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.
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.
