Speedy's Weekend

Dorkiest expression ever ...

Speedy has been working hard. It's hot.  Really hot, so while Sydney got ridden on Saturday, Speedy got turned out.  On Sunday, still really hot, I decided to hack out down to the river.  If all goes well and there are no issues, the ride takes a bit under 30 minutes.

You would think that with all of Speedy's conditioning miles as an endurance horse that he would no longer have issues with things on the trail.  I think he's out of practice.  What a wuss! 

He has crossed the river at least 4 million times.  Admittedly it's been a while, like at least a year.  We did get in about three weeks ago, but it's not like we've been doing it consistently.  It's a good thing that we've been practicing a serious inside bend with a strong outside whoa! rein.  He did get in and he did walk around, but it was tense and scary.  For him.  I was laughing.

When we did that loop a few weeks ago, the sprinklers popped up all around us giving my boy a good scare.  Wouldn't you know it, but the exact same thing happened again!  This time, while Speedy spooked, he knew that I wasn't about to tolerate any bolting.  He danced around a bit, but then he let me do the navigating. 

We ended up being out there a little longer than a half hour, but there was a lot of shade and we finished early enough that the heat was manageable.  I included the dorky photo to show the traffic-stopping vest that I use when I ride off property.  Believe it or not, cars pass us much more slowly with the vest than without.  It's ugly, but it serves a purpose.

I am done with summer by the way.  Let's get Fall going.

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