VRHrider: WE DID IT!!!!

Ranger and I had a riding lesson with Jen today, working on flying lead changes, and WE DID IT! Clean, both directions! I'm SO excited, because I didn't know how to do them, therefore didn't know how to teach or ask Ranger to do them. We had done a couple at Mark's clinic, but only by changing direction into the wall. We can do them like that, but I want to do them on the straight. So, Jen has had us doing simple changes for the past month, with exaggerated canter cues. I finally got my timing down well enough today, and we did several flying lead changes in both directions! Each video is about 10 seconds long--enjoy!

Jen gave us the nicest compliment; she said, "Every time I think that this horse is going to be average at something, he surprises me. He's amazing!" I'm amazed that I could adopt a little mustang from the wild, share a wonderful bond with him, and watch him become the talented, athletic, smart, willing and personable horse that he is...I'm lucky to have Ranger as my best friend!

After our lesson, we rode in the back pasture. I found some crocus...

And I thought you'd enjoy the view from Ranger's back! This is in the upper pasture. It's so quiet, and smells of pine. Black Forest squirrels are prevalent--they are black, with tufted ears, and SO cute! We also so a pair of black crested blue jays, and there are meadowlarks, hawks, mule deer, foxes, rabbits and just about every other sort of critter around on a daily basis!