Learning Opportunities~

 Another cool, cloudy morning!  Very strange & very nice - as least as far as I'm concerned.  I loaded Farah late morning & we were on the road to our friends farm outside Monroe.   We were invited to a birthday party! 

Karen, Jeannie & Connie

 I unloaded Farah to a stall & within a few minutes everyone had arrived & we enjoyed getting to know each other a little better & share our past experiences with horses.  Of course it had to be the foreshortened version - or we could have been there weeks!  :-)

Arena~

Yummy cupcakes, I'd brought organic cantaloupe & seedless watermelon - plenty to eat as usual!

Such a beautiful farm~

 By early afternoon, we were all saddling up & ready to do some arena riding!  Farah was pretty at ease, she's made friends with Scott's gelding Rico & after the Clinic with Russell - she was familiar with the stable.

Scott & Gem...  Farah - ready :-)

 It was one of those Friday afternoons where everyone is just ready to kick-back & enjoy the last day of the week.  We appreciate being invited so much - it's really great for Farah to have time in the arena with several well-trained horses.  I'm doing everything I can to teach her that everything we do is not necessarily a race...

Just hanging out with friends :-)

We worked on a few things & I was surprised that Farah remembered more than I thought she had!  Slow trotting has never been her thing - but today we did some & she was praised for it!  Scott also took the time to bring Gem over & Gem tried so hard to befriend Farah :-)  Finally - Farah caved & we let the two touch noses.  The first time for a long time that Farah has met a mare & not acted snarky.

Then there's the view~

You could never call riding in this arena work!  The views are so jaw dropping gorgeous - it's hard to stay focused :-)  We finished up the afternoon on a really nice note.  It seems that as time goes on, my goals do change.  Now that I've contributed to Farah's type A personality - it's time to see if I can teach her to appreciate some new challenges~

Rainy Day Fun~

Pat had been looking for a local trainer willing to work with us & our horses.  One of those just-for-fun things we could do on a rainy day.  After some checking with people in our area, Pat visited Denise - who was willing to take us on.

Over hill & dale~

We were up early, at least for me - & on the road.  Now that both Pat & Linda have nice new trailers - I have to say that the view from behind is sure nice!  :-)  It was pouring rain, so we'd picked the right day.

Farah - "What are we doing here?"

Farah is in the middle of her usual screamingly bad March cycle...  No fun for me & I doubt it is for her.  Turkey's, goats, a strange place & she was on edge.  She recognized Sharon's handsome gelding & Pat's mare Destry, so that helped. 

Around we go~

 Denise asked each of us what our goals were.  Pat of course - wants to jump & jump she will - I'm sure!  Donnie is planning to take some lessons on the big Drafts!  I want to be there for that!  Sharon & I both were interested in control & relaxation.  All of us interested in furthering our knowledge of the basics of dressage.

Farah distracted...

 After one huge spook, Farah settled down - but was easily distracted by the ducks outside.  Denise did a wonderful job of explaining what she was asking us to do, how the size of the arena would work & after a warm-up period, began by walking us through a proper 20-meter circle.  There are many days I wish I had an arena at home & this was one of them.  It's so nice to be in the saddle & stay dry as the rain pours down.

Following the leader :-)

It was really fun to learn new things, get a refresher on some of the old stuff & just enjoy a relaxing morning in the saddle.  When we moved to the trot, Farah maintained her composure.   Denise did mention that Farah is sensitive & agreed with me that it's always best to end on a good note - which is what I did.  She was impressed with the forward that our horses had, mentioning that the trick with arena work, is to keep it fresh for both the horses & riders.

After 90-min. I know I was ready to be done!  It's amazing how tiring lessons can be :-)