Teamwork

tabouli with black eyed peas in collard greens

No doubt she was sulking because he wasn't there. and because even when he was, she wasn't the centre of the cowboy's attention, but, Jill would be glad when they were living in a barn with better ventilation. Or, even spending more time outdoors. It would do the horses good to live more like horses...

There was a board down INSIDE the paddock they go out in. she'd forgot to check it for nails and write a note about it when she got back to the barn.
*
The problem (sometimes) with thoroughbreds is, the more you work them, the hotter they get. Jill was secretly a bit glad the little guy was not all that interested in his oats...
She was disappointed when he refused to walk the log. When he scurried toward it, she actually ended up turning him away and then represented officially from a trot. And, he was so hard to stop after that, she decided the better of practicing the walk over the log exercise any more that day.  It was supposed to be   q u i e t   work.  He'd just had his shoes pulled. the idea was to do a lot of walking right now and slowly toughen up his poor footies.

The truth was that Jill was just as excited as the little bay to go galloping. she really had the urge! They worked on turns on the forehand (which, of course, he rushed and moved his front feet during) She concentrated on sitting erect, correctly. and thought a lot of about her hand and his bit.

Her favourite part of the whole ride might have been when he stomped the tiny mud mound in the middle of the deepest puddle they walked through. It was an official, well directed stomp! It was very muddy water and you couldn't see the bottom of the puddle and that little ridge really did look like an alligator head...   Remembering hacks of her past, she could see how her mount's judgement in some cases would be actually, rather valid. she also decided in case of any such real interaction, she really wanted that pony on her side. ha!