Rain! Dart goes home!

4/22/2010. Ride 8. Blek. Rain. Cold.  Snow?  Snow!
Dart goes home. Joan came over today to pick up Dart!  Boo hoo!  We will miss him! I think it might be bad to get too attached to horses you don't own....Oh well! First we lunged him and he was full of it!  Feeling a little better although still coughing some. It wasn't raining, yet, but it was chilly and he wanted to play!  I rode and Joan rode and then it got colder and started to rain.

May walks Dart home. May got her gear on and we walked up the road with Dart to keep him company on the way home.  I thought about riding, but the rain was dripping down, the road was black and glassy and steam was rising up.  Given today will be ride 8, I walked. 

Bikes are scary...sort of. We met the neighbor kids on their bikes.  May had no problems when they came up to us from the front, but when they "snuck" up behind us, she tucked her heinie and scooted forward!  The kids were really nice.  They slowed down, pulled over and best of all TALKED to May.  That made her feel better!  OH!  They are kids on .... whatever those things are....bikes!  

After delivering Dart. we walked home.  Crying!  (May cried.  I did not cry! Just want to make that clear.) "We left Dart.  Waah! (not that i  really like him)!  Where's Risa?  Waah!"  Of course Risa did not help.  She answered back!

Riding in the rain. Well.  So.  She was already saddled.  We were already damp.  Just because water would run off my helmet when I moved my head.... 

Lunged her a bit and I needed a short lunge whip to keep her on task.  Trot and walk on the 12 foot line and got on!  Stood a bit (15 seconds?  I forgot to count but it wasn't real long) ......and antsy feet. Walked. Go, turn, go turn, trot, walk, turn, bend to a stop.  We walked over the ground poles, we did the turn around box--one time a super nice 180 and one time destroyed the box (but she stayed quiet). Will re-set tomorrow. Worked on movng off my leg which invovled: NO!  Shoulder is stuck.  i will back.  Neck is stuck.  i will back.  etc. and eventually (to the right)....

OH, if i soften my neck and move my shoulder..this is EASY!  The right (arced left--leg yieldish) is always easier.

Gate. No bridge.  The bridge is slick when wet.  But the gate!  Well, we still can't line up on the west, but got to the east side pretty quick.  Opened! I said, "Go through."  She said.  "NO!  The rope is moving.  i should back up.  Oops bummer u dropped the rope."  "Poop!"  I said.  "Go through anyway."  She did and then I reached down and picked up the rope, closed the gate and got off. 

Joan took a nice picture of me and May against the rail with the shrouded mountains in the background. I accidentally deleted it.  She took all of today's pics


4/21/2010. Ride 7.
What a lovely day!  70 degrees!  Slight breeze, great views.  Can't beat it! Green grass all around which  has not been usual for spring the last few years.  I am looking forward to seeing if the Mexican Gillia grows this year on my place.  It is not a parituclarly spectacular flower--trumpet shaped and purple and not very large, but it only seems to show up in years with wet springs. 

The peach tree just started to bloom.  Last year it bloomed in February and the majority of the flowers froze.  I am optimistic that we will have peaches this year! We always seem to have apples--small and with lots of worms--maybe because I am always with the horses and don't pay enough attention to the fruit trees? 

May got hobbled  and I let her graze with Risa for an hour or so.  Of course they could not stay where I put them.  They had to come to the gate and talk to Penny--I think they said "Na na na.  u are in the dry lot!  We are in the grass!" She said, "i don't care!" (she was lying).  "u have on hobbles and i do not! hmff."  (She added the "hmfff" under her breath.) I know Penny was not truthful because when I brought May and Risa back in, Penny tried hard to slither out!

Saddled up! and took May to the arena, alone. She was a bit subdued, probably because she really isn't completly comfortable with the hobbles, yet. I walked her over the bridge (on foot) and  although it took a few tries to get all 4 feet on and over in sequence, it was not sacry for her. We did a bit of the usual ground work.

Up in the saddle and she was a bit antsy. I thought standing around would suit her, but the best she could do was about 25 seconds of immoblity and then those feet just had to go somewhere. We started walking and turning.  Nice!  We moved up to trotted with lots of turning. Soft soft or not so soft and then soft agian when she listened.  Left is her sticky direction. Practiced one rein halting, which is not all that great.  Antsy feet!

And now for the final accomplishments!  We rode to and OVER the bridge.  Ho hum--ok not quite ho hum, but hum..... Whoa!  Did i just walk on the bridge!? And to finsh up, we approached the gate and retreated and approached and went sideways and went behind the gate and backed up and tried hard to find all possible ways to not go there--there's a wood pile!  There are tires!  There are tarps in the tires!  But finally (and quicker than ride 6)  we opened the gate and went through but ....could not close it!  One step better! 

Sideways was ok to today. Trot felt much more relaxed and cadenced.