Last night was really cold, so Barokko wore his brand new WeatherBeeta Landa Freestyle rug for the first time. When I got to the barn this morning he was warm and dry underneath, without being hot, perfect. It also happens to have the hugest tailflap in the world ;) I don't have to worry about his tail getting rubbed in this rug, that's for sure!
Barokko has Mondays off just hanging out with the other boys in the pasture, so Tuesdays I usually spend a little extra time grooming him. He's been really good about not rolling in the pond (in the middle of the pasture) lately, maybe it's getting to be too cold. That makes my grooming job a little easier ;)
Today the two gelding pastures (pony and horse) were combined, so the herd size doubled in one go. The two groups were familiar with each other already, as they've been on neighboring pastures until now, but there was quite a lot of posturing going on out there today, as they all had to figure out where they stood in this new large group.
Barokko's gotten to be really good friends with W, a 7 yr old red gelding that came into the herd a couple of weeks ago. Neither horse is very dominant on his own, but together they're quite a pair. They stuck close to each other when checking out the newcomers, apparently trying to establish a higher position in the hierarky together than either horse would have been able to alone. Super interesting to watch!
Oh yeah, and we rode a little today, too :P
Dressage training, I worked a lot on my own postition in canter departs, as I have a tendency to tilt slightly forward. Barokko's getting much more stable in the departs, haven't had a wrong lead in many rides now, and he's able to keep more steady contact, so we're beginning to work a little more with the canter, rather than "just cantering." Fun!
We're also working on halts, he's easy to stop, not so easy to keep balanced in the halt. Right now I'm leg yielding him slightly into the halt, which helps to activate his hind legs to keep them under him.
Re legyields, they're looking pretty good at the walk now, and he's beginning to understand that "hey this is the same thing I wlaready know how to do" in trot. But, rider mistake, I've been a little too consistent in only riding up the centerline when I want to practice leg yields, so now it's really hard to go straight! Oops... So today, no leg yields, but lots of centerlines!
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