Hide your Jackets

This weekend was so warm.  Like, so warm I didn't even wear a jacket to a barn.  Just my vest.  Therefore I totally got spring fever, gave my horse a ridiculous grooming, got hair all over my recently chapstick-ed lips, and spent the rest of the day trying to remove it.

And I also rode.

Saturday's ride was nothing to write home about.  Molls felt good, probably from her Sore-No-More-ing on Thursday and day off on Friday.  She was decent under saddle but again, nothing stellar.  I was however impressed that there was a new horse in the ring (truck-in) who was young and while obedient he was the epitome of green.  And gargantuan.  I'm not even kidding he had to be over 18 hands.  Usually Mollie is not a fan of:

A) horses
B) boy horses
C) horses bigger than her
D) horses who don't know what the eff they're doing.

He was all of these things.  Despite this she was totally fine with him, walked beside him as we cooled down, and didn't even pin her ears.  It's the little things.

How Molls usually feels.

Today I got to the barn, tacked Molls up, and we rode with aforementioned big giant horse for a little while before he left and we had the ring to ourselves.  One of the plusses of the snow still cracking off of the side of the barn and onto the ground is that most horses disapprove and I've spent lots of time with the ring to myself lately.

Mollie was actually really, really, good today.  I also should have mentioned that after the disastrous ride of February 20th I've decided to ride in our snaffle for a while.  She's clearly not happy in the double and for once I don't think it's behavioral, we're just not at a place where we're fit enough and working enough to actually use it.  If I'm going to have arguments in my horse I'm not going to add fuel to the fire by shoving two bits in her mouth.  I definitely think she has appreciated this decision and rewarded me with a wonderful ride today.

She was so incredibly soft in my hand and we had several moments of absolutely no weight on the bit.  This was also because maybe I was focused and paying attention and actually present in my riding.  Her shoulder-ins were phenomenal today instead of the half assed attempts she's been making lately and her canters were the best I've had in a really long time.

Gave her lots of pats and turned her back out to hang with her donkey friends.

The cute.  I cannot take it.