Wonderpony and The List

Tuxedo is such an awesome boy! I've ridden him twice at the new barn and he just keeps blowing me away with how amazing he is. At this point, I seriously feel like I could take him to his first show and pull off a respectable First Level Test 2 perhaps. His canter is not as nice as I'd like to see it. He still gets tense and it gets choppy but I think as he gets more and more time in the canter he'll end up relaxing. But he's getting more steady in the bridle. He is so adjustable with responding to me moving his shoulders or haunches. Leg yields are NBD, lengthenings are gorgeous. He still falls on his forehand occasionally or lets his haunches trail but a slight correction and he's doing almost perfect. I'm currently trying to figure out ways I can keep him - how to afford two horses' board and live without the money I'd make selling him...

He's just so much fun to ride! Last night, I'm afraid I rode him a bit harder than I normally would have because he was doing so well. It wasn't until a walk break that I noticed the steam rolling off of him. Sorry buddy! He's just so game to do everything. Today we worked on keeping his shoulder up through the corners in the canter and working with the free walk and stretchy trot. By the end he was doing so much better and he pulled off a beautiful 20m canter circle and a fantastic stretchy trot.

Here's our list of things to work on:

• Cantering - picking up the correct lead automatically, not dropping his shoulder through the corners, work on adjustability and roundness
• Shoulder-in and haunches-in
• Teach him to self load in the trailer
• Continue to work on desensitization
• Start over ground poles and small cavalettis
• Go to a show
• Take him to different arenas to ride, go play on the big indoor trail course, etc.
• Lesson with TS maybe?