Monday, May 25, 2009

Back in the saddle

Yesterday I got on Bestie for the first time since ... hmmmmnn, let me think ... February?? It's definitely possible, because they got moved March 1 and I didn't ride at all at that barn. Wow.

I had lunged her on Friday and she's been going out, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and just hop on. She was fine, not great, but fine. She walked off once after I got her positioned at the mounting block, so I just jumped down from the block, walked her around in a circle, got her positioned again, and the second time she was fine. It's kind of like she just wants to be a stinker and try a little something to see if she can dissuade me from whatever it is I want to do, but if I don't give in, she's like, "Oh, ok."

I rode around in the indoor for a bit just to sort of take her measure. Katie had ridden Dude out to the outdoor ring and Bestie was a bit focused on where he had gone, but again, once I made it clear that we were not yet going outside, she was ok.

After about ten minutes we went outside. I intended to go into the same ring that Dude and Katie were in, but Bestie was having none of it and this time I didn't win. Every time I would approach the gate she would spin one way or the other in order not to enter the ring. After about four times I just rode around the perimeter and then came back to meet Katie and Dude and we went around the edge to the parking lot and back to the barn.

All in all, everything was ok, she was just a little edgy and that's just her usual Mare in Charge attitude. We need to get back into a routine, and it's my own fault for not being consistent with the riding. I just HATE being in the indoor for any length of time.

Bugs are coming out. We brought their fly masks to the barn but need to get more insect spray. Have a part of a bottle left from last summer that they're sharing for now. Will have to go to the horsie store and get fly spray, and I believe we're almost out of treats, too. And who knows what other goodies might be spotted?!

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