we like to know its there in case there is trouble. She said agreed that we were using a light rein (really?) and she appreciated our concern for everyone's safety. She pointed out though that he is sometimes behind the bit and it gives the impression that the bit is excessively severe. We nodded and she went back to the float. Luca stood with minimal wiggling.

The announcer called out "Ceader Hill Nimrod Luca!" and when I saw the steward standing there with the first place ribbon it occurred to me that was my horsies name and we had won the class! Fortunately for the standing around part I had relaxed into just a pleased smile so I was able to break out a big grin as we walked over to claim our ribbon and little clock and exit the arena. I was still processing what had happened and why as we walked back to the warm up arena. We walked around for a while longer. Took lots of pictures. Apparently I beat Jerry in that class. I'm still not totally sure what that means but I think it was the woman in the antique cart with the sweet, section D, welsh cob. I dont know if luca was better behaved than the others, if we were turned out better or if I just seemed to be getting the most pleasure out of driving in the pleasure driving class.

I changed back into civilian clothes but I had no makeup remover so the long lasting lipstick stayed. Its actually really great stuff, if you keep gloss on it then it doesnt dry out your lips, it didn't come off on the dinner we ate later, didn't smear when hair got stuck to it and then was brushed away from it many many times. The interesting thing about it though was that then I was really really recognisable. When I say this stuff is dramatically red, I'm not kidding, it startles people who know me as a normally-pigmented person.

I was in one more class, I didn't drive but it was the picnic class with one other woman. This woman looked like the most adorable grandmother there ever was. Her cart was antique, her little mini was slightly plump and totally adorable. She even had a shawl that she probably crocheted herself. She had grey hair and the very traditional grandma up-do. I listened to the contents of her picnic basket being read aloud. It was all great grandmother-type stuff. Roberts little wine basket is very nice, no question. The cheese still in the plastic wrapper with the pricetag still on it, thrown in the wine basket seemingly as an afterthought was not stellar. The carrots for the horse idea was cute, the safeway assortment of fruit, still in its plastic container that I held on my lap, apparently didn't measure up. Robert told the judge that I was there because a picnic was no fun without a girl. She said she liked his style and then inspected our picnic basket.

We took second in the class of two. Which was fine, now we had a second place ribbon to complete our collection of the top three ribbon colors. (we also had a 5th place form before we got the "noseband" but no 4th). Luca got just enough point to get his honors in driving. He needed 30, he got thirty. If we make sure to get Alyssa and myself registered as members of the OHA. Robert, bless his heart, thought that the judge just didn't like Luca. Later he found out that the judge thought our cart was supposed to be painted and thus wasn't finished. She wasn't wrong when she said it wasn't finished. Also, not all the floorboards were flush with each other, and a couple of other things that would be nice to fix up.

Pictures will be posted as soon as I get them.

The fair, saturday before

Sometimes when I use the word "soon" I mean in a geological time frame. Didn't I mention that?

Friday: Alyssa helped me set up the cones for a 20 m circle. She also held the tape while I walked around on the circle, trying to get a feel of it. I ran around in the circle, flew like an airplane in the circle and just generally communed with the 20 m circle. I wanted to practice it under saddle with some other horse before trying to make star do it so I got papillon out. I just put a saddle pad on her and got on.

Papillon was not amused with my efforts to actually get the pad underneath me where it belonged. Once she deemed it good enough it was too much trouble trying to make her stop anymore. I guess I dont blame her, I was wiggling and shuffling around on her back a lot to try to shift everything into position.

When she saw the circle she was amenable to it at first. Dressage is one of those things you have to do before you go out and jump jump jump. When she began to realize that what I wanted was mostly to circle at a walk, she was pisssed. Oh sure, I mixed it up, we went around the arena, we changed directions, we didn't spend all our time in the circle; but we didn't jump any 3' fences either, which is what she thought we should be doing. It wound up being pretty tough to get her to bend around the circle.

