May 7, 2011

Cindy had a 10:00 a.m. lesson on LBR so she and Gary headed over to the stables around 9:00 a.m.

LBR was still enjoying his alfalfa flake when Gary arrived at his paddock to bring him up to the stable.

Cindy had staged the tack as usual and helped Gary with grooming/tacking LBR. Cindy led LBR to the arena and mounted around 9:50. The trainer was showing/selling a horse so the lesson got started late...LBR was patient with the delay - happy to just stand on a loose rein and wait.

The lesson had a large number of horses in it - 5 plus another horse being ridden by a boarder. This doesn't sound like many horses but with the jumps, it can get crowded quickly.

LBR rocked at his walk, trot and flexing flat work. At the canter, he was good too, but a couple of the other riders do not know how to space themselves and would run up his butt which he doesn't like.

It was funny today. He was the biggest horse in the lesson (16.3 hands) but had the most collected/calm trot and canter. Cindy struggled to "lose" the other horses as they would all bunch up his butt.

During the course work, LBR & Cindy had some excitement. The first incident was making the turn at the end of the arean, a toddler came running towards the arena - just making it under the rail as LBR was about 30' away. LBR was awesome...no spook, but put on the brakes and stopped immediately.

Cindy & he regrouped by doing a circle and were approaching a crossrail when the second incident happened. The trainer was looking in her notebook for the coggins of the horse being sold when a 35 mph gust of wind blew all of the notebook contents up about 10' in the air (this was about 15' to the left of LBR).

LBR spooked away from it - about 5 feet to the left and just stood there with a "WTF" look on his face.

After the coggins papers were retreived from the arena and downwind paddocks, Cindy & LBR finished that course.

Cindy learned a HUGE lesson today. If it doesn't bother her, it doesn't bother LBR. He and she did their final course perfectly.