Journey: After midnight...

As sometimes happens with a physical disability I find myself up just shortly after midnight.  As muscle pain chases away what was last night, blissful sleep.  I wander to computer to check on my blog buddies, and their happenings.  Not much has happened in the hours between nine and midnight.  Scanning my own blog I look at the photos of journey and decide that I really like what I see.  Her conformation (at least to my standards) is really pretty good.  Legs nice and straight, a little more slope to her pastern maybe than I'd prefer, a nice enough topline, and a good motor behind.  Where Phebes muscle is more bulky, Journey's is rather lean (like a distance runner), and she has a nice slope to her hip.  Yes, I like what I see.  Even though she is showing some habits of sourness, she has few enough rides on her that I truly feel I will overcome it.  The way to her mind seems to be work, and staying one step ahead, turning this way and that, circling trees, mixing it up.  I can't fault her mind either.  She is more solid in three rides than my Phebes has been or is after 1700 miles.  She'd never been clipped, it took me only a few minutes to get her to accept the clippers to bridle path.  Never ridden without a bit, again, a few minutes of transition and away she goes in the s-hack.  I've been thoughtful today about what we will work on next.  After today's ride I want to spend some more time in the round pen, and also have a solid session on a more responsive whoa.  I don't like the stop and then step right back out thing.  Having worked at it a little today, I'm sure again that she will catch on if I approach it right.  I feel totally confident that I'll be able to take her down the road this winter barring ice on the pavement.  Her first experience with that was last Sunday and she didn't even pause at the rattling horse trailers going by.  Are there flaws, yes.  I just have to get smart enough to fix them. ~ E.G.