She wanted to trot so I asked her for a nice collected trot (the kind she does when she's trotting but shouldnt be.) She gave me my collected trot, but she also let me know that I was riding on her last nerve. She tossed her head, she called all the time, but she always put her feet where they belonged. I guess thats mostly what I ask from her in this kind of exercise. (Later Alyssa and I both independently discovered that she's in heat, so that might explain some of this)

After that it was time to drive Luca. We went around the field as usual, one walk and one trot, but then we went into the arena. I havent driven a cart in the arena in a long long time. It was with Reno and I just about had a complete mental breakdown. There were ponies everywhere, I couldn't get Reno far enough off the rail to be safe, my hands hurt from trying to keep him from prancing or running off. So, I turned Luca towards the arena with some trepidation. Once again I was steering too close to the arena wall so I asked Luca to move off. At first, nothing, tension spread from my mind into my shoulders and hands and back, then, he moved. He moved way to far because I had kept asking waiting for him to do it. So I moved him back a little, at first, nothing, now the irritation and vague sense of panic was re-surfacing, then he moved in way to much. Robert was interjecting occasionally "you're way too close to the arena wall, thats very dangerous."

Finally though, I realized the pattern (the painfully simple pattern really) there was a little delay on the steering. I didn't need to ask for more turn, I just needed to plan ahead. The delay I cant really explain. Maybe he likes to collect himself a little before the turn, maybe it takes him a minute to actually pay attention and do what he's told, I dont know. I do know that his response time got a little faster, I got used to planning for this delay, and, very important, I discovered that it was fine to be a little too far off the rail. The horse and turn on a dime. Actually, Robert seemed pretty pleased when we made turns that were sharp enough to make the wheels groan as they dug into the arena dirt. We kept running over my cones. If they had been set wider I would have done the circle but they werent so I didn't.

Trying to figure out what was expected at the fair was tough. Robert wasn't paying a lot of attention to what he was saying and I couldn't visualize it at all, but we worked that out eventually. Then, as we were cooling down, costume planning.

Robert: "So, what are you wearing to the fair?"
Me: "I was going to ask you the same question, what am I wearing to the fair?"
Robert: "Well, what have you got" (I didn't make that up, I really didnt, thats exactly what he said)
Me: "Can you be a little more specific that that?"
Robert: "Maybe, you tell me what you have and I'll tell you which of it would work" (that I might have made up, I just remember that he wouldnt give me any more information)
Me: (in exasperation) "I've got shorts and a t-shirt and I have a velvet dress"
Robert: (without any hesitation) "Oh the velvet dress thats perfect"
Me: "Seriously?"
Robert: "Yes, dress up really fancy" (Would that have been hard to say in response to the question "what am I supposed to wear?" Anyway...)

No time to ride star, it was time to feed, and then go home.

Monday Luca, Robert, and Gillian went to the fair. I got there at 8 again, helped fit harness to Luca, and bathed him. They left.

I saddled up Keno and rode around on him. I set up a couple tiny tiny crossrails. He was good over them, some head shaking afterwards but nothing bad, until Xsarena went over. Then I made a dumb decision. I figured we'd been doing well and we were done with that, but Cari wanted me to do it again and see if he was better after Xsarena had been nice and calm and steady over them. Instead of saying thanks, we're finished, I went over and did it again, Keno was not pleased. He started crowhopping after the jumps and getting tense. The mares left, so we did some quiet flat work and ended up with a nice trot over a jump, then called it quits. We went outside to the mini-arena and then the jump arena. Keno knows he's supposed to walk. I think he is really close to learning how to gait because hey, it's still four beats! It counts as a walk! It is pretty amazing how fast he can walk when we're going back to the barn. He also remembered pretty fast that if he drops his shoulder, he gets lots of inside leg and asked for a bigger bend and tighter circle. That solved that.

I took Reno out after that to drive around. Cari and a student were there finishing up their horses and talking, so I asked if either of them wanted a ride. Lisbeth, the student, went with me. It was fun, she asked a lot of smart questions and Reno was absolutely perfect. I let her drive a little on the way back and she was very excited. I think Reno enjoyed it too. He was really light in the bridle and just a good horse all around. Bathed him, rinsed his harness off, and somehow it was feed time?

