Who Are You And Where is BB?

I think someone has pulled a changeling-type situation with my horse. Because, you see... Bailey has been all kinds of sane and (relatively) normal lately and I just can't quite bring myself to believe it.
I rode with a friend on Thursday, and again on a cold and early Saturday morning... and I'm honestly surprised.

Here's a mirror selfie from Saturday. See, I ride my horse sometimes!

Thursday we dressed for dressage but ended up doing long trots and a bit of cantering with my friend, J, and her barrel horse. Bailey thought she was probably going to die because of over trotting, but she survived, and was surprisingly only sweaty under her girth. I was proud; she was less spooky than Ginny, J's horse and while being a bit dramatic - as in I asked her to slow down and I got a panting, immediate halt - she was responsive and polite in a snaffle and my little spurs. She didn't spook at the mama deer and her twin fawns we saw on the XC course - she stared but didn't bolt - and even (relatively) politely jumped up and down the ST and BN banks and while she did plenty of back and forth waffling about doing the ditch, she trotted it a few times with no major issues after that. And I didn't die, even in my dressage saddle.

Saturday I was feeling like I actually should do some real dressage because I keep miraculously getting distracted, so we dressed for the part; I put boots on my horse and everything, guys. I also decided it was a great day to start breaking in my new tall boots, the Mountain Horse Venezia field boots. Bailey caught easily, slurped down some alf pellets while warming up in the back on track sheet since it was freezing that day and she had been out without a blanket. I felt like it was probably not the smartest decision to wear new boots on a horse who may or may not be a stiff uncontrollable kite, but I tossed on the little spurs and a quarter sheet and went to try out the other barn's indoor. The indoor in our barn continues to be too small for my taste and always seems to have a mess of lesson kids going around in small circles. The big arena had a pony lesson going, but ponies are good for Bailey, and it's much easier to share the arena with something that goes around half the arena by the time you've done like, 4 circles on the other half.

Taking photos of horse in fluffy dressage bridle is still a struggle. Much distracted

I was so shocked at what I was sitting on that I hardly knew what to do; my horse warmed up quietly, came through on the bridle and put in some lovely warm up work. She was looky, but not spooky; the first time I can remember that she's really been one without the other. She wanted to look out the doors but a casual boot with my inside leg kept her forward and engaged. Her canter was, again, soft and balanced and relaxed, and her mouth stayed soft and pliable. She seemed to have had some takeaways from our long trotting session with J, because her medium/extended trot was lovely and really had some shoulder action. She even compliantly did some straight leg yields for me, and was throwing nice, straight halts.

There is a straight halt in that mirror despite cloudy weird lighting.

I have no idea who this horse is, but I'm keeping her, ok? I am 100% on board with doing dressage all next winter, because mirrors and my pony is magically ok with life in that indoor and everything is great.

Oh yeah, and I love my new tall boots :)