So yesterday I had the day off (no more school! Woo HOO!!) and in celebration of my new-found free time I spent 3-4 hours riding the horses and taking random pictures around town. I even have the sunburn to prove it. XD
(Also, I usually ride alone so there's never someone to take pictures of me riding. That's why I don't have any pictures of the horses.)
We spent much of our time trotting--I set up several buckets and cones so I could have a visual grid/pattern/thing to work around. Last year Violet was rather unsteady with a rider, so I didn't trot much; but this year she's much steadier and we were able to trot on and off for almost an hour.
I've heard that the more one works an antsy horse, the more of a tendency they have to concentrate on the rider and not what's scaring them. It seems to work, because Violet, while still spooky, is taking less time to get used to things and spends less time freaking out after a spook.
(The thing with the dog turned out all right: I turned her towards said dog and yelled at him (it was a huge German Shepherd), and he turned and ran back to his owners. It's hilarious when a big dog comes running out to chase the horse, and the horse ends up chasing HIM. XD)
After riding I grabbed Javvie and my camera and headed down to the middle school, and...well...there ya have it. XD
...okay, now I'm uncomfortably aware of the fact that I don't know anything about this building. Moving on...
That turned into a trip around the lake, and I have enough pictures of that to warrant its own journal post. Thus comes the end of THIS post...and stay tuned tomorrow! :D
Speaking of tomorrow, my brother Henry is coming home briefly before setting off for an internship in Estes Park, Colorado...so at least ONE of our family is going to Colorado! XD He'll be home from late tonight until tomorrow afternoon, when we take him to the train station. Woo... :D I may take pictures, depending on if he wants any pictures taken. Until then,
Your hostess,
The Fox