Fed, then took Dylan out. He really needs to get out of his stall and into a run. He was very, very good for me. He didn't move until I asked him, and then he walked. But he was trying so hard to be good I just let him run on the lunge line until he decided he could work quietly, which didn't take too long. He's really got the "whoa" down perfectly now, without any contact with his head. I approve. Then, because I think all horses should be riding horses, I did some more leaning over and petting on him, putting some weight on his back. He was fine with it all, though I'm not sure how much attention he was actually paying to me. That's as far as I'd take him without someone else to be there. He's a nice guy, though. He's a good characterization of the compliant horse that Robert talks about. He'll do what you ask, but he won't think about it. You have to ask pretty hard because he doesn't understand, for example, that pulling on the right rein means turn right. He'll give to it eventually because it's annoying and puts pressure on his mouth. Then, one day, it just clicks. Oh! That's what you mean! And he's textbook perfect from there on out. He's not a dumb horse, he just doesn't think.

More boredom- went and picked a bucket of blackberries, it was dark, I went back to the barn and got a call from Gillian saying they'd be back around 9:30. The original plan was that Robert would drive us back each day, but I figured it made more sense to only drive us back once, so sleepover at the barn. It was good, Gillian had a sleeping bag and we found a cot. There were horse blankets, the tack room was warm, we had cheap sugary snacks. Whee.

The next day Gillian went to work around 6. I fed in the morning with Vic and cleaned Reno where he had rolled, and helped load the trailer. Chuck came by around 8:30 and we left shortly after that. Robert had a meeting somewhere? so Chuck, Lil, and I went with Reno. We unloaded uneventfully and went around the fair. Lots of gorgeous draft horses, and we spent a long time with the sheep. The Gypsy Vanners were the next aisle over, so I looked at those guys briefly. At 1 we reconvened to get Reno ready and fit the cart to him. Robert even showed up! Classes started nominally at 2 or so. But it was a large event, so things were delayed dramatically, and I don't think we started until almost 4. At least Reno got enough warm up.

We didn't really stand much of a chance in our classes. There was a couple with two Arabians, incredible harness and beautiful polished carts (they were using the Fair as a practice for Regional Championships in Idaho). I wasn't really a fan of them-- they were almost always behind the vertical and the drivers had enough contact on their mouths the corners looked stretched back about two inches. But they were very very flashy and well-trained. It was pretty cute, at the end we were walking around the warm up and the bay was standing quietly, but whenever we went by he'd nicker very softly at Reno. There was also a draft mule there who was the quietest, slowest thing. But she won almost everything! Very quiet, but very obedient and very steady. She won Gambler's Choice because she did everything right. Not fast at all, but didn't make a single mistake. Reno cantered, which we thought was allowed but actually wasn't. The Arabian that entered didn't start the back up right- they got it without touching the outside rails, but wasted a long time repositioning themselves.

Reno did very well in the arena with me. We didn't hit anything, and we didn't canter, so I was pleased. He did a very nice slow trot and had good transitions. We placed third (out of three), but we did well, so I didn't really care. Plus, I liked him better than the other two. The mule was cute and I liked her a lot, but the driver had to keep urging her on constantly, and the Arabians were held back. You tell Reno the gait and he knows he better keep doing it until either you say otherwise or he dies. I contend he would be way more fun to do a country drive with than the other three.

We finished around 9, and we were packed up and ready to go by 9:30. Lil drove Gillian and I from Stoneybrook to our houses, and I was home around 11:30. I collapsed in bed. It was good.

USDF Introductory Test B

I was having fun with my vector drawing program and I built a map of the other dressage test. Intro Test B. This one is surprisingly complicated compared to the other one.

