Gloriously Long Weekend

I love four day weekends, so. much. I spent most of it with my family but then tomorrow, Sunday it's back to work because Monday marks the beginning of dead week aka the reason you feel like a zombie so I have to study up for all my test! Unfortunately I think that will mean very little riding in the next week and a half, especially because I'm cleaning stalls.

I'm already questioning my decision to clean stalls. I'm out of practice, it takes me forever, and by the time I'm done I don't want to ride. But I think it will be better in the long run. Nine stalls takes me two hours, plus 30 minutes to sweep and fill water buckets. Ugh. I have to use a four wheeler that has a cart on the back and we do not get along... it never wants to go in reverse so I end up just pushing it around (and it's a BIG four wheeler) plus it seems to have a mind of it's own on the speed it wants to go and it never wants to shift above first. Sigh.

Tux has been really good. I love riding him. We've been working on fine tuning the upward canter transition and that makes him slightly upset when I insist that it's prompt, but we're getting there. The right lead canter is still a little iffy. He'll get it the first time or two I ask, but on the third time I ask for it he gives me a left lead. But, I'm pleased to say that the quality of his canter has improved 100%, his transitions are great and his leg yields are amazing. I was telling Jetta to watch and learn today because hers kind of suck. I've started to introduce shoulder-in and he's still a bit confused by it. Turns on the haunches are quite nice, but turns on the forehand need a little work. Overall, everything's coming together!

We're gearing up for a schooling show on the 1st which I'm really excited about. I haven't gotten confirmation that they've received my entry yet so it's still not a done deal. In the past year we've had: a hoof abscess, suspected strangles outbreak, show cancellation and show full. I'm betting that if anything happens this time around, it will be that they never receive my entry. Fingers crossed!

Jetta is currently being neglected. I rode her on Wednesday, then nothing Thursday, Friday I lunged her in side reins and today she just hung out in the arena and flirted with the geldings while I rode Tux. And she probably won't get ridden much in the next week since I'll be concentrating what time I do have on Tux. Hopefully we'll have a jumping lesson with JB next Thursday (first week of December).

No pictures of the ponies so here's my Thanksgiving:

The amazing and delicious turkey, Toby the chihuahua all cozied up, our beautiful table setting and my brother's idea of the appropriate amount of whipped cream needed for pumpkin pie. It was a good few days off :)