Calabar says welcome home!

"Oh, you're home! More treats!"

I feel a little spoiled coming back from swimming in warm salt water and having this lovely brown horse greet me with a whinny of enthusiasm. Okay, so maybe he was just hoping for more treats, but there was a touch more snuggle than normal, too. Steve says it was obvious he missed me. Steve is a wise and loving man. Calabar has me wrapped firmly around his hoof but was also a very good  boy for our first post-vacation ride.

The trip was indeed awesome. Not only for the diving, which was incredible, but also because I. Did. Not. Work. Not once. I actually deleted my work email account off of my phone so I couldn't even see when I got an email. (If I see it, then I look at it.. you know the drill.) I will re-install it. Soon. Maybe.

What was also awesome was the fact that Calabar did not forget what we'd been working on when I left! His trot is evening out, he's responding to the cadence of my posting, he is using his hind end and making nice circles with me--it's fantastic!

Of course, he is still a little on the lazy side, but once I wake him up, he gets into it. He (as always) prefers to not drill on the same thing for hours, but to mix things up a little. So Saturday we went out to the outdoor and did some trot poles--ooooo! He thought those were okay and then we circled around the vaguely scary pile of sand. It got the eyeball, but I just kept him moving forward around it and he forgot it was new and terrifying after a minute. Or maybe he saw Lena and got distracted. Either scenario meant he didn't spook, which was the goal.

We went down the driveway to the road, bouncy walk and ears up the whole way. My horse is the only horse I know who slows down on his way back to the barn. Yes, he does. Just have to figure out how to get that big forward-ness IN the arena. (Bribery, Calabar says.)  It would be so nice to have a gallop or trail around the property where we board so I could skip the arena sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. The road is okay, but it's cement and there are other distractions (like idiots who drive too fast). But for now, we will just expand our arena obstacle adventures and keep on keepin' on.

Meanwhile, Lena has been getting ridden pretty regularly by the wonderful Allie--there are now two very colorful English saddle pads, one purple and one orange. The purple looks fabulous on Lena Rey and I'm thinking I'll have to try the orange on Calabar. Sometimes Lena gets ridden twice in one day, but that does not appear to be doing her any harm and in fact she is very calm these days and moving beautifully.

Love my ponies. Glad to be home. Still miss swimming in warm salt water, though.