2003 USDF Introductory Test B
1. A - Enter working trot rising
X - Halt through the medium walk, salute, proceed working trot rising
2. C - Track left working trot rising.
3. E - Circle left 20 meters working trot rising, then straight ahead.
4. F-X-H - Change rein working trot rising
5. Between C and M - Medium Walk
6. M-X-F Free walk, F - Medium Walk
7. A - Working trot rising
8. E - Circle right 20 meters, then straight ahead
9. M-X-K - Change rein working trot rising
10. A - Down Centerline, X Halt through medium walk, salute.

If anyone actually uses these and wants a more polished one (you know where the circles are the same size and the tracks are always the same distance from the edge of the arena and the curves actually flow into lines) I can do that. Since its vector drawing there are algorithms to do these things. I haven't really worked on figuring them all out but it would be good motivation for it.

I had a reasonably productive day yesterday which I will write about soon.

Arrived early (okay, around 8). It was rainy and foggy-- there was a car there, but no one in the main barn. Robert's truck was there but no one answered the door. 8 was when the Percherons were supposed to start their lesson, so I was baffled.

But no, one of their women was just trying to get the mud off of them. The other is fresh out of surgery and NOT supposed to be anywhere near horses, so I tacked up Duke for her and didn't mess up hugely. It probably helped that I asked her to make sure everything was right. We put them on the new, shiny red wagon that made lots of scary noises and went off.


The boys did very well with scary new things. After a few circuits I noticed it was 9:30 and the minis had arrived, so we went into the jump arena and I hopped down to get Lil and cameras and minis. Danny was pissed that he had to work twice in one week, and was prancing and rearing and bucking this session. It was entertaining. They're really damn cute.


The minis got outside. Look how adorable they are!

The drafts were asked to go deep into a corner, and the minis to cut far ahead so the drafts could see them. Duke had seen the minis once before, but Bob hadn't. Their eyes bugged out of their heads a little. The minis didn't care too much, but they didn't like the creaking and the harness jingling of the big guys.

At least they didn't have the "those are TINY demons on wheels" reaction that many horses do.

Boring, cart-centric day after that. I sanded down several pieces, um... put the dashboard together, I think? I have terrible spatial abilities, so where everything is going is still distinctly fuzzy. Started sealing the wood, and oh it's gonna look so pretty!

I grabbed Reno for a quick drive. He was very good, if a little strong, but I do hate when he canters. We did a little over 1 lap walking, little under 2 trotting, and he barely sweat at all (2.4 miles, I believe). I am finding that I really enjoy taking horses out for drives by myself; I like Robert, obviously, but it's like taking a horse out for a run but easier. I tell them what gait I want, and I leave them alone. We both like going fast and this way, I'm not interfering with their motion in a more than minimal way.

I need to do some productive riding. Keno, Papillon, and Star could all use rides. I haven't seen Sam around in a few weeks, and BJ always looks at me enticingly. I probably could use a slightly pissy pony for forty five minutes or something. I'm not really having any fun riding right now, but it'll come back. Soon, I hope. I really do need lessons. Maybe I'll ask Cari if I can be an irregular, once-a-month-ish student. Where I can just ride a nice, relaxed horse and have someone else tell me what to do.

Intro test a

Ok, I've posted this picture before but I wanted to re-post it because Star is doing a dressage test, God willing, on the 6th of September. Its a reasonably simple test to memorize. The letters are difficult to remember but I can see the diagram in my mind, and I think that will help a lot. I still think it would be nice to memorize the letters in case I get disoriented.

I havent done anything with Star because I've been sick but the next two weeks are looking pretty clear for me so we are doing lots and lots of circles. I'm going to set up two 20 m circles with cones that way I can mix things up a little bit so she doesn't get too terribly sick of circles. (She hates circles anyway but no reason to make things worse.)


Dark Blue=medium walk
Turquoise =free walk
Red= working trot


In non-test stuff but in preparation for the show itself there are some things that need doing.

I need to get Star used to the trailer divider closing her in.

We need to trailer her around the farm. We wont take her anywhere, just put her in, drive and then take her out. Maybe drive her to a turnout and then turn her out and then drive her back. Something small anyway.

