Happiness is a Warm Day in March!

As I write this, I am exhausted. I finally got my two wild children to bed and one is simply resisting to the point where I have to keep getting up and making sure he stays in his bed. They both have testing this week at school and I hate having to fight him but he needs his sleep. Dozing off during an exam when you are 6 years old does not bode well for your future!

Today was just gorgeous here, weather wise. I've been a weekend warrior at best the last 3 weeks. Rugby's training consists of Saturday and/or Sunday and that's been about it. I have to give the big horse credit. He's actually been quite good considering he's been worked so inconsistently. With all the snow and ice here we've all been confined to the one small riding arena behind the main barn. I've been forced to perform lunging exercises in that small arena while 2 lessons have been going on. And Rugby has been a perfect gentleman. The other horses riding around his small lunging circle don't bother him and he's been content to simply walk and trot calmly. I am impressed. For a horse in the middle of winter that hasn't done much work, I know horses twice his age that would lose their mind in the same situation.

I did groundwork and rode yesterday and today and he was very good. All I can do under saddle are walking exercises. He's lost a lot of condition this winter (me too) and I even had to change the gullet in my Wintec saddle yesterday from Wide to Medium Wide. He's in need of work to improve his balance and steering again. He gets stiff through the neck and jaw to the right side and today I carried a dressage whip to tickle his haunch and help him move his hind end through when being asked to turn so he'd get the idea a little better. He's very long in the body and right now especially he feels like his front and rear are in two different zip codes!

But it's so good to ride, I'm happy with just walking. I feel we're on the right track and once I'm sure the weather will allow more consistent work, I'm setting up a session with my natural horsemanship trainer, Tony to get us back to trotting again.

Keep that warm weather coming!