Monday's rides

It was a chilly evening (low 30s), but that didn’t keep me from taking Cruiser out on his first solo trail ride of the year. He sure was hyper. We only went on the hill to the river, which was too high for us to cross. We did it 3 times. the first 2 times, he went really fast—switching from walking to gaiting and back. By the 3rd time, he was somewhat settled down, and mostly walked. I got a little cold, so I decided to lead him up the last time. He was still fast enough to get my blood pumping.


Though he was fit to burst from excitement, he behaved excellently the whole time. He pointed out the herd of deer, and then willingly stood still as they dashed through the woods. I hope that someday Cole will be as well behaved even when he is very keyed up.

I rode Cole in the indoor arena because I still don’t have enough daylight. We started the ride sharing it with a couple other horses. He spooked once when I was leading him when a horse stumbled. He spooked early in the ride when the cats had a battle in the hayloft. Other than that, he was fine. When one horse that was being led by his owner rolled and got loose, Cole stood for me. I was worried the loose horse would start to run and play, but he was caught right away.

When everyone left the arena and we were by ourselves, I rode all over it at a walk—including the scary parts. He did super. If I hadn’t been approaching the hour mark, I would have tried it at a trot. maybe tomorrow.

Once again—no unwaranted spooks and not a single attempt at a bolt. He did learn that lesson on Saturday!