Sorry everyone.  I haven’t been blogging because I have been busy.  Not with riding, but with work.  Hopefully, we are finally breaking out of this bad economy.  I am a printing estimator, and in the world of printing, if the estimators get busy, everyone else will be getting busy in a few weeks.

Of course, I am still riding.  The weather has been strangely good in the last few weeks.  Sure, we have had rain, and that’s never any fun, but we haven’t had that much snow at all.  The river isn’t frozen, and right now, it looks like I will be going on a trail ride on Christmas.  It will be the first time in years.  Usually it is ice, sometimes bitter cold, that keeps us in.  I hope it doesn’t rain.

I have been riding in the arena in the evenings, of course, since it is so dark this time of year.  Cruiser has been improving a lot.  On my last ride, he was stretching down and reaching for the bit consistently.  His rein contact was too heavy, but we can work with that.  It is so nice to not have him above the bit.  Of course, a lot of it is me.  I am working so hard to ride well.  It is starting to pay off with Cruiser. 

I don’t know if my better riding is paying off with Cole.  I don’t even know if I am riding any better with him than before.  It is so tough to ride a horse with so much suspension.  My only consolation is that I know I can do it better than anyone else I know.  He takes so much more muscle and coordination than with Cruiser.  I actually think that might be why I am doing better with Cruiser—because I am used to putting in 110% with Cole.  At least the challenge keeps me entertained.  I have tried to find information on how to ride a horse with so much power, but no one else seems to have my problem.  So, I keep going through my Mary Wanless book, adding one ingredient at a time.  Cole and I are about the same, but Cruiser keeps getting better. 

Last night, I read the chapter on posting, so I think I might try that, tonight.  My sister did, yesterday, and she really noticed a difference with her horse.  Cole’s big trot is so powerful, that to post it makes you feel like you are heading straight off—and then you have to hold yourself in the air for what seems an eternity.  You see, the trot is very powerful, but it is not a fast trot.  Mary Wanless says you need to stay in the saddle longer and avoid being launched out.  Also, you have to use your thighs like she recommends for the sitting trot.  Since I have been practicing that, anyway, I will apply it to the post and see what happens.

By the way, he doesn’t trot like this on the trail unless he is begging for a click/treat.  He is a normal horse most of the time.  Good thing, or he would wear me out on the long trail rides.  He would probably wear himself out, too!