Super star!

Well I took Lucas out into the outdoor for the first time on Saturday afternoon. We went out with Tanker (a 5 yo filly who he is in LOVE with) and one of the 3yo colts he was turnout buddies with last year. They've all been out in the outdoor to lunge but this was the first time we've gotten on.

Lucas got stuck as usual when I was pushing him around on his haunches but I was able to bump him though it without much fuss or fight. Other than that he was excellent! We did some good trot work and some bending and working on our change of direction and making it smother for both of us (something that I have to work hard on as I have one leg stronger than the other). Then we did some transition work, and then we finaly got to work on some true canter work!

Can I just say one thing... I love Lucas' canter!

The indoor is almost too tight to really get him out in the full stride that he needs. So we end up working more on the exercises that will make him a stronger canter without doing much cantering. Now that we are out in the outdoor I can really encourage him to use his body to its full advantage. He'll fight and fuss in the indoor but we both 'click' so well when we have the space. So it was nice to bump him up into a true canter and feel him really reach under himself! I hope to get a video next week of us working to post so you can see how hes doing.

In other news my BF came up this weekend for a local horse association meeting. We had enought time after the meeting for her to come see Lucas and we were going to try her Wenger training saddle on as she was going to lend it to us for a month until we got the first show over with. (She is laid up due to surgery on her knee, doing much better but not riding again for a bit!)

Anyways this is the saddle that I used on Lucas for a bit last winter (when my friend first got hurt) that fit him perfectly. Today it was much too tight! Thank god I didn't buy one! So were back to using D's saddle for a bit (which still fits Lucas!) His English saddle still fits, and I did get an adjustable saddle, but my BF thinks the same that I do, that we will be into another wider gullet by the time show season hits.

When you think that when he first came you could almost see his ribs, and now we are almost into a wide tree saddle.... And although she was the person that thought he was going to be too fat this year, she was truly impressed with how he looked, and that he was carrying the weight in all of the right areas this year where as last year it mostly settled on his belly. Could he be a bit fitter? Sure, but she agreed that we really don't want him too fit! I would be lunging him forever!