Back in the Saddle

The weather has been gorgeous all week.  The sun has been drying out the mud and temperatures have been in the mid-60s -- about ten degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.  We haven't had any rain in over a week.  This makes us nervous, to be honest.  We aren't out of the woods yet with the drought and we don't want to lose all the progress we made in January.

I took today off of work so I could enjoy the weather and RIDE.  I knew the footing in the dressage court was going to be perfect and it feels like forever since I've been on Lucy.  I've ridden once since November and I miss it.

Grooming Lucy and tacking her up took longer than usual.  She was very affectionate, turning her head to nuzzle me and resting her head in my arms.  We were warm and mellow and happy.  Brett was busy next to us, getting Pistol saddled.

Lucy was a blast.  She remained relaxed, giving me a beautiful stretch at both walk and trot.  We did a lot of transitions to keep her balanced (she wanted to rush), listening and prompt.  She was in an over-achiever mood, giving me more than I expected in every request.  I was grinning the whole time; focused on our world, our communication, our harmony.  Everything else disappeared; we were there for each other.  It is these rides that bring me the most satisfaction and happiness.  I love this horse so much; I love riding this horse so much.  Yes, she can be a drama queen but she can also be a rock star ride.

Afterwards, we put Lucy and Pistol in the top pasture for a few hours to enjoy the grass.  The grass in their pasture is nibbled to the nubs and they earned some time in the back 40.

By the way, for all who asked... Kersey is doing fine.  She had a couple barfy nights, and then was back to normal.  In typical lab fashion, she never lost her appetite.