Continued Catch Up

I'm having a total mind-blank as to what I did last Wednesday with Kika, so we'll fast forward to last Thursday's flatwork lesson with L. Like Sunday she rode her horse while giving me tips & pointers. Her mare is just coming back from injury and so does mostly walk with a teensy tiny bit of trot while I'm cooling K down.

O & K after our spins on Thursday evening

I know better than to leave horses unattended like photo suggests, but I only let go of them long enough to snap photo of their happy heads - Promise!

The lesson went really well, I thought. We continued working along the same lines as Sunday's lesson - including some more canter work! Practice makes perfect, although we are still a long way off perfection...darn heels!

The weekend was a very quiet one for Miss Kika as my backside didn't get near a saddle until last night (Monday). I had hoped to ride on Friday and do some long needed pole work with her, after a great suggestion from another friend to help encourage her to release her back. But that didn't happen as a hairdressing appointment ran long due to spur of the moment suggestion of lowlights to de-boring my hairdo, ;-) I just about had time to grab the girls from the field and tuck them in for the night before I had to be home for family dinner.

I spent Saturday day in Saarbrucken, Germany - scavenging stuff for a 70s Disco themed fundraiser that night - which was fantastic fun. Boy was I tired on Sunday and my feet were well mad at me for all night dancing in heeled boots - when they are more used to Ariat Grasmeres, trainers & riding boots!
Kika went for a stroll in the woods with L on her horse, leading Kika and her two dogs, cowboy pack-horse style - report back was that she was very good - although Kika's all about following so would've been strange for her to kick up a fuss in that situation.

Sunday was a lie-low day after the late night before, L graciously turned the ponies out for me in the morning and I brought them in Sunday evening. Gave Kika a lunge in the side-reins trying & succeeding in snippets to get long flowy trot L had shown me the week before. As always a work in progress, but hopefully we'll get there some day!

Monday (last night) I managed to be coordinated enough to get to the yard & tacked up in time to have a jumping lesson - first one for quite a while. L had been jumping Kika in recent weeks as I couldn't get there for whatever reason on the Wednesdays, or maybe L had the days off and asked if she could ride/jump Kika. For all L does for me, I cannot deny her the spin especially as it only benefits me in the long run to have Kika properly schooled ;-)
So last night, the evil heel demons & knee gripping re-surfaced with a vengeance. Doesn't help that I was riding slightly longer then I normally would in my GP as I have spent so much time in the Dressage saddle of late that I didn't want to be catapulted to space when trotting with shorter stirrups again.
Despite heel demons & forgetting the final twisty course I had a wonderful lesson, Kika was an angel - we didn't have one disagreement - major bonus!

Plan is to have another spin tonight, dunno if I'll be lessoning or working on my own - depends on whether I am there at the same time as the mighty Guru...Eitehr way tomorrow evening will be a night off for Lucky Miss Kika as I'm heading to Florence and the machine in Concert!
Super excited as I love their music, loved their live performance when they were last here 2 years ago and bought the tickets to this show as soon as they went on sale back in the summer...can you tell I've been pumped since then for this week to arrive?! ;)