Yesterday was Harry's 8th birthday!! Naturally, today we had to celebrate =] We bought him special cookies, not those cheapie treats that they sell in the feed stores. They're called Stud Muffins!
He definitely enjoyed them. They seemed kind of sticky like peanut butter is when dogs eat it, because he kept sticking his tongue out.
Today was also farrier day. Nina had to be tranquilized, so we couldn't ride her, but my mom and I rode Brie and Harry for a short time after they were trimmed. I rode Brie, and she was super full of energy today! Her head is coming down better and I need to look for supplements that will help her gain muscle in her back end, because her butt is not as round and muscular as Harry's and Nina's. Her's is kind of not hollow but not filled in either. I think that increased muscle will also help with her arthritis.
Sunday
Today I got to ride Harry AND Nina!! What a treat! I rode Brie first. I'm really working on sitting back and deep in the saddle and not letting my hands get to high or lean too far forward. I think it helps with her balance. I feel weird, I constantly keep changing my seat with Brie. I feel like this current trend is going more back to her roots whereas I was sitting more forward during my jumping lessons and then a little further back after those ended. Now I'm finally really sitting back and deep again and I think it's helping with her headset a little bit.
Harry, we've decided, is going to go into Pleasure class. Rather than trying to work him up to be all excited for Performance class and risk him losing his gait, we'll settle for the pokey relaxed gait he seems to like right now and put him in Pleasure and see how he does. If he wins, it'll be a good choice! He is a lot more calm when I'm not trying to get him to move quicker but stay in gait. He didn't break much at all so that was fantastic. He is also walking very nicely finally. All we have to work on now is getting him to largo!
Nina was a blast. She is so funny, she will get into races with Brie if they're going side by side. She has a pretty fast largo! Not as fast as Brie though, but she will do wonderfully in Pleasure and Performance.
For the shows this year, we're seriously talking about bringing Brie! Our first show is the Midwest Classic in May down in St. Louis and we're thinking of bringing Harry and Nina to that one, since it's more competitive. Then the second show is in Michigan in June and we're thinking of bringing Brie and Nina to that one because it's more relaxed and while it's still competitive, not a lot of the big barns go to it so it's more smaller barns and families for a calmer atmosphere that I think Brie will like. She was in Michigan before though...tried to run back to the barn while I was still on her. But that was years ago. We have a little system in place. I think that as long as I longe her on the line for a bit and keep myself calm and just go in with the goal of making it through the class and staying as relaxed as possible, we will do well.
