Liberty horse

I had a spa day today. That's what Mom called it. What that means is she spent lots of time making me look pretty. She put me in cross ties and was going to use some clippers on me but the plug thing she needed to use didn't work so she couldn't. That was okay. I don't really like clippers. They make funny noises and tickle.

So I didn't get clipped. But Mom did cut my mane and tail. My mane had gotten awfully long and even though it looked kind of pretty, Mom decided that I have such a pretty neck that it made more sense for it to be short. That way people can see my neck. I think that makes sense. I do have a pretty neck, everyone says so. So Mom cut it short and then pulled it a little bit to make it look better. I like it. She also trimmed my tail so that it's even and doesn't look so ragged on the end.

She also brushed me really well and cleaned my feet and put fly spray on me. She washed the sore on my side with some medicine. I've had that sore for a long time. Mom thinks it's from lying on one side in my bed so today she put lots and lots of shavings in my stall. That was nice. Hopefully it will help that sore. It doesn't really hurt but it looks ugly.

After all my spa treatments, Mom took me to the Round Pen. I didn't really feel like lungeing today though. I just wanted to play with her and I kept walking up to her and nudging her with my nose. She made me go around a few times and I trotted and cantered a little bit but as soon as she let the whip drop, I came right up to her and stopped with my head in her chest.

So she put the whip down and started walking around the Round Pen. I followed her. I like to follow her like that without a lead rope or anything. It's like we're friends going for a walk. She walked for a little bit then stopped and said, "Whoa!" So I stopped too. I even stepped back one step so that my head was just even with her shoulder. She liked that. Then she walked forward, saying "Walk on," and I followed again. She kept walking and stopping, telling me whoa and walk on and I just did whatever she did.

Then she changed it. She stopped and said whoa and I stopped. Then she stepped backward and said, "Back" so I stepped backward too. Every step she took back, I took one back. It was fun, like a game. Mom was happy with me, I could tell. She gave me a cookie and then we walked on again.

She started doing all kinds of fun things. Once she moved in a little circle away from me and I followed. It was such a little circle that my front feet stayed in the same place and my hind feet went in a bigger circle. Mom called that a pivot on my forehand and said I was a Good Girl. She gave me another cookie for that. Then we did that in the other direction. That was a little harder but I still got a cookie.

Another time, she made a bigger circle. When she did that, I followed and my front feet went in a big circle but my hind feet stayed in the same place. She called that a pivot on my hindquarters. We did that both ways too. That one was really hard but I did it well enough to get cookies.

We had so much fun! We did all kinds of fun games with Mom leading the way and me doing whatever she did. It was exciting trying to figure out what she'd do next and trying to follow her without messing up. And it was even better when she gave me cookies. When we were all done, Mom petted me lots and told me I was such a Good Girl and that I was a Liberty Horse. I don't know what that means but it sounded good the way she said it. We even did some of that stuff on the walk back to the barn, stopping and backing up and me getting a cookie for it.

And when I got to my stall, that's when I saw my big deep bed! So it was a really nice day. I hope we do more of that stuff soon. I really like those games.