Sheza Eyeful

That's how it was put on one of my photos posts recently, and I can't quibble!  Since my endurance brain is currently gathering dust in despair, I've turned my attention to Sheza, who I suddenly realize has been home from her initial 60 days saddle training almost a year now. Our easy little round pen game sessions and brief walking rides have clearly become old hat to her lately so the other priority is excavating my arena from it's au naturale state and getting it set up up with some cones and poles and cavalettis. Ashley read my mind and just did a cool post on what to do with such things. But first, the husband and tractor scrape it up and rediscover sand! Thanks honey.

Last week I decided it felt like a bareback and halter kind of day.

lalala, you don't exist human

ugh, still here, I guess I'll engage a little

I felt like I was rewarded for my bareback choice when, riding her after the round pen work, a loud noise caused a jumpy spook which caused a spook at her own spook and potential spook cycle devolvement, so I pressed the eject button and landed on my feet quite nicely without any entanglements from extra tack. We walked a circle, I jumped back on from a rock, and on we went, hearts thumping! 

that Holy Sh**! eating grin after an emergency exit & remount 

What's that post title again? :-)

Because I am very entertained by the number of expressive redheads I've surrounded myself with, here's another!                  Kodiak eyes the human dubiously after a bath.

 The goats have been a nuisance lately as only goats can, but their pasture reshuffling has certainly gotten me some entertaining pasture-tv and photos. Predictably the fillies are bold and terrorize the goats at will, embarrassingly Scrappy turned tail and ran, but he's since found his inner Rushcreek and started herding them quite effectively into their own quadrant from which they may not emerge.

ohmygoat!

ohmygoat?

 Back to it, and this time Sheza had to REALLY work, not just trot around in pretty circles. But first, some of that plus staring, of course, as the equine audience settled in.

 Oh right, move? OKAY!

Human not impressed by my moves anymore til I look all tame

 and engaged, Meh, fine

riders up! Horses...graze!

Since her initial 60 days with April, I've worked Sheza in the round pen and on walking rides around the pasture a handful of times, and have taken her to the local trails for a few hikes and short rides. This was actually our first official time working in the home arena itself since I was teaching Sheza to pony as a foal, years ago now..what? YEARS ago? I still can't believe that. Anyway, the husband had scraped up a passably smooth surface for some walk/trot circles and gait transitions, which when working a youngster can be like advanced algebra, and quite enough brain food for the day!

she tried playing dumb, slow, and graze-y, then sighed and settled to work

after putting some time in to successfully navigate just a few straight lines (hard!), circles,

 and walk/trot transitions, a hack through the pasture

love the views in our lower pasture <3

got to get that grub after being "on the trail" for 15 minutes

bit out, girth loosened, we just hang out & eat, see...

whispers of the future..and a mini horse stalker