The weekend was cold and wet, yesterday was packed with mom chauffeuring duties, and my plan to ride got thwarted.
Tuesday was sunny, warmer, and I had several things on the agenda, but underlying all of it was to get in a ride on Keil Bay. It was late afternoon when I headed to the barn ready to ride. Keil came in from the back when he saw me - he knew what I was up to. As usual, grooming took longer than expected. I ended up doing a hoof scrub, then ended up cleaning a sheath. About the time I was done and ready to tack up, my son called from the house that it was time for us to leave for his class.
So I let Keil in the barnyard, took son to class, waited while he submitted his assignments, and then dropped him off at play practice. When I got home, the Big Bay was still in the barnyard, still clean, and the sun was still in the sky.
Finally! I tacked him up and led him into the arena. Mounting - no problem. Warm up - no problem. He was very forward and clearly wanted to trot as we finished our walking. Forward, in front of the leg, very focused. I felt relaxed, happy, and oh so grateful to be back in forward motion with Keil Bay.
When I got off, he turned and put his nose on my shoulder. It never gets better than that.
Lesson: perseverance pays.
Next ride: we'll build on the nice walking and forward trot from today. I might do the rainbow ride sequence that I found on Jane Savoie's website several years ago. Good things always happen when we get to yellow and indigo.
Hope you'll check in with your rides, and link to your blog if you like!
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Glad you got in that ride - sounds lovely.
ReplyDeletePie and I have been riding most every day, and Dawn and Drifter are in the wings but both getting closer to a ride.
Perseverance does pay off. So glad you finally got your ride in after all the chores.
ReplyDeleteKeil Bay and you sound as if you had the perfect ride to start with. Dusty and I are working on her pace so we posted about that.
Very happy you and Keil Bay got together finally!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing more about your rides - especially the rainbow riding sequence. :)
Thanks, Kate - glad you are riding so much and gearing up for 3!
ReplyDeleteArlene, I loved your use of cavelletti in the work with Dusty.
ReplyDeleteToday was a wash - we had huge amounts of rain all day long. No riding but lots of in and out of stalls with muck rake. :)
C, you can find a post about the rainbow ride if you search the blog. I didn't label posts until recently but the search function should pull it up. It is an incredible combination of riding and meditation on the chakras.
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