Just Go

This girl's amazing.

Long Skate

Swedetown 14F, breezy, LF mid-temp mixed with cold wax.

I had to be talked into it, but I finally got my act together, skis waxed and out to Swedetown by noon. After missing so much time, I'm not too sure this is going to work out.  On top of that, Kirsten has developed a shoulder problem; the PT says no upper body work for a month.  So that tears it, right?

Kirsten is gamely soldiering on, so today we did the Greenstone loop and the three Bears. The back of the Bears is a long, steady climb.  Kirsten is skating without much assistance from the poles.  Two things surprise me.  Kirsten without poles is a better, faster skier than she was with poles.  She is also faster and fitter than me.  With poles.

The long uphill slog about did me in. I could only manage short runs before stopping.  Kirsten waited for me, ever the patient soul.  There was more.  Though I was spared a visit from the Gingerbread Man, I did hear him in the distance.  I'm afraid my digestion hasn't been the same since we had the bad soup.  Perhaps nutrition isn't able to do it's job.

Anyway, there's still a month of training left.  Gym and skiing, we'll see how things work out.

Shootim

Trainer Susan demonstrating secret Shootim skills.

With the temperature dropping, we kept it short.  Grooming, lunging and showmanship skills for Shootim.  Sarah had an even shorter day.  I had the able grooming assistant of Kirsten and training from Susan and Kirsten.  Susan showed me some tricks that Shootim already knows.  He knows how to work on a loose line, cueing off of your body.  He even squares himself up when you stand just so.  

In case you don't know, showmanship is like showing at halter.  The handler is on the ground leading the horse on a short line.  In a show the handler is judged by how well they show the horse.  In actual halter classes, the horse is judged.

I tried Susan's secrets with some success.  Then I worked his off side. He doesn't know that at all well.  It freaked him out a little.  I came back to the side that he's used to to finish up on a positive note.  Kirsten wanted to show me how she had been working showmanship with him, but by then his brain was fried.  She found a successful place to stop and we put him up.  

Tomorrow we'll go back and I'll work him the way Susan showed me.  That's a good thing, because it looks to be cold then too.