After a fun morning canoeing on Jordan Lake (watching a lot of very overweight water skiiers and tubers wiping out was highly entertaining!), Dave and I spent some time harvesting and preserving our garden produce.



Fresh Salsa tomatoes, Candy onions, Carmen peppers and cilantro got turned into salsa, Sun Golds got sun dried and many ears of Fleet bicolor sweet corn were turned into pounds and pounds of frozen corn. 



We got to the corn just in time:  last night a racoon or possum, we're not sure which, discovered to sweet corn patch and had helped itself to about 20 ears worth.  I decided to harvest all of the remaining sweet corn and get it ready to go into my belly instead of letting my forest friend pig out on it.



The first Juliet tomatoes were also ready to harvest, meaning that pasta sauce making (the Biondis call it "gravy") is just around the bend.

During my riding lessons with Dr. Gregg, I'm learing all kinds of new things. There are many times that she's shown me how I should be doing something--holding the reins, moving my arms, using the dressage whip--and I have been surprised to learn that I have never in my life performed those particular motions.







The same thing must be happening to Pony: since I'm giving her new and different cues, she's experimenting in order to figure out what I'm asking her to do. Because I'm using my reins differently than I used to, she's starting to hold her head in all kinds of different and surprising positions and, in essence, asking me where I want her head to be when I use the new cues.

This photo is proof that, without the use of tie downs, harsh bits, or other mechanical methods,  a horse can learn to carry its head and neck in a "correct" position for dressage, Western pleasure/riding/horsmanship, and other competitive events. 



Here, Pony is flexed at her poll (the area where her head attaches to her neck)  and her face is almost vertical from nose to forehead.  Horses often feel vulnerable when they are in this position.  Why?    Mostly because they are relinquishing some control to their riders when they carry their heads this way:  the action of the bit is much harder for them to fight against when their heads are down and their polls are flexed.  Also, carrying their heads this way changes their balance-- and horses really dislike feeling unbalanced:  their fear of falling down is very strong.



Pony doesn't look afraid here because she trusts me not to cause her to lose her balance and not to broadside her with strong, abrubt tugs on her reins.