This has been fun stuff, like taking the beginner rider on a trail ride and letting her trot pieces.  And then teaching her to canter!  Or bringing her into the ring and giving her a mini lesson.  Hopping on Big G for the first time in forever and feeling his ground-devouring gait again.  Asking Ox to carry himself through the corners and realizing that the big guy can leg yield almost as well as my nimble TB.  And jumping the palomino hony and really enjoying it.

They're bonding!

A blurry screen shot of her cantering!

And this happened! I let her hop on Archie for approximately three seconds, because I wanted her to feel the difference between him and the horse she normally rides.  He gave me these pitiful, confused looks the entire time, "Mom, someone's on my back, but you're in front of me!"  I let her trot him, but I had to run in front of him to get him to go.  I was very concerned about her accidentally hitting a button.

But also less-fun stuff, like discovering Ox as a hot and sweaty beast, covered in hives and painful to the touch.  Or having to go through a pasture with two geldings in it, one of which is a brat, to take out or return any of our geldings.  Or scrubbing itchy skin and peeling sweet itch and medication everything.  Or realizing that Ox's biggest idiosyncrasy isn't his spookiness, but his inability to be tied.  Fucker.