Today, I lunged the four divas (Welle, Wonder, Winnie and Sandi) over cavaletti.  I haven't mentioned another diva that I recently got in training: Ria.  "What is it with the mares?" you ask.  I don't know.  Ask the universe.  Anyway, Ria is a chestnut mare owned by Karen P.  I don't have  a photo yet but I want to get one soon.  Interesting, before I met the mare, she got sick.  Very sick.  She lost weight and depleted her muscles and topline terribly.  I hear it was very serious. Now, she is regaining her topline and undersaddle skills more rapidly than I had anticipated.  She is a real smarty, that one.  And she is enthusiastic too.  But, the day I met her, she was standing in her stall with her head out the dutch window.  She didn't turn to look at me or acknowledge my presence at all.  I thought, wow, this mare is really depressed and not at all friendly.  (sarcastically in my head, "this should be fun")  But, in a few short weeks that reserved, introverted mare has proven to be the most cheery and outgoing lady.   She is very fun to work with, although she is a real athletic effort to ride.  She is put together with very loose rubber bands and it takes tremendous stamina in my core to balance all her wiggly power.  But that is a good thing for a dressage show horse.  Angie will become her regular rider eventually.  Ha ha.  Good thing Angie likes pilates.