Cole and I had a wonderful weekend. The weather was lovely on Friday, but the driveway was a sheet of ice. I rode him in the arena, again. Most of the time, it was with other horses. My confidence level has skyrocketed, and I am nearly as confident on him as I am on Cruise. I can’t believe the difference in just the last few weeks. We did a lot of trotting, and included full laps in each direction.
Saturday was still very warm in the morning, and everything melted. I started out riding in the arena, and after a half hour, I headed down the hill to the river. It was roaring from the thaw and all the rain we got the night before. This was the first time I rode him on the trail in at least a month, and it was the best that he ever did going down the hill. He didn’t try to trot a single time. He did well on the way back, too, but he normally does pretty good going up the hill. It was good to get outside for a little while.
Sunday, it was frigid, again, and the bare ground was frozen solid. I decided to stay inside. I got to ride nearly the whole time by myself, and we rode all over the arena without any hesitation on my part. I am so happy to leave that sick feeling behind me. No longer do I catch myself holding my breath with my heart pounding.
My plan for the winter is to get my riding back in shape. A summer of trail riding and being nervous has caused me to be sloppy. I can’t expect Cole to do well until I do it, myself. We have about 2 more months in the arena—at 5 days a week, I should be able to make a difference in my riding. Fortunately, my sister knows what I am trying to achieve, so she could give me feedback. Riding well is something that is very hard to do by yourself!
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1 comment:
Those rare warm days in the winter are such a treasure! Oh how I love them.
It sounds like Cole is doing so well. :)
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