"Ride With Me" and all my curlys!

What a day! It was so beautiful today that i had to take advantage of the nice weather. I know the rest of the week will be pretty miserable so I got alot done today. I actually managed to get on all three of my curlys!

First i put in a good hour on Chuck doing mostly walk/trot  ring work and worked on doing rollbacks properly with good departures. He was a little stubborn about turning one way and likes to swing out his back end but by the end of the ride i managed to straighten him out somewhat and end on a good note. Afterward i walked him down our long driveway and we checked the mail together while cars and bikes drove by. Of course this never phases him but i'm sure if a horse and buggy went by he would have to look up from crazing and stare at it :)
Next i got out my young horse, Remi and started grooming him. There were alot of people out at my barn taking advantage of the nice weather and provided plenty of distractions but i kept him focused. My husband did distract me with a quick deliveey of some california rolls and Remi definitely wanted some too :)

Remi very interested in my sushi box.

We mostly did ground work under saddle ans i like to use side reins on my horses during some of the lungeing groundwork to develop good collection and keep up strong toplines. This always has good results for me especially when i go to get on. The horses usually are more willing to respond to riding aids and carry themselves more confidently. Of course this is over a long period of time and many groundwork/riding sessions. Remi was very giving today and at the end of our session i practiced just getting on and off him while he stood still. Afterward i took him out for a walk down the driveway too and we even visited my husband while he worked on my truck. There was a big scary tarp there too but to Remi this was nothing and he preffered to be on it and tried to check out what my hubby was doing. Curious curlys!

As the sun went down i managed to get a quick ride in on my mare, Stella. She was a bit forward today but i was firm in telling her what I wanted and did not let her get away with pushing me around or pulling on me. Once she realized that her subtle tricks wouldn't work on me, she settled in to more consistent movement and we did some very nice figure eights and bending exercises.
I've never worked with all my curlys in one day and its been a long time since i spent so much time in the saddle. I am tired now but it was worth it!