Fancy Girl

It's hard to believe that we are already on day 7 of this project. And more to the point, that the Princess has decided to settle in like she's always been here. There was a bit of jockeying around to get her assigned to a permanent stall, but she has one now with her name on the sign and everything. Saddles are sorted out, supplements are sorted out, all that's left are blankets and bridles. My 16.1 mare wears a cob sized bridle, so I have to get some new ones. Definitely the figure 8, possibly the dressage bridle. I'll have to measure her for blankets tomorrow so I can start combing the internet for good deals.

Aside from all of the technical stuff, Fiona has also settled in socially. Her best buddy Otto had a long grooming session with her today and I managed to snap a picture.



Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's in heat. So that's one question answered: what's Fiona like in heat? Exactly the same, possibly a bit more preoccupied with where Otto is, but that's it.

We had our first lesson on Thursday and she was a trooper. Bending lines, a little leg yield, working on her very enthusiastic canter. It's very useful to work on the brakes while she's still not fit enough to power along for too long. Today we hopped over some itty bitty cross rails, just to see what she'd do. At the walk, she ignored them and just walked over. At the trot, it was all business. Hop over, canter away, flying lead change if needed. Yes, someone has done this before. We did about three before she started locking on to fences when I'd turn her toward them.

It's been a pleasant surprise to uncover all of her buttons. She frames, stretches, leg yields, does flying lead changes, and jumps. If we could get her to quit grinding her teeth during dressage work, we'd be all set. Not that I blame her, I'm usually doing the same thing. We make quite the pair.