Pony Therapy

This weekend is inventory at the store I work for, so I get to work late and count lots of things. One day done and another long, late one today.
Luckily my mom, who works at the same store does not have to work late. This means she is available to feed the ponies in the evening. I decided that even though it is below freezing outside, I was get some pony therapy before work. Comrade was elected.
I bundled up in my five-in-one jacket and put on my head liner under my helmet and off we went to brave the weather. Gotta love it when you step in the sand arena and hear "crunch." Once both of us warmed up we did not notice the lunar landscape anymore.
Comrade has a bad habit of trying to skip into canter when he does not want to work trot. Today I decided to blow his mind by asking him to do walk to canter transitions since he wanted to canter. I made sure from the first time I asked that he knew I wanted a response. Only once did I use the dressage whip to reinforce my leg. After that I got quick responses and really good canters. Although he still needed a couple trot strides before canter, I was happy for his first time. We ended on some stretchy trot work and a walk on trail.
A good ride and scratches on all of my ponies has set me up for the long night ahead.