One-Eighty

Yesterday I rode in the heat but he was SOOO much more relaxed than he was on the bad day. Same tack, but instead of doing a fast lope for half a hour, we jogged serpentines, did a bunch of pivots and a few lope-halt-back-whoa transitions. He seemed in very good spirits. We even took a little walk up the field.

I couldn't take pictures of the dry spots because there were none. It was a hot humid day but we didn't work nearly as hard. Go figure. Maybe it was a fluke? I'll keep monitoring it, of course.

Today I went out in the morning-ish, groomed and tacked him without tying him, and then jogged around the outdoor for a bit, marveling at how sometimes he acts like a pro packer, just jogging around on a loose rein like he was born to do it. The breeze was excellent so I took him for a walk first on the little trail loop which we've been in two or three times this year, but it's been very wet. He still gets obviously nervous about going into the woods, walks quickly and with a purpose, (the purpose is to get the f**k out of there ASAP or the lions and tigers and bears are sure to find us) but he didn't spook (aside from the halt when a squirrel jumped onto a tree trunk) and let me slow him down each time we went over the log piles. Then we went out and actually walked the whole perimeter of the hay field for the first time this year. I was VERY surprised he stayed as calm as he was, which is to say he wasn't vibrating and jigging the ENTIRE time and when there was obviously a deer in the woods next to us I convinced him not to run away. THEN we went into the other woods that we haven't been in since last fall and aside from having to off-trail it a few times and double back because we haven't been able to clear the trails yet, he was a champ. Amazing how we can go from a total train-wreck to a superstar in two days. How can I keep up!?!

Someday I'll get that camera mount on my helmet and I'll take you through our little trails. They're very short but really perfect for introducing us to the "wilderness". Ha! I never really thought about trail riding as being "hard" because I grew up on the prairie and trails were mowed paths through grass. Hills? Nope. Trees? Sometimes. Deer? Sure, but they see you coming from 6 miles away. We still have our goal to haul to a real trail this summer and it WILL happen. Most of the places are still pretty muddy but we're getting sun and sun and sun in the forecast finally to dry it all out and hopefully get us some nice plush hay!