(no subject)

Project Horse went on a real trail ride today, across the road, out to the round bales and jumps, walked over the ground poles, went down and up to the buckwheat field, back down and up to the pear tree, swapped riders with the bay mare replacing JBC (who put La off and went down the road shortly thereafter) and repeated out to the round bales and back before performing well-deserved quality control on the alfalfa. There was walking. There was trotting (extensively, like twenty or thirty strides at a time). There was halting and backing up and learning to rate. There was being crowded on trail and standing without fussing. It all went swimmingly. I used a halter, should probably start her on riding-in-a-bridle now. There's no real purpose served by keeping her in a halter now that she has some idea of what's going on. I will have to generate a bridle that actually fits her. *sigh* Project horse does not have a dainty head.

( Read more? Some non-horsey content ahead! )