Some Success

Our weather has gone wonky which means fall is finally here. We went from mid-90s a week or so ago to snow in the mountains yesterday just a few miles to our east. With cooler weather, I've actually wanted to take a break from arena riding, so on Wednesday, I spent 30 minutes hacking around the ranch. If we walk, the loop around the ranch takes about 10 minutes, so three loops is a solid half hour of riding.

Whenever we start to school something that Izzy finds challenging, like flying changes, I know that it ramps up his tension. If I am not careful, he starts to worry about everything which is why I thought a hack around the ranch would be a good break from the hard stuff. Another benefit is that it affords me an opportunity to work on just the tension without worrying about geometry or straightness or being on the aids. When we walk, my only expectation is that we head forward with ears that are below my waist. I would love a level neck, but he can't quite give that to me the entire time. Yet.

That's the Kern River.

For this week's hack, Izzy was really good. I've been doing this ride for the past several weeks, and despite having ridden this exact same loop for years, he is finally showing some relaxation. We've had enough conversations that include me enforcing the rules that he occasionally remembers that I am up there talking to him. Of course, yesterday, he was super spicy when we did real work, so it would seem that we're going to need a few more chats about the rules.

TGIF, friends, TGIF.