It's been a busy week, but I was saving Thursday evening for a ride. One of the disadvantages of my job is that I do not get off until 5:30 pm. It's been impossible to get home and ride before darkness falls. Last night I rushed home, changed clothes, got Jessie ready, and was saddled by 6:15.
Our neighbor was out and about and I asked if we could use his arena. He said yes. This was a real treat for us because the rains had the ground packed and it wouldn't be too dusty. We went over and warmed up for about 10 minutes, generally working on bending exercises. Then we loped for the next twenty minutes working on speed control and leads. It is getting more enjoyable loping Jessie. The speed and control are starting to kick in and it is a much more comfortable ride. He lope has slowed down. The horses really seemed to enjoy loping on the soft ground, too. Especially Dusty who has been barefoot for only about 5 months now.
The last ten minutes we spent cooling down by working on our back up and side-pass. Ah, it is a very good feeling to get that mid-week ride in. The temperature was perfect, there was still enough light afterward to put the horses up and clean the pens. No matter how long it is, there's no better stress reliever than a ride.
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