Trail-ish Ride

Whew. This weekend was fun and tiring. MSU had their home IHSA show this weekend, and although I no longer coach the team I try and volunteer when I can. I got up both Saturday and Sunday, before dawn at 5:30am, and schooled 5-6 horses each morning. I couldn't stay and help more though due to planned out of town visitors, who became non-visitors because Hubs came down with the stomach flu that Junior had the previous weekend. Out of town visitors are here now though, and hubs had fully recovered, thank goodness.

At any rate, I was feeling like a badass when I got home at 8:30am Saturday morning and the weather was absolutely perfect. Seriously, it was THE PERFECT FALL DAY. I couldn't not ride Gentry. After checking on Hubs and Junior, I headed down to our barn and tacked up the boy.  I decided to ride him in our big field and canter him up the hills. At this point I haven't actually cantered while riding him, only on the longeline, since the first time when I tried him at his old home. This has mostly due to lack of space and sloping condition of the small paddock that I have been doing most of my riding in.

Like I said, I was feeling like a badass, so cantering in a big open field it was! We both had a great time. I realized that his left lead is going to take a bit of work, but I was able to get him to pick it up. Just something to work on. After a nice half hour ride in the big pasture I decided to be more of a badass and rode him down our gravel road, out of sight of our house, and all the way down to our mailboxes. We passed some neighbor's horses on the way. He looked at them with some renewed energy and interest, but didn't call out or act stupid excited. Once we got to the mailboxes, I decided to have a bit of fun and have him stand next to them while I opened ours. He was great about it. Sadly I had no mail, despite my upcoming birthday on Monday. Gentry seemed unperturbed by the lack of mail and was equally great on our return ride home.

On the road again...

Next time, I need to muster a bit more courage to turn down the road and ride him past all of the red angus cattle that have been moved to the pasture across from our neighborhood arena. Once we've tackled that hurdle, then I can finally start riding him on level ground!

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•