A glorious Sunday in March

Hello March!

March is my Bday month, it's also the starting tastes of Spring is near, longer daylight is coming back and I LOVE me some March...

Sunday, Billy (El Hubbie), Mason and I went to the barn.

Billy went for a jog as I groomed and warmed up Laz. I had been begging him to come out to take videos and pictures of us.  Being he's a HS varsity Basketball coach, winter season gets fun but hectic, so finally he got a day off to come to the barn.

After lunging Laz to warm him up, he trotted right up to his Dad.

So cute...after he put on a little snorting trot show when Billy came running back, he pretended that Billy was a horse eating monster.

"ohh u is safeeeee, I is silleee ponee. We is OK, MaySon."

I brought him back to bridle in our bitless, helmet up and stack the crates to hop on

Oh!?

What's that you say?

Why yes...this IS a glorious new beautiful custom saddle pad that Laz doth don on his rumpa

He thinks it's pretty snazzy that an artist painted his face that he gets to wear proudly. 

"I is HANDSUMMMMMmmm"

Thank you to Polar Square Designs for this most amazing pad. 

HUGS to you Kate! 

You make us look way better than we are

Off we go to the pasture

Pasture de Bucks a lot

I kid..that was just one day, he's been 10000% better

Isn't this field glorious?

Seriously...I pinch myself that I get to board here

Sometimes I wonder if Laz would misbehave without his Mason pup by his side.

I'm sure unknowingly, Mason gives Laz comfort.

I love that dog.

Warming up at a walk, a bit past sleeping.

Easing into a trot..

Cantering a bit...

 Some canters I ask for, some he offers up

I know as we ease back into riding, I TRY to be extra careful NOT to push him past what he can comfortably do

Sometimes when trotting gets tiresome, he'll hop into an awkward canterTrot so I allow it so he can stretch into it better 

Correct leads...NOT even worrying about those right now

Hunch back much?

Oh well, as least I've got slack reins

Let me tell you, riding in a saddle again is SO weird after two years off.

I feel like a hot sloppy mess and I'm trying to ride, give Laz the correct commands (lol at that lately) and not slap around his back. 

Practice makes perfect, right?...as he can handle it

Love me this OTTBreath

And a couple videos below

They tell the truth don't they?

I see where his RH is still mega weak, but as both my Vet, Trimmer, Chiro seem to agree ; work him as he can handle

Some moments of it looks great to me (him, NOT me) and some breaks my heart that he isn't sound and I want to pull him up. 

It's balancing his fitness, happiness, soundness, work ethic, humane ethic, horsemanship, riding properly (what's that anymore?), retraining an OTTB, building confidence...what else?!

Oh, having fun :)

 My aim is 1x/2x a week riding to start, with every other day hand walking to get him to 3x a week riding, and so on...for now...