Our Evening Rides

Our Evening Rides

Now that the time changed due to Daylight Savings, it is completely dark when I get out to the barn.  A few times, I have ridden a little bit in the indoor arena, but I just can’t seem to get started in there.  It is a long winter of indoor arena rides.  It may seem funny to someone who doesn’t have the luxury of an indoor arena in the winter to imagine, but I begin to despise it.  I think it is because I feel trapped in it.  Back when I was first working with Cole, I used to take Cruiser on a trail ride and ride Cole in the arena most evenings, even in the good weather.  I didn’t mind it then since I was still getting a trail ride with Cruiser.

So I have been riding the Loop in the back of the property in the complete darkness.  Sometimes we even do a little trotting, but not as much as I was doing when it was still light out.  On a really good night, Kevin will walk along beside us to keep us company.  Cole doesn’t behave any better whether Kevin is there or not, but I like to talk to him as we walk around.

Most of the time he is good, but I do get a little nervous when I hear a noise and can’t see what is causing it.  I then make Cole stand until I feel it is safe to proceed.  I am concerned about a deer bursting out and startling him.  It hasn’t happened, yet, but that did happen when Tommy the Cat was out hunting on the loop. 

Another time, it started to drizzle, and Cole Train simply hates rain.  He decided to high-tail it back to the barn.  I stopped that fairly quickly, but it took a bit to settle him down after that.  The rain stopped a few minutes later, so at least we were able to keep riding.

I know I will have to buckle down and start schooling in the arena pretty soon.  The weather isn’t going to hold for much longer.  Still, on the snowy, moonlight nights, I can see me cutting my ring work short and taking a few laps on the loop.