Goals for Fall || Shalom Update

So, Fall is officially in the air and I've basically been so excited I can barely sit down and write a good post instead of just saying "OH MY GOSH GAAIS MY HORSEYS R COMING HOMEEE SOON!!!111!!!1" when in reality, that's basically kind of what I want to say.

But yeah, the meeting is on Monday. Granted, I'm stressed out so bad at the thought of someone coming to the meeting and making them turn us down, but I have a pretty good feeling about everything. It's still really surreal, thinking that they could be coming home by the end of this month. At the very latest, they'll be here early October if we have to wait the 17 days. Red is going in boot-camp. Even my mom, who is so sweet and tries to see every little good thing in Red and no negatives (because let's be honest, Red's pretty much the perfect horse for us and he really doesn't have many faults. I'm not saying this as a "my horsey is perffffect" bragging thing but his faults are fixable so far and not bad.) but even she agreed pretty readily when I said he's too chubby. It's not to a dangerous point and it's not even that he needs to lose weight, he just needs to gain muscle. So, I've made a little goal list for the both of us for this Fall. A lot of you bloggers have goal lists for every season of the year, which I love, but I never have time to work on certain goals - I just get on and ride, because we ride once a week only if we're lucky. But when he's home, I'll have time almost every single day to go up there and work.

PS: the ones with an asterisk are the ones that I doubt are going to happen this year, but maybe next. I'll be trying for this year. ;)

Goals for the end of 2014 -

• Lots of hill-work to get muscle built back up.
• Start on trot poles, hopefully move up to at least just lunging some cavaletti's to work more on Red's collection.
• Work on lead changes, something I suffer with but Red does fairly well when I'm not holding him back.
• Lots and lots and lots of canter work to get my seat halfway decent at the canter.
• Work on posting the trot more and learn to sit it better.
• *WTC bareback halfway decently (without falling to my death, plz)
• Get us both into good shape. Running more has beefed up my calves so woot woot. Surely strong legs mean a good strong seat rightttt? 
• *Start training for goat tying.
• *Find a good western trainer with my goals in mind, not their own, that will help me become a good rider without pushing me into showing or bitting up my horse and etc. Preferably a trainer that will help with the natural horsemanship aspect.
• Work more on liberty training, such as more join-up, bonding exercises and etc.

Little Pistol Annie

Right now, my biggest things this year will be getting us both back into shape, lots of trot work and lots of liberty. Red comes to life during our little play-times at the barn and I know he enjoys the attention that liberty gives him. Granted, we won't be doing it as seriously as a lot of people do now (such as no tack, asking the horse if they want to ride and etc, there still needs to be a line of respect) but I really enjoy doing these things.

Also, quick Shalom update. I definitely think he's gained weight in the past week and a half. His biggest flaw is he has food aggression and can get quite pushy when it's dinnertime. He was being quite a brat yesterday while we were trying to hose down his wound because he knew it was time to eat. We ended up tying him until he settled down then took care of business and let him eat. He's definitely not what we were told, lol. He's calm and gorgeous and sweet for the most part but he's not the dead-broke horse that he was supposed to be, but oh well. Time will tell!

Sad horse is sad.