Sadie is getting to be a decent ride

It was not until Sunday that I put a more streamlined bandage on my finger that I could get a glove over instead of using the thicker gauze pad and multiple wraps of gauze roll like the HMO doc had done on Thursday.   Probably was OK letting my finger heal more before using it to ride but I was getting cabin fever by Sunday.   

Saturday we went to the Wildlife Sanctuary and donated money from the ND memorial.  Dad wants to get a plaque on their walkway with mom's name.   Sounds like a good idea and I think I'll offer to pay all or most of that.   I haven't bought flowers or anything but paying to get the first batch of memorial folders printed up.    But that took most of the day after the morning wind died down and I had not had the duh idea to streamline bandage yet and could not find any glove that would go over the bulky bandage so I didn't try to ride that evening. 

Sunday L was going to Colorado Springs to a big cat sanctuary there.   I think it was good that I got a ride in on Sadie w/o Lady and L's presence.   I was pretty cautious, but did take Sadie down into the irrigation ditch where it was dry, but did not push her to step into the puddle a ways down the ditch,  was out of horse cookies and didn't want to start a fight and then not want to finish it.

Today we rode that way again.   Sadie went down into the ditch w/o me having to dismount.   Lady was being a baby again (no surprise since L has gotten so nervous) but I had plenty of cookies so I got off and led Sadie into the puddle a little bit, then mounted and walked her into it with me on board and Lady managed to follow Sadie into the water.   If Lady was being her normal, water is mundane for me, self of last year I could of just had Sadie follow her but no biggie getting off as long as I'm able to get back on and the saddle has been cooperating with not slipping and Sadie has been standing decent so we'll call it progress with accepting me as herd leader.    

I'm also making good progress with the little S hack when I want to ask Sadie to come to the side instead of just gluing her nose to Lady's tail.   This is necessary to get a little trot work in, especially on the way out.   Lady will speed up if she thinks she might be passed but if Sadie is behind Lady does a slow little Largo and then slows to a walk when Sadie drops to a walk because she can't trot quite that slowly.   I am not wanting to push  L to keep the pace faster than Lady is volunteering,  because about that time Lady would do another duck like she did memorial weekend trail riding and L will get too nervous to even be having her on Lady.