Getting back to the swing of things ...

Lift off!

Barely moving

Popping over the stack oxer

It's been a pretty decent week so far.  Obviously Tiki got the weekend off, like he does most weekends.  Monday, I thought I had a kidlet coming out to lesson on him, so I picked his feet and did nothing else.  After cleaning stalls I went back home for about an hour and a half to eat some lunch and change my clothes, and during that time said kidlet rescheduled for Tuesday.  Oh well, Muffin got Monday off too.

Tuesday dawned GORGEOUS!  What a beautiful day!  Kidlet showed up to lesson, and dare I say my heart did the happy dance.  She's come out to BFE before to take a lesson on him, and he tends to be lazy to the point of barely moving when someone that's not me or Nicole rides him at home, lol.  When she rode him before, he would stop every time she leaned forward, yet when she took him over a little crossrail he got quick enough that I just had her do it 3 times and then quit.  Tuesday was quite different.  For one, I outfitted her with spurs.  For another, she felt comfortable enough to shorten her reins a teensy bit and actually kick him forward.  He was just a peach; it gladdens my heart to see Tiki totally babysit a lovely little novice rider.  Reinforces the fact that I'm doing a good job with him:)  ESPECIALLY on the heels of him not being such a great IEA horse this season.

Tiki perfectly performed a w/t/c warmup, and successfully (sort of, haha!) taught kidlet to leg yield.  The ring had just been dragged, so the jumps were sort of shoved into the middle of the ring, and I quickly set up what I'd had a few weeks ago; stack oxer on outside, crossrail on other outside, coop on the inside, 2'6 vertical on the other inside.  Just to be safe, I pulled kidlet's spurs, then set a trot pole in front of the crossrail and had her warm up over that a few times.  He was SO quiet she was kicking all the way to the fence:)  EVERY time, he was so steady and slow to it.  He tripped over the pole a few times from a lack of picking up his feet, but considering this horse used to charge the fence a little bit, I'd say it was a huge improvement.  Kidlet did the whole course, trotting into everything.  He was like a freaking hunter; you could have set a metronome to his trot.  His topline looks AMAZING right now, he's fat and happy, and he is moving like a FREAK on the Adequan:)  Wish I'd taken a video of the kidlet; y'all wouldn't even belive how amazing he was!

I held my breath as she trotted the vertical; it was a good stout 2'6 (which he actually hasn't jumped in a WHILE), and he was barely moving at the trot.  That goofy red head didn't miss a beat; snapped those knees up and popped right over!  Kidlet was beaming as she rode him down and hugged his neck.  My heart was just bursting with pride; what a GOOD boy!  And let me clarify that his slowness was baby sitting and NOT nappiness; he had a happy ear pricked expression the whole time:)

Yesterday I was GOING to get on bareback and walk hills, but the stupid step ladder was nowhere to be found ... I can't get on bareback without the step ladder, so I put on the saddle and walked 4 hills with him.  In the intererst of getting my own fat butt fit again, I walked 2 of them WITH him:)  Got off and hiked up, literally.  Today we got the first legit sweaty coat of the year.  I did trot sets, which I hadn't done in several months.  He was huffing and puffing when we finished!  Gave him a full on bath afterwards because his coat was soaked.  Saturday is the HUNTER PACE, woo hoo!  Next week I will trailer out to PWF to lesson with Janet, woo hoo!  The 20th, I will be going to do a Gigi Nutter clinic, woo hoo!  FINALLY, some activity:)  We will be heading out the  30th of this month to vacation over spring break in California; We've never been, so I'm totally looking forward to it!  Pics of the hunter pace soon:):)