Barrels

New saddle pad in hand, I went to the ranch ready for a miracle.  I knew a new pad would only do so much, but still I was excited.  At first I couldn't get the fit quite right.  The new pad is stiff so it didn't sit right.  At first I had it too far back, but with Michelle's help I got it right.  It really made a difference in the saddle's fit.  Instead of riding on his withers, the saddle was lifted to the correct position.

Whether it was the pad or just his physical and mental improvement, we had the best ride ever.  We rode the barrel pattern over and over.  At first we just did it at a slow trot, but by the end we were loping between the second and third barrels and loping "home".  G seems to enjoy it as much as I do.

It's $5 per event and $30 for the day (which I think is 6 events so no saving) for the gymkhana.  I'll do the barrels for sure and maybe a couple other events.  Next Thursday I'll go, even though it's not my day, and run through the events with the other riders as a practice.  That's when I'll decide which other events to do.  I think three or four events would be plenty.

I had so much fun today!  I would have ridden longer, but it was getting very dark.  The lights in the arena are great, but the tacking area was really dark.  I couldn't clean his feet or do much grooming before I put him up for the night.  He didn't mind; his hay was waiting for him.