Tuesday - flies

My purpose for today was review for this weekend with Dan Thompson. Try and I managed to accomplish that but under duress from the flies!

I even drove to Jacksonville NC to Tractor Supply to buy a fly spray for cattle that our farrier recommended. BA mixed 50% solution which we tried on Megan's Alex and it did not work--flies so bad he was actually bucking when they were riding in the ring.

So I tried a 100% solution--it killed the flies but didn't keep new ones away. Brought Angel in to have back paddock and she had a nest of flies on her back--sprayed her and put her in a stall.

Try then played with the 360 turn from Z5 and it was improved a bit and I look forward to further feedback from Dan on this. The ball: Try would bring it to me if I was close--carrot treat. I want to be further away--something for the future. Also Try jumped at liberty--with me standing ??10' away and just directing her circling to it--got it the 2nd try--had not done that before with the jump out in the middle of the paddock. Then we were doing something and she left me a bit so circling game on. Try checked out changing direction and I stayed close enuf to respond immediately and she dropped that tactic and found pretty good rhythm and relaxation with contact coming and going and finally checking in then drawing to me.

Went back into barn for relief from the flies. Tacked up and went to ring where flies were totally annoying and preventing concentration at a walk so not much of a passenger/dwell/slow walk warmup. We did play with canter on a figure 8--changing by my shifting wt and Try would automatically drop to a step or two or trot and pick up the correct lead. Then bridleless cloverleaf canter--I found that yes I can keep from picking up reins to correct Try when she gets emotional/scattered and just keep riding through it. We overshot a couple of our turns tho.

Then Riley was screaming and racing in his pasture so BA decided to just give up and bring all the horses in and I helped with that. Then gave Try a nice shower bath and carrots.