The Filly and the Lesson

I take lessons infrequently due to my schedule and lack of finances at times. 

I had hoped to have a lesson with the filly for some time now, so finally got one on board just to get some input on how the filly is doing.  I think she's pretty cute, but I am a little barn blind.  ;)

The arena was crazy.

Really, really crazy.

There was a pony club meeting most of the day so it seems that most of the boarders came out right when pony club ended.  I had posted the lesson on the online calendar, but not sure how many people know to check the calendar and/or know how to ride in traffic with lessons in progress.

But we survived.  My friend also had a lesson going on with the SFM (I'll see if she will let me share or if she'll kill me for talking about her.   ;) ) and so we more or less switched off between mare and filly working at a time.

The filly was great.  Handled the traffic well.  Had a good idea on what to work on.

I do like to micromanage things, so some good ideas about how to let her make a mistake and then correct it, ie when I ask for the bend, let her pick up the bend and hold it.  If she loses the bend, then correct that and go again instead of pick, pick, pick, pick which is simply annoying to the horse.

Did some brief canter work encouraging her to just move forward to maintain tempo and to not quit, which she does like to do at times.  ;)

Basic work on how to have the filly go straight up the quarterlines.  It is enjoyable and fun to be working on lateral work, but this is the first horse I've had with a blank slate that it is good to have input on what needs to be the foundation before continuing onwards.

Straight, then more lateral work.  ;)

It was of course, pleasing to hear that the instructor loved the filly's movement and thinks she has a lot of quality and that I should show on the USDF circuit with her.  Time will tell.  I would love to do so.  :)

All in all, a pleasing evening topped off with a margarita at a local Mexican restaurant.  Can't beat that with a stick.  :)

SFM said she worked too and was really hot, so she got two coolers.