Siri and I, tacking up at liberty. Special guest appearance by Carmen the Surrogate Dog. Maybe not the grandest of accomplishments in the scale of such things, but six months ago this wasn't really an option - she would emphatically decline to be saddled loose. This was also the unintentional official start of our year-long quest for non-lethal bridleless work outside the arena at all gaits (I accidentally said it publicly, so now it has to be a thing). The footing wasn't good so it's not terrifically exciting to watch, and hence, only the stills are here from the actual ride. This video in itself is underwhelming, though not because it's an end result. It's the beginning. It's the bud. If she's not cool with this, anything further is corrupted and subject to decay. We may be late bloomers, she and I, but we'll effloresce eventually. That's always beautiful when it happens.
So many good things about this image.
Fancy dog!
I had a cordeo on her as well as the side cue bridle. I held them both like double reins with the cordeo as the "snaffle" and the side cue as the "curb." I did have to use the side cue a little bit.
It feels like starting all over again, but I'm confident in my direction and our ability to learn.
Not terrible for sporadic riding opportunities and less-than-ideal footing.
It's so nice to have peaceful moments like this during a ride. The whole ride was quiet and sweet like this.
Aaaaaalllllllmost in sync, stride-wise.