Question... and some rambling :)

Question: Ok, so since everyone has seemed to be trying new, often yummy smelling horse and tack products, what's everyones 2014 favorite leather/ tack care product? Just curious what everyone on the blogosphere is using now.

Tuesday night lesson. Holly was a nutball in the roundpen. She bucked and ran and bucked. Glad to see all this work is getting her more fit (insert eye roll). Finally she didn't look like a wild pony so we got to work. Thanks goodness there wasn't anything interesting going on outside, so there wasn't a lot of spooking. I seriously question if I'd even try to ride her on a crazy stormy night, she's so spooky.

Did lots of sitting trot, working on forward not upward motion. Realized I'm still really weak in a two-point, although having a standing martingale on now,  I can cheat and grab it (extra nice when she scoots with my backside out of the saddle). Did some decent shoulder in. She's really starting to get the idea and doesn't feel so discombobulated. I need to work at keeping my eyes up, not watching her feet.

We cantered, lengthening down the long side, and shortening on the short sides. Holly really likes the speeding up part, and if I really sit back and keep my hands up she collects up decently too.

We warmed up over a little X, including special-ed cones set out for moi to remember to come off the jump straight. Then L and I did a slightly bigger vertical, I'm still really bad at telling how big jumps are from horseback. It was enough to get miss Holly to at least respect it . It went pretty well, even when another trainer's beginner moseyed nearly in front of me as I came off a jump, Holly just drifted a bit so we didn't collide. I did wuss out of lead changes, slowing to a trot if she was off her lead until I got yelled at. The last few jumps I really tried to apply outside leg over the jump and keep her set up to land on the right lead. Lucky for me it worked and no crazy lead changes were needed.

Cooled her out for a billion years because she's fuzzy and gave her sloppy grain.

Wednesday- Flat lesson. Holly wasn't as 'up' in the roundpen but since it was windy, we did lots of halting/ backing/ halting at the open end of the arena until she didn't care about whatever horse-eating monster was out there. There was another trainer working her horse and two beginners lessoning with my trainer. Lots getting tailgated and cut off, but hey, that's good for her highness to deal with.

Canter work actually felt really good at times, Felt her use her hind end and round her back, even staying in frame a bit. Ok, mostly heavy and fighting frame, but there was some good stuff there. Then we did lots of up/down transitions while maintaining frame. Something I am totally bad at because it takes lots of leg and arm, and paying attention. Too many hamsters running around in my head, lol. Got a rather irritated but proper frame out of my mare through a couple transitions and through turns and finally let her have her head and cooled her out.

Lesson in the am :)