We've been playing games today and having some fun with it! Riyah can get pretty full of herself on the ground and I've been attempting to direct that energy. She will walk or trot around me now with me just passing the rope behind behind my back, but I change directions often and she is getting very good at it. I tried to direct her around a few dressage cones I set out, but she pretty much wiped out every one of them! We'll have to work on that. We did a lot of sideways games, though, trying to sidepass down the length of an eight foot pole. We got a few good steps eventually, so I quit there. We'll work on that some more another day.

Riyah is backing well into and out of the barn or over poles, etc. She is learning that I can move her in any direction. Yielding fore and hind quarters to pressure is something we still need to improve a lot on.

We ended our game session with the trailer games again, and it was great. In and out, half-way in and half-way out, one step in and one step out. Backing out straight is getting easier, too. She stood relatively quiet and got lots of rubbing and treats, then I backed her out again and took her over to graze in the grass. The sun was so warm I just sat in the grass and held the lead rope and let Riyah graze around me. (It's wonderful to finally have some warm spring weather at last!)

Tomorrow I hope to get out for another ride--possibly up in the canyon! I don't know how much snow has melted, but hopefully Pole Canyon or the Corral Road might be good. Can't wait to get up on the Ponderosa Trail, but that might be a couple of weeks yet.

I have ordered new EasyBoot Gloves for Riyah. I sure hope they get here in time for the Hell's Kitchen Canyon endurance ride. I don't think the gaiters on Keno's boots that she's been using will hold up for 25 miles. They are pretty worn out unless I can manage to repair them. They are the old style gaiters and have also been rubbing the hair on her pasterns which concerns me.

My plan for the ride will be to just drive down early the morning of the 14th. I think she and I will both rest better at home and it's only an hour to get to the ride camp. I will register and vet in then saddle up. I plan to do a really easy, slow 25 miler, aiming to finish in five hours or so.

I just want to give her a relaxed, quiet ride, and a positive experience. She just needs to see what it's all about. With the exception of the one steep canyon I've mentioned before, it's a fairly easy ride with terrain very similar to what she's used to. It should be fun and exciting!