Had a good ride in sector 3 and got some new flying mane pictures on 17 and N trails. The scent of the wildflowers was a delight, and we got surprised by a deer. 🦌
Wow! The last month was a doozy. Excessive work, sleeping only with the help of medication, the hamster constantly churning … Im not quite sure how I didnt get sick through it all. Today was my first day off in weeks and I was committed to spending time with my lovely Q. I pulled up, and while he was slow to recognize my engine sounds, he perked up fast enough and strolled to the fence line with his usual “where have you been?” face. He did quick work of shoving his buddies aside from the gate so he could get out and eat his first of many treats of the day: a fresh banana! Yumm! We then went to the indoor arena for perhaps a roll and a run/buck session. He was feeling a little shy to roll in my presence and he probably sensed my intentions of work and pace. So we attempted to run around the arena that is still (!) half flooded and muddy. Boy the arena riding boarders must be pissed (been going on for a month now). Q seemed a little lazy so we tacked up and headed to the outdoor ri...
Im still working on my listening skills, and my horse is still trying to teach me to do better. Yesterday we went out solo and while we jogged and trotted down the trail, I felt such a strong emotional resonance. I use his metronome rhythm to create silly jingles and then laugh and cry while patting his neck. It’s such a weird emotional space between appreciation, love, sadness while we enjoy the moment. Q, unphased. Meanwhile, Ive been struggling with the right lead canter these last few weeks. No problem in the arena, but on trail, it takes quite a few tries to get it. Heading home with one last chance to try, I got the message to better time with his legs. I decided to do it from the walk, and counted 1-2-1-2 with the right fore, I then cued when the right fore hit the ground (so left impulsion was coming next) and BOOM perfect right lead canter. It was light, smooth, and I screamed in delight and hugged my horse. Q, unphased. A little ear twitch saying « no big deal girl, just ask ...
My hip is pretty sore these days. Well, the piriformus muscle actually. It gets inflammed when I push too much, so its been alleve, heating pad and limited riding for a few days. I did manage to get to the barn yesterday and saw the crowd of boarders heading out on a beautiful sunny yet cool day. Lovely! So I went to get my horse, groundtied him near my tack locker and got him ready for an easy trail around the woods. He really wanted to know how many peppermints he would get. He knows the mints hide in my locker. Sometimes, even though he is groundtied, he will sneak up behind me and try to get an extra. Of course he never does, and I drag him back to his ground tie spot, but he still keeps trying. I dont know how he does the sneak thing without me ever hearing a footfall. Turns out there was lots of traffic on the trails with out of town members coming to finally yahoo their way down the wide sandy tracks. Made me want to avoid weekend riding all together. Q was generally ...
Its been a busy riding period, despite the “hot and humid” weather. In fact, the weather has been quite tolerable, and on days when it hits 30+C we ride early. And if we can’t, then we keep it short and quiet and stay under the canopy. Q is still chunky, and we are trying to rein in the hay but its a challenge with everything else going on in the barn. Meanwhile, we have upped the intensity of our rides by 50% and have created a new “Long Trot” section stringing several trails of good quality footing together to make for a 4 km circuit that we do in 17+ minutes. Tomorrow I plan to venture out alone to strike a new record pace as I have fellow boarders hot on my tail to beat the pace. 😂 My afternoons are spent lounging in my hammock and reading a book. Verity and Greenwich Park were speed reads. Im now reading Trevor Noah’s autobiography Born a Crime, which is skull bending. Favorite book of the summer goes to Isabel Allende “Island Under the Sea”. Brilliant cast of characters.
The sun was out, the weather mild, and I decided to chance the trails. Well, lo and behold, it was awesome. Q continues to make me smile every time he stops and waits patiently as I try and get the best picture of our beautiful surroundings. Every once in a while he takes advantage of my distraction to grab a branch or a leaf ... or a big branch of leaves. He walked tentatively on the snow covered ice, but conditions were such that he never slipped. We even got a chance for a short trot! After that it was a yoga class, and now Im plunked on the sofa watching a cute movie called L’auberge Espagnole ... a nice reminder of our beautiful trip to Barcelona many years ago. A lovely day, blessed with a great horse and a lovely trail. Namaste.
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