A Lovely Weekend

A Lovely Weekend

' Dusty '

( there's nothing like a good roll after a workout)

We were treated to a lovely sun-filled weekend with warm temperatures.  I can only say it’s about time. On Saturday morning I rode Dusty for the first time in a few months and I’m happy to report that she was wonderful.  My little mare is turning into quite the superstar.  Of course, she would agree with that statement.  Although we didn’t ride for very long because we are both not fit enough for extended workouts yet, she tried very hard to do whatever was asked of her.  Her willing manner and enthusiasm are always welcome and I was very proud of her.  She is learning her leg, voice and rein signals but, more importantly, she is becoming balanced at the canter.  Her usual canter gait is so choppy and unbalanced it feels like riding a bike with a square tire, which changed today.  So I’m in a positive frame of mind that we are on our way to accomplishing many new things this year.

' BLUE'

(assessing the situation)

Sunday morning it was Blue’s turn for his first ride since the winter.  I can only say that Blue was his usual Blue self.  Meaning he was as lazy as always and, although he is always good, it takes quite a lot of leg to get him moving and keep him going.  Right now my legs and lower back are protesting and telling me I had better get in riding shape very soon if I am going to be an effective rider with Blue.   Just to repeat myself and let everyone in on Blue’s character here’s another short story of his penchant for ditching work; Sami was again last to longe and then we would be done for Saturday.  Where was Blue…?  Hiding in the run in shed where he couldn’t be seen, of course. He had no idea his turn was the next day but since he couldn’t be sure he wasn’t next, he took himself out of sight.

On another note, I’d like to once again recommend the Le Tixerant girth.  I am almost sure this girth is as close to a perfect accompaniment as you can get for any girthy horse.  We longed Donnie under saddle with this girth for the first time in years and he had no problems as he usually does with all previous girths we’ve tried on him – usually any girth will cause him to tense up, panic and go into a bucking fit, but with this girth he was relaxed, confident and willing throughout his entire session as if he had been doing it every day.  And while Dusty is not girthy, her broad back and nonexistent withers make it near impossible to find the correct saddle configuration that does not slip. This girth for some reason kept her saddle in place for the second time now and didn’t shift at all no matter what took place during the ride and during dismounting.  Another perk was that this girth actually allowed her to relax her back, get loose in her shoulder and stretch down long and low while walking out.  Her muzzle was almost touching the ground.  She’s never done this before.  I think I owe a lot of her relaxation to this girth, it seems to let her chest expand and she is definitely more comfortable now.

Until next time

Quote for Today

A horse is like a violin, first it must be tuned, and when tuned it must be accurately played.