Crazy week.

So after getting the car unloaded on Monday and going back to work to find 20 emails that HAD to be answered (I was only gone for two days but I think the world ended while I was gone).  After getting caught up at work on Tuesday and Wednesday, I picked up my Aunt on Wednesday after work who flew in from Alberta.  I then got the 24 hour flu on Thursday (I seriously haven't been that sick in years, I hate throwing up!). 

I spent some quiet quality time at the barn on Friday and lunged Lucy in the outdoor pen, and she was much better this time.  I hope to be riding up there by next week so that she can get used to riding outside before the show at the farm on July 6th.

Saturday I helped with chores at the barn while Lucy had a lesson with an 8yo rider who is getting used to "bigger" horses (she had been riding a small hunter pony) while her parents shop for a new pony/horse.  Lucy went awesome for the kid, D did most of the lesson the in center of the ring letting Lucy think she was on the lunge line.  But she walked/jogged and loped for the kid (which was great considering the kids legs didn't go past the saddle blanket).  I got on at the end and we jogged around for a bit and attempted some trotting poles.

Today (Sunday) I helped with chores and then had a privet lesson with D where we worked on getting Lucy more responsive to my spurs, without her just thinking they mean full foreword or full stop.  We spent a lot of time moving her hips around, at the walk and jog then moving to working on a spur stop, and roll backs to get her lighter in her front end.  We moved into loping and were able to finally get a hold of her mouth while loping and I was able to slow her down.  She doesn't like contact and had been fighting it at the lope but today we were able to get contact, and the correct response to the contact!  We got some great slow lope both collected and she even held it when we went back to a loose rein.  We couldn't hold it long, but atleast we weren't fighting each other anymore.  A lot of our problems are not helped by the fact that she's built downhill and has to fight nature to be light on the front end, and lope slowly.  But that will bother her less and less as she gets fitter behind.