Getting rid of the crankies!

 Mine...not hers. She's been a love. 

 

I woke up with a severe case of the crankies. I'm sure a good bit of it is hormonal. But man, I am in a mood. It doesn't help that Dan's lame at the walk. I'm thinking/hoping?? it's his right stifle and we just over did it. We're going to see Dr. Keelin Thursday. But between him being out and Funny being out... and the weather is gorgeous this morning and all I want to do is ride.... sigh. And then, Lyric was acting weird this morning like she couldn't bend her neck all the way down to get her hay and I noticed she has a big hot lump on her neck where I gave her the pentosan. Sigh... dangit. So I caught up on stupid stuff this morning but was just cranky. So finally I decided that I would give her some bute and take her to Ashland. She was eating her hay after acting like she couldn't at first and I figured I could always just walk her on the trails if she didn't feel great. 

 

So we loaded up. Luckily she was in the stall enjoying the fans (although it's beautiful out girls and boys... go outside!) and loaded right up. Yep... just needed to get back in the groove. We got to Ashland and were the only ones there. I tacked her up and we walked around the little lake as a warm up. She was happy as a clam. We headed back to the arenas and at first she was like "awww man... poo" but then she got over it. Hee hee. 

 

We had a good ride. She was a bit twisted in her poll, so... I know I need to work on her.. just.. have been trying to baby my elbow and it's hot and I'm tired. But overall we had a good ride. She's starting to stay much softer in her topline and today I had to kick a little to get more step and hold a little more connection as she wasn't really reaching into it as well today. But we had good moments. And I noticed that she's tracking up well. She's almost stepping in the same print. She's off by half a footprint. I can't tell which one is the front or backs but... she's stepping up close! Which is a big improvement from last time. We worked on our canter transitions too. A few times though she felt like her left hind was buckling or weak. Hmmm.... We also played a tiny bit with some lengthenings. Not actual lengthenings but just a bigger stride... we managed to get it once, but hey.. it was once. 

 

We headed out for the fields and stopped to talk to Caroline and Adam and one of the other Ashland guys (I don't know his name!). They were moving jumps with the tractor but Lyric didn't really seem to mind. Good girl. We chatted a bit and Lyric took a break. Then we headed off and I decided to let her canter along the cross country field to the lake. I figured I needed to start trusting her gallop more. So we cantered happily along. It was a bigger canter but not a gallop. Then I decided to jump the hanging log next to the open oxer. And she did it! I collected her up a tiny bit and she did her tiny bit of hesitation while she processed it, but she jumped it! And not quite out of stride, but without adding. Yay! Good girl!

 

She didn't want to go into the lake so we carried on. We trotted in the field behind the lake and then cantered a little bit again and then trotted and cantered a tiny bit in the other field between the lake and the creek. Then we walked down and she bravely carried us through the creek! I didn't have to push hardly at all. Good girl. We then walked the rest of the way and she picked the steep hill to go up. We passed a doe and 3 bucks. We then walked back up the backside of the cross country field and headed home. 

 

Very good pony! Now to make sure we're good to enter BN at the Ashland show in 2 weeks. Some of the more solid cabin and rolltop BN fences looked big, but... we've got time to practice. Plus we'll have to do some big stadium jumps again. Though I'm betting she'll be great!

 

Good pony girl! We'll start adding the bemer back in for you too love!