Beating the Storm

I had a half day at work to meet the homeowner's insurance inspector at our new house. Fun stuff! Of course I would take a half day when it was supposed to pour and storm. I turned out of the parking lot at work, and it started raining. Go me! I decided to head to the farm where it was still raining, but I got changed into my riding clothes thinking I'd at least brush Spyder and not get my work clothes dirty. It was sunny out the second I took out my tack! :)

He looks thrilled

Falling Asleep

As I approached the field, I saw Spyder out in the back. I was thinking, oh great, it's hot and I have 30 minutes to ride. This is going to take up some time. That's when I went and grabbed my brushes and it got sunny. Heading towards the paddock again, he was at the gate! Now I'd like to think that he came because he knew I was there, but he was drinking water. He did make a few cute sounds and looked happy to see me so I'll just pretend he came to me! He got a peppermint for being so cute right at the gate before I even got him hooked to the lead rope. I saw a meme or something of the sorts that said, "you know you're a crazy horse person when you take mints at restaurants for your horse." That's me. Spyder got his from the sushi place I went to for lunch a few days prior!

Fuzzy

Headed out on the track

I tacked up and got on quickly trying to beat the rain. The sun was out and shining, and I was thinking it HAD to be the calm before the storm... the storm we never got! It was soooo nice to ride and was just a bit windy when I got home. We hardly got any rain and no thunder. So happy I got to ride, but today is another story... it's coming!

Rode the perimeter

We rode in the big grass ring which is now cut around the perimeter. Our warm up was the ride out there, and we trotted the entire area once each time around. I was thinking as I was doing this... this time last year, I would have never! I moved into the dressage ring since that was cut to work on our constant pressure which was a fight. Since that was getting annoying, we did some cantering which turned into TRYING straight lines. Umm, yeah, we need help with that. We would canter "straight" aka on a diagonal and change direction. It was kind of fun because he would turn the other direction, trot a few steps, then we'd pick up the canter the other way. Simple changes? lol

Once he got it, I gave us both a break going back out in the field. We went over the wishing well at a leap! I guess he saw something (aka the cut grass laying on the ground) and decided it was scary. I made him do it again, and he was quiet. I am very lucky to have a horse that will try anything - and keep going in the event something deathly (nothing) scares him. We moved to a cross rail and cantered off of the jumps into the tall grass.

When I walked back to the barn, I made Spyder walk up the "bank" since he can never get his feet right, but he did well. Finally, he's watching where he goes! He didn't want to move in the stall so I got to brush him down and pick his feet without trouble. I think the heat had something to do with it! The tall grass gave his socks some grass stains, but I think the rain today will help those out. Poor guy is probably freezing today - it went from 85 to 56! :( I took a picture of his straggling "fly-aways" that he's got on his body. Hopefully they are helping him keep warmer today!

Before putting him back, I hosed him off and he just stood there like he was so thankful to get wet. He gets what the hose is now and kept reaching towards it! He will drink from it, but he's still figuring out the best way to get water from the hose...one step closer to a new trick.