Golden Butterfly - another great ride!

It sure was a beautiful evening for a ride! My husband and I went out to the barn together to play/ride - and I thought what a great opportunity to see how Golden Butterfly would do in the ring with another horse. Short answer: fantastic. She is so laid back, and she continues to relax more and more and just be a really good horse. She has been coming up to my husband in the field and letting him pet on her, and she looks happy and curious almost always nowadays.

Tonight, the only time she pinned her ears was when I was girthing up the saddle for the first time in the aisleway. She did not pin her ears when I tightened it in the ring, or any other time. I have to say she was in a super good mood - came right to me when I opened the door to her stall, easy to halter, etc., and she was in absolute heaven as I curried her and got rid of the last bits of winter coat. I think she was just enjoying her grooming (which we do regularly when she comes out of her stall - she waits for me to curry her before going out of the barn and is disappointed when I don't brush her first). Anyways, I haven't ridden her in a few weeks and I think the saddle was not what she was planning on, but she was great.

I am finding that GB is actually a very lazy mare. :) She understands longing, but I have to be really serious about it for her to stay moving/trotting. As soon as I relax, she comes down to a walk. Same thing under saddle. I pretty much have to give her gentle reminders/squeezes with my legs to keep her going - and at the first sign of me relaxing, she comes down to a walk. But it's not like the dead-sided school horse - you just have to be serious about what you want and she will do it.

We walked and trotted both directions in the ring while my husband was in there with his horse longing, and I had no trouble at all. GB was great. She stood perfectly still for me to mount up (no ear pinning or at all!) and was easy and calm to ride. She is such a sensible mare, and would make a great trail mount for a lucky adopter! Now that she is finally getting over being afraid/pinning her ears so much, she is really turning out to be a sweet girl!