I admit it. I tend to be lazy by nature. And truth be told L and I haven't worked very hard on anything lately. But there was a time we worked our butts off building our basics. And when we had them down cold we went back over them again. And again. I wanted two things. I didn't want either one of us to have to think about our moves and I wanted it to be a huge surprise if we missed a mark.
And with a horse like L you *have* to get it right. As sweet as she can be she'll eat you for breakfast if you let her. There is no downside in having a solid foundation. The time you spend building your foundation is time with your horse. And that's really what it's all about isn't it?
So last Saturday I go out and do groundwork with L for about 15 minutes. I know when I've made my point. She glares at me like she thinks I have a lot of nerve. She's spot on every move but she doesn't like it. It's hilarious. She's a very funny horse and I've said this before, the funniest thing is she doesn't know she's funny. I insist on her being well behaved but I don't insist she like it. I make sure she has all the time she needs to be a horse so she can behave while she's with people.
Oh. And our last ride? She didn't even so much as turn a disagreeable ear in my direction.
I need to be more disciplined in my habits. Something else I try to work on all the time.
We missed you over the show weekend.
ReplyDeleteYes we were disappointed. We sat there in traffic for 45 minutes and gave it up. I don't know what was up with the traffic.
ReplyDeleteFirst time in 6 or 7 years we didn't make the show. Sorry to have missed you all!
Check out the pictures on the NECC site or on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Groundwork is very important. The first year I had my guy, he walked all over me...because I allowed him to. :-) Now, I do a refresher every time I see him, starting with "wait" and then "walk on" when I invite him out of the stall. Mostly his ground manners are great, but every once and a while..... :-)
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