Entering the zone...

Appears that the summer lesson season has hit at The Center. I have 6 hours of lessons to teach today and it's heavy the rest of the week. Thank goodness Tori and Eliza are available to help, along with Brandon (intern) who takes up so much slack around the place.

We had a riding lawn mower generously donated by land neighbors, Suzanne and Noel Dodge. Brandon spent 6 hours on it the first day mowing in places that I really wasn't so sure it could handle. It's looking like a park, with all the flowers in bloom and the freshly mowed fields.

Our woman's Vermont getaway weekend is going to be great fun! A friend is coming from Maine with her two Spanish Mustangs along with other folks from the area and beyond. It'll feel like a mini vacation for me too!

As much as I'd like to continue writing a long post today, the horses are waiting for me so I best get going to start the day...!

Progress continues

It was nearly one month ago I posted about my lesson with David Lichman and Morado. Since then I've committed to working with Morado daily. What a difference it has made. It's been difficult to set aside an hour a day for him, but I know if I am to make any progress, then that is what I have to do. And I'm glad I have.

It's been rewarding to watch the changes that have come when he gets regular attention from me. No surprise there. I did ride him on Monday which is the first time in a year or more. We walked and trotted in the arena with a halter on. He was fine, I was relaxed. There was still something about him though that didn't feel right. I am now going to examine the fit of the saddle more closely and try another saddle on him. He felt sticky in his forward movement. Knowing from past experience that it's a precurser to a more athletic exhibition, I opted to just finish on a good, confident note for our first ride in a while! No pressure, no direct line thinking, no agenda.

If only other parts of my life could more regularly be like that one hour with Morado.