(no subject)

Indian summer evening last night- it was nice- the warmer weather made Trudi much more low key. I free lunged her for a little while and she had a much slower tempo than usual- it was a nice change. I put the old ghetto half pad on her again- the bit o' sheepskin- I've tried the saddle with a real half pad (too bulky) no half pad (seems to slide forward more) and we're back to the somewhat ugly but useful sheepskin.
Tried experimenting a bit last night- rode with my legs on a bit more- she seemed to find it reassuring, though that may be just because she wasn't feeling as rambunctious as usual. I felt like I was pretty stable and sitting decently. Also tried keeping the tempo slower while we rode, and it seemed like she had some of the shorter-from-nose-to-tail but taller-from-ground-to-withers feeling, but it didn't feel like she was stretching as much as I would like. Still, she felt much more controlled and transitions (at least downward) were more prompt and somewhat more balanced. I want to find the best way to help her work better...I think it's going to be a combination of, or alternating between, riding her more together, and stretching more and riding her neck down.
After I put her away, a big bad moon came out- giant phosphorescent yellow- would be perfect for halloween....