Seattle

If I wanted this much rain I would have moved to Seattle.

It's been raining since Sunday night and it's got me and my horse cranky as hell. He's been pissy the last three days and it has made riding not so much fun. He doesn't frame nicely, he gets all wound up. He doesn't listen. He won't slow down. When I let him out on the grass on Sunday he didn't run around. Even when a black mare from the other barn was let into the adjacent pasture and ran the fence line screaming. All Junior did was raise his head, and then drop it again to continue eating. I could not believe he didn't come over to the fence and run with her. He's been ridden/lunged every day for almost two weeks. But he's still cranky. He's nippy and he's been fighting getting into frame and has been acting like his panties are in a bundle. I know it's because he hasn't been out (other than the two hours on Sunday) for almost a week. But what can I do about that? Not a damn thing. It has been raining non-stop and everything is a puddle. The indoor is fine, but the walk from the barn to the indoor is a mud pit, the turn-outs are ponds. It's the kind of wet that can cause injury, especially when the horse has enough trouble keeping his feet underneath him on good footing. I asked KAT about it after my short ride tonight and she agreed that it's because even though he's been ridden daily he hasn't had time to "play" but he didn't take the opportunities over the weekend, either lunging or in turn out.

I have to work tomorrow night so I asked KAT to ride him if she has the time. I doubt she will. She has a very hectic lesson schedule this quarter, I think she goes nearly all day long. Not sure if she has time for added training rides, but it was worth the asking. She said it would be better if he worked tomorrow than if he just sat in his stall. It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow through Saturday, but it'll take a day or two of sun and wind to dry the mud enough so I doubt he'll get turned out out tomorrow. Maybe Friday?

I will lunge him before riding on Friday, or I'll try to free lunge him in the round pen if it's dry enough. Luckily I'm not overly worried that this is a major setback. I'm relaxing into the fact that I KNOW he knows what he's supposed to do and I know he'll feel more like working when he gets a chance to be the social horse he is.

KAT mentioned that there's an open spot in the trailer for a show this weekend. I can't do that. I'm a planner. I need to plan. I have it planned that our first show will be May 3rd. We're not ready. I am not ready. My clothes aren't ready. I offered KAT to take him and show him since her mare is having lameness issues. I wonder how much that would cost me? To have her take him to a show? I wonder.