Progress!

Yesterday, I was feeling decidedly lazy.  In fact, I went upstairs after a trip to town to change into farm clothes, stopped to check my email, and promptly fell asleep.  I woke up fuzzy from my nap and realized I had forgotten to put the chicken in the crock pot....so I went down, fully intending to come up and finish my nap!

My husband followed me upstairs and asked me if I wanted to work with Gib.  It was so hot and voggy and I was so tired...I almost said no.  Me turning down a chance to ride is fairly insane, so it is a measure of  the effect last week had on me.  I knew if I got up and got active, I would feel better, so out we went.

Gib has had such an extreme reaction to mounting, that I really took the time to recreate a bridle, extra pads under the saddle, etc.  I took apart two bridles and cobbled together a new one just for him.  I still want to use the snaffle on him for a bit before moving back to a western curb bit, so it was a weird amalgam of English and western tack for him.

While my husband was holding him, we worked on flexion and desensitizing to the saddle moving and people jumping around him.  He really almost needs to be re-started, at least for the mounting bit.  Finally, he stood quietly, if a bit tensely, and I mounted and dismounted several times.

Once I was in the saddle, I found out that he has a bit more in the way of aids than I thought.   He has a tendency to want to run forward and lean on the bit, so the first order of business will be increasing his reliance on seat aids and decreasing the hands.  It's going to be fun!

Everyone else is fine: chickens are laying a dozen eggs or so a day (15 hens, 10 of them just starting).  The lambs are growing huge.  My oldest daughter claims her co-worker is "making" her take a kitten; I did remind her that at 18, she isn't taking the kitten, I am.  My dogs are rather rotten to any cat they feel is a "stray", so taking new cats is problematic.  This cat is part-Siamese, and I am fond of Siamese cats, but still.  The parakeet is looking lonely; I just need to talk to him more.

Always so  many creatures to think about.