Busy Week, Not Much Horsey Time

This has been one of those weeks. So many things piling up in the week's schedule and Joey is the one on the back burner. I did get to work with him this past Tuesday evening and took a short walk/trot ride in the indoor arena. It was our first time riding in the indoor after dark. Our arena is one of those Cover-All type buildings. I was ready for anything. One thing that I was glad for was that there was a drill team lesson going on with about 8 school horses (they were all kids and were just practicing their patterns at the walk, Whew!) and a boarder was exercising Ruby for his owner so I had lots of company.

Incidentally, Joey is stabled across the aisle from Ruby, the wonderful old show horse that I half boarded up until I was injured earlier this year. And Joey has taken a liking to the old campaigner! My horse has excellent taste in friends/role models! ;)

So Joey had lots of quiet horses to experience the indoor at night with. And he was a good boy. He wanted so badly to peek out the open door at the far end each time we rode past, as it looked like a big black hole compared to the brightness of indoors. But he wasn't spooky and all I had to do was gently push him into a little shoulder in to focus him on moving forward and inside past the door and paying attention to me.

I. LOVE. THIS. HORSE.

The only thing that gave him the wide-eyed snorts was when we were finished. I had dismounted and was leading him outside the arena back to the barn when he swung his head around and stared at the building glowing from the lights inside. I guess he's never seen one of those fabric over steel frame buildings when it's lit up at night, LOL! He took a good long look, then turned his head back to me, and kept walking with me back to the barn.

I can't wait until the end of this week when I have time to work with him again. :)