Friday and Saturday's rides

I didn't get a chance to ride on Thursday, I had a family obligation, but I was able to take care of some things at the farm and turn Werther out in the indoor for a little bit, so he got a chance to roll, run, and buck. The weather was amazing on Friday, in the seventies so I rode outside. It was my first time riding outside when I was at the barn by myself. I was a little worried about being able to get on outside, the mounting block is smaller and lighter, making it a little more precarious. Also, there is not as a effective place to position Werther, in the indoor, I make him stand next to the viewing area, so he can't turn when I mount him. In the outdoor, it is hard to create that kind of chute. Werther was excellent, we had a lot to deal with, including dumb people honking at us from the road and someone shooting their gun in the distance. He was a little looky at the walk when he didn't have enough to do but other than that he was very good. I ran through the first intro test again and the trot work was better. One thing I noticed in the outdoor, we have definitely come to rely on the walls of the indoor for support with the bend. When I make a big circle in the outdoor, Werther is much more difficult to bend when we are away from the rail. This is something I really need to work on. 

Saturday's Lesson

I've been working on getting all my equipment organized for showing, and I think I finally have all of my tack sorted. I got my metal stirrup pads screwed in place, a grab strap for my saddle, show pads, a new browband, and a pretty new KK ultra snaffle, Werther needed a size bigger than what we had been riding in. The new stirrup pads were really helpful, it gave me just enough "stick" with my weak left leg, I was able to keep my stirrup the whole time. I got a new fleck whip, 120 cm, slightly longer and more flexible than the whip I have been using. It was so helpful, it was much easier the reach behind my leg, and I didn't have to use it as much because the flexibility made it much more effective. Our trot work was really good and I was able to get some really nice leg yields. We were back in the indoor because it was really windy out, so I'm sure that was a factor as well. We spent some time on the walk trot transitions, one thing Sarah said that was really helpful with the downward transition, is to think about making the trot steps smaller before you ask for the walk, it made a lot of sense. The canter transitions are still not 100% but getting better. When I asked for the canter the first time each direction the first time, he didn't respond to my leg, so I gave him a firm tap with my whip and he bucked, but afterwards was very good for the subsequent transitions. We also worked on the halt, he gets a little impatient, I need to practice it more. 

Showing question

I tried to buy some plain white show shirts for Ariat, but I was swimming in them so I am sending them back for a smaller size, or possibly a different brand. Any advice on good show shirts? Coolmax a must, and I don't like the zipper look or short sleeves, I think it looks too casual. My hunt shirts were usually by Essex, and I like the white with blue or pink lining inside the collar and cuff, but would they be OK with the collar unbuttoned for waived coats.