In which keil bay says stop with the lunging and get the hell on

Lunged perfectly to the left, which is his stiffer side but when I turned him to the right he absolutely would not stay out on the circle. I took this as the message it was: time to get over the hump and get on. And so I did. And it was quite lovely. Walk and trot. Look at him after!!!

Get out here now!!

Big Bay - a small step forward

This morning I went out to the barn in breeches and boots and Keil Bay took one look and walked up and stuck his head in the halter I was holding.

I did a quick and thorough groom, and he did soft snorts and dropped manure, then got very antsy (in a good way) - he was obviously ready to do some work.

He got his annual sport clip mane, a forelock trim, and when I walked up with the bridle he took the bit in his mouth on his own.

All this was so so good and it was totally clear he wanted to get back to work.

It's another gray day here and the wind is blowing and gusting though - and I felt like I needed to check things out - so I got the lunge line and whip and put the Big Bay through his paces.

He overtracked at the walk right out of the barn. His first two trot circles were a bit short-strided, but after more walking and my asking for a bigger trot, he loosened up and looked terrific.

After the first 10 minutes or so of walk-trot transitions, he put himself on the bit and started offering canter. He looked good - big movement, landing well, good transitions -  very very forward and into the work with ears pricked.

I was thrilled to be able to see him move and assure myself that he's moving so well. We did equal work in both directions under the watchful eyes of two donkeys and Cody. The pony stayed in the barn and munched on hay. :)

So... I didn't get on today but after the lunge work we took a walk together and cooled down. It was a lovely morning and Keil was so obviously thrilled it made me feel that much more resolved to get back to our riding routine.

What a morning. What a Bay!

Big handsome bay

Saw the first V of geese this morning and that made me think of Wendell Berry's poem, my favorite, I think, and I realized it fits with the Big Handsome Bay photo. I post this every autumn and I'm happy it's time to post it again!

The Wild Geese

Horseback on Sunday morning,
harvest over, we taste persimmon
and wild grape, sharp sweet
of summer's end. In time's maze 
over fall fields, we name names
that went west from here, names
that rest on graves. We open
a persimmon seed to find the tree
that stands in promise,
pale, in the seed's marrow.
Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear,
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here. And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye
clear. What we need is here.

Keil Bay's response to yesterday's blog post

Had to come report the Big Bay's reply:

This morning he is in Salina's stall, looking at the back door, which I have open because I'm doing some cleaning and the weather is nice, whinnying at the top of his lungs.  Once. Twice. Three times.

I think I know what it is he's saying. :)