Fiona: One Month Down

So here we are, one month into Project Fiona. I'll snap off some comparison pictures tomorrow, since I finally have that mane of hers under control. I also got some help at the barn to get her tail nicely trimmed. Hours of currying have resulted in a very sharp bit of counter-shading that looks enough like a dorsal stripe to have me wondering if she could be something other than TB.

Then she took off with me in my last jumping lesson and I decided she is all thoroughbred. Yeehaw.

But it's been going well outside of the occasional 'it's fall and I feel good so I'm going to temporarily lose my mind' moments. A friend was heading to the town arena and invited us along for a little field trip. Fiona performed beautifully, even going for a long hack down a dirt road and seeing the sights. She did give the rather large heron we found a serious look, but was a complete lady otherwise. Turned out to be a great outing for her. There was a drill team practice, so lots of trailers and activity. There was also a soccer game across the street, so kids on foot with equipment and on bikes. She handled everything quite well. I think I like the way she goes when away from home better, since she's not so focused on heading back to the stable and food.

She's still going in the loose ring snaffle for everything and showing no signs of needing a different bit. My trainer has started riding her once a week, and we both think she's missing some of the fundamentals. It's almost like someone jumped straight to the fun stuff without taking care of the boring basics first. Back to the drawing board. Sure, she can do a flying lead change, but she has a lot of trouble with adjusting her gaits and her downward transitions are pretty sloppy.

Here is Fiona in her great Youtube debut:



Lots of work to do, but I think we've got a good start!