Progress! (Again)

I had a lovely ride on Izzy this morning. We've been doing some concentrated dressage work lately and I think it's really paying off. Jimmy Wofford told us that there are three keys to dressage: position, position, and position, so I'm really focusing there.

I try to think about draping my legs around Izzy's barrel and really relaxing in to that feeling. I keep my shoulders back, my hands up and together, and stretch my chest up to keep my upper body from collapsing.

Wow.

What a difference. We had good moments last time I rode her, but this time, we had actual stretches that were good. It's amazing--when I give her a steady contact and ride into it, she accepts it, pushes from behind, and even carries herself a little. We have a long ways to go even to get to first level, but it's just so much progress from where we were that I feel a little blown away.

Moving day is coming up quickly. Cathy already has another training horse coming in to take Izzy's spot, which is fabulous for her. I bought Izzy a rodent-proof grain bin yesterday and a bag of the senior feed she's used to. I know Frizzle talked about switching to something else (maybe because it was low starch?). I'll have to look into that. I took Marissa's advice on smartpaks and I think we're almost ready to move... Am I missing anything? Big day is Friday.