Still giving my knee time off, so no riding time. Gina at the barn came to me with a proposal: she has a new student, brand new, and she was wondering if she could use either Dude or Bestie in her lesson. After thinking about it, and chatting about it in the aisle with editorial commentary from barn manager Caitlin about Bestie's tendency to let loose her inner Arabian, we decided to go with Dude. :)
Wednesday night we saddled Dude up and Gina took him out to the arena to test him. She put him on the lunge line and flicked the whip a couple times to see what he'd do. He barely blinked an eye. Then she got on and rode him around a little bit, while making funny will-this-spook-him movements like hanging off to one side, and waving her arms, and throwing a leg over his withers. No reaction. So he passed the test. I was so proud.
Last night was the night for lesson #1. I didn't go to the barn because of yoga. Pretty much as soon as I got up today, I started wondering how the lesson had gone. I restrained myself until about noon then texted Gina.
Me: Hey Gina, it's Karen. How was Dude last night? Good experience for your student?
Gina: They were sooo great together!! I think he enjoyed it too. Thank you!
Yay! Another proud mother moment! My kid behaved!
And I bet he did enjoy it too. Dude is sort of a crusty character at times, but he has always been happiest when he's in a program, and he's always good with kids. Gina is great at making a fuss over the horses, and I'm sure he likes that. The lesson and another weekly session with Gina will keep him moving and help him start to get back in shape, and that I'll be able to then jump on when my knee heals. Win-win for all.
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