Labor Day ride

A far cry from last Labor Day!

Last Labor Day I got kicked. This one was different. Sparkler and I went for a ride! Saddle on--Longe just a little until she seems willing and attentive--Bridle on (no problem!)--Work on flexing the head to the side from the ground--Good on the left, no luck on the right.

She chomped on the bit quite a lot, but stood still for mounting. After lots of coaxing, she yields to the left and we can go in a small circle. On the right, though, she won't turn her head, but at least she'll go in the general direction. Whoa is getting better. A little bit of a jump and run when I barely squeezed her sides, but nothing terrible.

Cutting Hay

Art cut our 4 acres of hay today. It rained just a bit in the late afternoon after my ride, but it should be fine. The hay crop was a bit thin last fall, so Bob threw out some seed in April and had it fertilized after the first cutting. We should have a good crop!