The week in review

Twice I saw rainbows. The first time was the drive home, and the end of the rainbow actually touched the road. I saw the end of a rainbow! The other time was lunging Willig over a fence. Someone had set up a couple jumps, so I turned it into one to change his routine, and he did really well. I was all impressed, thinking he was jumping 3' easily, but it was just 2'6". He still had no problem with it.
After two weeks off (for the want of a shoe ...), his first and second days on the lunge line were kind of an adventure. If any of you read "Little Black Samba" where the tiger melts himself running around and around the tree - that's basically what I thought was going to happen. It didn't seem to be so much hyper energy as a challenge to who was the boss. The second day, I couldn't even see him on the end of the lunge line because the arena got so dusty. However, I appear to have come out on top, because on the lunge line he is now a model of respect. When I say "trot", he trots that second. Excellent, crisp transitions. He has, not, however, been doing so well in the cross-ties, and his whole "I'm afraid to be alone" thing has gotten worse.
Mercury, last week, did some fine, fine dressage moves. Turn on the haunches and forehand, half pass, and the half pass but going forward move (which I totally know the name of and am just blanking on). Then this week, he got an odd lameness that has no heat, no sensitivity, no swelling. I think it's because he's a little overdue for his shoeing (which will happen Thursday morning), and one shoe is getting loose and he's been kicking his own ankles. We'll see.