Brief Update on Cayenne & Blaze

My dad put new shoes on Little Cayenne yesterday. I had him put the small sliders on her to see how she works in them. She slides pretty well in regular shoes so I think mini sliders will be fun! I'd like to find out whether I can avoid super sliders. I want to show her in reining but my main focus is extreme trail. I don't want her footing to be in question while training for or competing in trail. From experience, I know regular shoes are not the best on some of the large rock outcroppings in the hills. The little sliders were worse, of course. I avoid the large, flat rocks when I can but I don't want to hinder my riding too much just so I can get a big slide in the arena! We'll see how it goes!

I've been riding Blaze sporadically. I took him for one ride alone up the hill from Dad's. Walk, trot and canter, down the hill under the powerline, through the brush, etc was all fine with him. He got a little humpy with me a couple times yesterday but I hadn't worked him in over a week. The "humpy" was more in his neck and pinched ears, so it was more of a thought than an action. I just pulled his head around to discourage him and squeezed him back out into a trot. He was feeling pretty spicy yesterday, from the time I brought him in, so I knew I was in for more of a challenge. I'm hoping to get shoes on him in a couple weeks and get him worked enough to take to the Pat Wyse clinic at the end of April. I have outside horses starting to come in so we'll see how much time I end up with for my own.

** Update on Blaze: I figured out why he was humpy the next day when I was brushing him. His hair was roughed up on either side of his withers. I double checked the fit of his saddle and he has grown too wide, making it perch up too high and hurt him. Simple fix! I had an excellent ride on him with the correct fitting saddle!