broad spectrum happiness

We have had a pretty chill week after our very productive weekend. Kenny and I are closing on our house in just over a week and we are also picking up the puppy next Wednesday, so we're making final preparations for both of those big developments. We are both very excited and absolutely terrified at the same time, which seems to be on par for most first-time home buyers :) but getting those keys will be well worth it!

As for the puppy, we have picked the name Cairo. We can't wait to bring our little girl home. It's been a long time since we've helped raise a puppy so both of us have been reading up on training, and will enroll her in a puppy class to help get the basics down.

I rode Lucy on Tuesday and kept it to just a nice light schooling and then a hack to cool out. She spent about ten minutes politely protesting the fact that we weren't having fun out on trails and instead I was actually asking her to work, but she came around quickly and we got some lovely forward, soft trot work and some very nice canter work.

One thing she has always struggled with is cantering on a circle. She can do it a few times but then gets tired, which is funny because as we all know, she's like the energizer bunny most of the time. Cantering on a circle takes a lot of balance and hind end strength and I think our recent hacks and hill work has really helped her improve both. On Tuesday she was able to canter in a balanced manner on a 20 metre circle without leaning or getting rushy. Once we did that both directions, she got a good pat and we went out exploring to cool out, because I feel like that is a pretty big milestone for her.

The barn is better than ever, especially with the lovely weather. The boarders have evolved into a sort of community and we all support one another, and in general really enjoy each others' company. It is exactly what I hoped to find in a barn and both Lucy and I feel right at home there.