We need to get her used to the idea that kicking other horses will NOT be tolerated. The plan there is to walk her alongside a slightly less volatile horse. When she does something stupid, we start cantering little circles. Then we go back to walking alongside the nice horsey. I think we can start with Keno and then try Papillon. I'd throw Lady into the mix but Lady tends to be aggressive herself. Not sure if thats a good plan.

It would be really nice if we could get Xserena or someone in the mix also. Alyssa could get BJ out. Star isn't above picking on the little guy, plus he's a pretty good trail horse so we can work both in and outside of the arena. Hmmm, maybe Spot, the little ranch trained Appy guy, I'll bet he is just dead broke and wont bat an eye when Star goes cantering off in a little circle.

I dont know what to do about the free walk. I think fatigue helps with that one a little but she's going to be so tense in that arena (I predict) that its just going to be a disaster. Oh well.

By request...

Got there, no one was around though I thought Jessi was supposed to have a lesson. Helped Robert with balancing the cart for a while. I finished cleaning Luca's harness (hooray!), which took a fair bit of time. Robert came in and said he had to go to town, but he'd be back by 1. I asked if we could take Luca out, since all Robert actually needs to do with Luca is get in the cart and get out again. He said yes. So I lunged Dylan first. Dylan was Highly Distracted by the Pretty Girl (aka, Xsarena). I don't think he'd ever been worked in an arena while a horse was going around the outside, and he took a while to settle down. Then he wanted to run like an idiot once she left, which was pretty much fine by me. He was much more willing to Ho on command after that.

Luca was good, lots of head shaking but really if that's all he's going to do, fine by me. He barely moved his feet for the fly spray, so it's not like he isn't improving where it matters. He spooked at the van, which was unfamiliar and parked only a hundred feet away from him, back at the big house with the barn and pool, and spooked at something or other but only went into a giant trot, which again, fine by me. He's also getting much better about being bathed. He's not thrilled, but one or two sidles to the side and he's done. I'm being lazy about tying him, which is a problem, but not as much as it would be normally. The door is closed and the only stall he can go into is his own. And I only drop the lead when I'm turning the water off or I'm asking him to move around, at which point he's very subdued and will often turn on the forehand to avoid pulling on the rope at ALL. I need to get better, but I can rationalize.

Minis were great. Robert wants to get a photoshoot of the minis and the drafts done on Thursday (I'll have to get there early). To get good pictures, we'd have to take them outside, so we took the minis outside! They (and Robert) had a blast. Pepper, who's really nervous, was a little on edge but also stretched out instead of moving his little hind legs as fast and short-strided as possible. Danny kept cantering around the turns, which was really cute. Robert couldn't stop laughing. Their owner drove them for a bit, and then offered me the reins. Cutest ponies ever. Robert was so thrilled with them that he let Danny rub on him all he wanted, and then hugged onto his head. That was also pretty cute.

Went out for a drive with Reno, he was expectedly strong but overall a well-behaved horse by well-behaved horse standards, not just Reno standards.

Dylan's owners came again today, while Robert was in the house. It's very awkward for me because I know Robert isn't a huge fan of us talking to the clients, so I have to think of general platitudes to tell them, or things that are a) good, and b) true, without telling them anything really big. It's true though that I love Dylan, he's doing very well, we're getting him to stand still, and I was amazed at how well he handles flyspray. Also that we're getting him to do transitions on voice command rather than bit, which is really nice for, well, everything.

Nicky had her third time on the cart on Monday. She wouldn't stop bucking (yes, we have a kicking strap on), so Robert took her into the back and cantered her for 35 minutes. She didn't give up for 30 minutes. He was pretty pleased that she dragged that heavy green cart for that long, and also that she'll do flying lead changes more-or-less on command. He wasn't so pleased that it took 35 minutes, or that he had to do it at all, but she's got a lot of angry. He said she was VERY affectionate with him when he was cleaning the stalls the next day.