Routines. Sometimes it's good to have a routine. You know what to expect when you follow a routine. But sometimes this limits your choices. I have gotten into a routine of feeding my horses in the morning. That's a good thing. However, by the time they are done eating and digesting a few hours later, I have things to do or the ground gets too muddy to ride, so I have not been able to ride since Christmas. It's gotten to the point that I decided something needed to be done.
I am spontaneous by nature so I decided I needed to change things around a bit. So, today, I decided to ride before feeding them. Racehorses do this, so there most be some good reason.
It was a beautiful morning. NO WIND!! Although it was cold, 24 degrees. I bundled up and went out.
I took Scout out of his stall and tied him up. At first, he was a little grumpy while I groomed him but I let him grab a few bites of hay. Then I cleaned out his feet and saddled him up. We went into the snow patched arena. The ground was a bit hard and uneven with some icy spots but I stayed in the dirt areas and only walked and jogged. I worked him on bending, stopping, circling, backing, and traveling straight. I was surprised at how relaxed he was and how well he neck reined. He even turned on the forequarters really well to the left, but not so well to the right. His backing needs work! He bent his neck and turned his head and veered off to the left. So I would only back him two steps before he got crooked and ask him to move forward. Eventually I got him to backing four straight steps backwards. Then I took him out and we walked out to the road and got the paper. I love to do that! We walked back to the barn and after I dropped the paper off we went back out behind the barn and loped across the field. I decided to circle around and we walked back to the barn where I unsaddled and groomed him. What a good boy, Scout was!
Then I threw a bunch of piles of hay out in the arena and turned everybody loose after treats of peppermints for the girls and carrots for Scout. I like unwrapping the peppermints and crinkling the paper. I figure the horses are getting despooked that way because they like the treats that come out.
Show us How to Break the Rules - song: Black Tie White Noise, artist: David Bowie, album: Black Tie White Noise
Follow my journey into the future. I promise it will be full of random rants, travel and other photos, musical musings, especially BOWIE, general chaos, and all my animal family: four horses, three alpacas, three dogs, and three and a half cats.
5 comments:
Sounds like a nice time there~
Yea routines are like piecrusts, meant toi be broken!
KK
That's awesome! I'm so glad you got Scout out riding. Good for you shaking things up a bit, too. I don't like routine or schedules, even though they do keep things organized and under control.
What? No pictures?
I bet Annie and Nadia were confused when you took off with Scout...."Ummm, I think you forgot to feed us, Mom" lol!
I wish I could have seen you out there riding. What fun!
Good boy, Scout :D
~Rapunzle
That sounds like a really good day!
Not only are you despooking them, you are making them very easy to catch if they ever get loose! The sound of crinkly candy wrappers will get them running to you.
KK- Yeah, I was getting to the point that I just needed to do something other than wistfully look at my horses standing around.
Lisa, I hope you are doing well. I'm thinking about you.
Cara, that's true! I never thought of that. LOL.
The definition of insanity--doing the same things over and over but expecting different results. (or something like that.) Good for you finding a way to stop the insanity. Sounds like you had a really nice ride.
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