Ahhhhhhhhhh

That was today ... an ahhhhhhh day! Sunny, temps in the 50s, just one of those days after a l-o-n-g winter when you feel GOOD to be outside. Unfortunately, the fields are a mess with mud, so the horses didn't get their own ahhhh moment. Too bad, because I had left both of them unblanketed, and they would've enjoyed a nice muddy roll.

I decided to ride Dude, who was very fidgety on the cross ties. It didn't help that the hay cart was making its way through the aisle. Our ride didn't start out too well. While I was tightening his girth outside the barn he moved, one rein slipped down, and he stepped on it and snapped the leather up by the bit. Sigh. I took him back in and changed him into Bestie's bridle. Then we headed down the road, only to meet Scary Man with a Chainsaw working in a yard about two houses down. Dude was having nothing to do with that; in fact, he spun and headed in the other direction.

The good news was that as we pranced by the barn, another boarder came out with her horse and we headed out together, which pacified Dude quite a bit. Considering he hasn't been ridden since December, he was really very good. He had a few little spooks at random things, but nothing major.

The only sort of unsettling portion of the ride occurred as we approached our turn-around spot. We had decided to turn around at a property that has goats, horses, and miniature donkeys. I had just finished filling in my riding partner with details about Dude's unfortunate past history with miniature donkeys (he tried to attack one at a show; can't remember if I've written about that debacle) when the goats came running up to the fence. Dude was definitely eyeballing them nervously. Luckily the donkeys were not in a pasture with road frontage; they were set back in another field (thank goodness for small favors). And they didn't bray, which is what provoked Dude in the first donkey incident. Apart from some nervous snorting and a significantly quickened pace, he tolerated the goats fairly well. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have made it by there if we hadn't been with another horse with a "Goats, so what?" attitude. Or he would've made it by, but not in a way that would've kept me in the saddle :)

The nice thing was that all of the vehicle traffic that passed us was very respectful and slowed way down. I'm always so grateful for that, especially because it doesn't always happen. All in all, it was a really fun ride. I haven't been on either horse in so long, and this was a great way to start the spring season.