It has been raining recently, so when we went to pick up Monte we found a horse who was more brown than white. After 45 minutes of brushing he sort of resembled the horse we bought - with a gray tinge to that white body of his, though.
The lesson started with E showing Ruben how she's doing with the tasks he gave her last time - softness in her hands, getting Monte to keep his head tucked and gaits collected, etc. Ruben was amazed with her progress; E was able to do most of what was asked, showing more confidence in her riding than I think I've ever seen.
I couldn't manage a decent picture - kept cutting body parts off!Because of her success, Ruben added the canter to their lessons. It was quickly obvious that Monte is still testing E; he pulled his nose out, playing with her and the bit but was sneaky so that it was difficult for her to feel. Monte managed to time his head-bobbing with her hand movements. After being shown what the horse should be doing, E was able to begin asking for the correct form. They aren't able to keep the nice frame at this gait all the time yet, but with practice both horse and rider will do wonderfully.
Ruben sat with me for a few minutes as E practiced in the round pen; he was pleasantly surprised by the progress she had made since her last lesson. And was even more surprised when I mentioned that they hadn't ridden since last Saturday. He was also happy to see that E is not letting the horse get away with anything, either. She has learned to be more consistent and intentional in her requests, and knows to keep at him until he complies. And she's figured out that he's not going to purposefully dump her on the ground, even if he is throwing a temper tantrum. Her fear while riding is decreasing.
If they keep up the hard work, winning a ribbon or two at fair might actually be a possibility!
Show clothes update: Second try at getting an English riding jacket arrived yesterday - this time too big! We'll take it over to grandma's to see if it can be altered and made to work. Also, E has gotten taller this summer and the jeans she was planning on wearing for herdsmanship are too short. (sigh)
