Ruger's sick, roxanne's lame, and mary's working..

so we worked on our showmanship and in hand trail today.

Specificly our "pull turns" or the reverse 360 we have to do in a box for the in hand. I also worked on weaving in and out of cones at a trot..i've been watching alot of the in hand trail stuff, and i've noticed some things, you have to a) drag something from one barrel to another or b) take a jacket out, wave it at your horse and carry it to the next barrel. i've done this one other occasions and she's been fine with it.

once you train a horse for you to be on the left side, ever notice how retarded they are when you lead them from the right? lol. I want her to be good both ways just incase they throw something random at us like that.

first i tried the 'pull turn'..didn't work out so grand..it was more like the blind leading the blind with a forehand turn mixed in. so i opted to take the pretty way out and go on her right side and 'push' her into a turn to the right, like you do in showmanship on the left. (by the way..there aint no way she moves her pivot foot anymore..she rocks to the left) we applied the same techniques as in a left turn and we sort of got it, but it took me time to get the left so it will take time to get the right.

She has a cool "halter horse trot" now.. I don't even have to trot with her, just cluck and walk faster and she will trot right next to me. I assume i'm going to have to trot myself during the in hand so i might as well start..even tough my pants fall off my butt..ugh.

has anyone done in hand stuff as part of their finals? or is it a riding only thing?

-jenn