That was my lesson today: trotting. And more trotting. It felt like a lot of trotting to me, and presumably to Dude (who heaved a big sigh at the end), but probably to more accomplished riders, it wouldn't be much. Bottom (ha ha) line? It was fun.
We started with our usual battle. Me trying to put and keep Dude on the rail, with a few occasional polite moves out of someone's way; him trying to wander aimlessly around the indoor wherever and whenever he wanted to. There were a couple other horses in there, so he liked to attempt to veer after them as they passed. He's worse with those tricks at the walk. Once he's trotting he's better, and he's gotten pretty responsive to my requests to move out, which is nice.
Emma adjusted my stirrups to be just a little shorter so that it would be easier to post. After a few "practice posts" while Dude stood still and at the walk, I asked him to trot. Since his preferred speed is s-l-o-w, it took a bit to get him going at a trot that I could attempt to post to. When he was moving at his usual jog, it was very hard, there was too much hangtime with my rear end suspended in the air and I couldn't get a rhythm going.
Toward the end he got into it and was moving pretty speedily around the indoor. Then we slowed back down to do a sitting jog around the ring and one big figure 8. He definitely is a big hairy sofa when doing his jog, it's so comfortable. I didn't walk him down through the field today, it was too windy and cold even though the sun was out. I brought him back into his stall and groomed him, then turned him back out with his buddies.
I lunged Bestie after the indoor cleared out. When I walked her yesterday (with intent to lunge) she was pretty peppy, so I abandoned the idea of lunging her because there were a couple beginner riders in the ring and I didn't want to spook anyone's horse. Today she had a couple little head tosses and bucks when ice slid off the roof, but those were really nothing compared to when she's in full form. Actually, I don't think she's had a major racing, snorting, bucking, farting fit since we moved. All-day turnout is definitely good for her.
Both horses stepped on my left toes today. Like TOTALLY stepped on, with a fully planted hoof. One toe is pretty red. Neither horse has done that in ages. Twice in one day. Owwwwwww.
Ordered fleece blankets from Schneiders for both Dude and Bestie. I'm still wrestling with how to dress them appropriately when it's cold outside but 40-plus in the barn. Twice this week I left them in their cotton/poly sheets because it was 45 in the barn, and they got turned out in those sheets and turnout sheets with outside temperatures in the teens. Ugh. I really don't want Dude cold because I'm trying to get some weight back on him. Last night I put them both in their midweights and then worried all night that they were too hot in the barn. My thought with the fleece blankets is that the fleece would offer a bit more flexibility with the combinations--a little warmer than the cotton/poly sheet, but not as warm as the midweights. An in-between layer. Sometimes I feel like I spend entirely too much time thinking about the complexities of blanketing.
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