Day 73 & 74

Day 73

Today Jake came out to see how Marley and I were doing and to give us some pointers, especially for our western training.  It was a great morning and Jake tacked up Marley completely without my help, which Marley was pretty unsure of.  The training was great for him though, and by the time Jake was ready to get on, Marley had accepted that Jake wasn't such a bad guy after all.

It's always great to see someone else get on Marley, but it's especially great when that person is a great trainer like Jake is.  He was impressed with how far Marley had come, but he also helped me address some holes and areas of our training where we were lacking.  Marley took everything in stride as Jake challenged and pushed him, and it was incredible to watch.  I'm so proud of my little mustang.

Photo by Katherine Payne Photography

After Jake got a feel for Marley, I got on and Jake helped me with some of my insecurities with training in western tack.  It was really fun and I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but some of the exercises REALLY helped Marley with his responsiveness and relaxation.  I'm going to be riding in the western tack all week, so stay tuned and hope for no rain!! (Or at least light rain).

Day 74

So much for no rain.  This morning we had a huge storm roll through, and regardless of rain, I will not ride in lightning.  Another day off for Marley, but I'm hoping to be able to get on tomorrow and work on all of the new things Jake taught us.  We had such a great ride yesterday and the day before, and it's just so frustrating to be set back by the weather.  I would kill for an indoor right now!