Eli's training is coming right along. We hit some snags with steering last week, but things improved once I started riding with a bit in his mouth again. He has his own ideas about which way he wants to go at times, especially when there's another horse around that he'd like to hang out with, but at the walk and trot, I have good control. We've been working on the canter, and it's getting better. Eli's not breaking gait as much, picking up his leads pretty well, and doing some large circles. We did lose the "power steering" at one point last night - we were cantering around the arena, and Eli decided to drift toward another horse in the arena. When I disagreed with this plan, he decided to just leave the arena altogether, threw his shoulder in the direction of the gate, and made a break for it. Then it became a fun game to try every time we passed the gate! After a tirade of naughty words and strong corrections from me, he finally decided he could go around the arena like a civilized horse again. Such a little imp!
Sadly, last night was the last time I will have a chance to work in the arena at the Ft. Bragg stables. Tomorrow we hit the road for Texas...a little early, I know! We have orders to move to Ft. Irwin, CA soon, and I'm going to head out early in order to have a little time with the family in Tx and have the kids out of the way while the movers pack up our house here. My mom will fly here today to help me drive. We'll spend a couple of days with a friend near Asheville, then hit the road for Aubrey. I will miss having an arena right in my backyard. If anyone in the Aubrey, Tx area is reading this and has an arena I can use, please let me know!
Our time here at Bragg has been kinda rough - Jace's work schedule was CRAZY from day 1, leaving me lots of, er, "quality" alone time with the boys, and very little time for much else. But as usual, horses were my sanity. The friends I made at the Ft. Bragg stables were the best of both worlds, understanding my horse obsession in addition to the unique challenges of military life. And I would never have survived the last deployment without my friend, Diane - fellow endurance rider and riding buddy, caretaker and "poop fairy" for my horse when I couldn't make it to the barn, "Aunt Diane" to my boys, always reminding me to "Suck it up, cupcake!" when I got whiny, and most of all, a terrific friend who I will miss terribly out in the desert of Cali.
It may be a while before I post again, but I'll try to include some new pics when I do. Eli's learning so much, and I'm really starting to get excited about Ft. Worth!
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