I had a good ride last night - the weather has been fabulous here - I looove spring! We have been riding outside since mid-March and I really feel like I'm making a lot of progress, finally. I've been cantering alot more and things are really good on the left lead, the right still needs work on both of our parts. I know Rusty is capable of a decent lope, we had one awesome transition from the jog to lope last night, so I'm hoping for more of those as the summer progresses.
He is really thriving at this new barn and I'm really glad I moved him there. The turnout situation is much better and the care is very good. The only thing I miss here is the lack of place to hack on. The other place had lots of hayfields to ride around and a couple of trails in the forest to ride on, as well as groups would go out for long hacks on nearby roads. The new place has hay fields, but the owner is super picky about them. I would never ride all through the hay, only around the edges, but she is adamant about it. Oh well. There is good hacking down a super quiet gravel road, but you have to ride about a mile (give or take) down a busier paved road without much of a shoulder. I'm sure Rusty is fine with traffic, but it makes me a bit nervous not having a shoulder or a field to go off into if things get a bit hairy. Some spots on this mile stretch are fine, but there are a couple of sections with ditches that make me worried. Of course, I'm a total worrywart, so that isn't a big suprise. ;-)
There is only one other boarder and she isn't ready to go out on hacks yet, so I'm on my own most of the time. The barn owner said she would ride on the road with me, but we haven't been able to sync our schedules to make this happen yet. Here's hoping we can do that sometime soon, as I'm starting to get a bit squirrely just riding around in the ring.
The show season is gearing up here now that the nice weather is with us. A few students from the barn are doing shows in June and July and I'm planning on going along to groom and take pictures. Part of me would like to start showing again, but I'm just not ready for that at this point. I want it to be worth the time and money that goes into all of it. Maybe next year! I enjoy being at shows and looking at all of the nice horses and riders in their best gear.
June is coming up fast and I need to start planning out things on a calendar so I don't forget! I've been so preoccupied with work and our upcoming trip that I didn't realize summer was coming. I've started doing a bit of yard work and I have my first pot garden (heh!) up and running. The "herb" on the left is parsley, honest!
Max likes to lay on the patio and bake in the sun. He is keeping an eye on the neighbourhood in this picture.
And, my favourite spring flower - the lilac. My lilac tree in the back yard is about to burst with flowers. I hope they flower a bit before we leave on Saturday, so I don't miss it!
7 comments:
Lilacs are one of my favorites too. Love your dog, I miss my black lab, he was the best one I ever had. Enjoy the sun.
Mmmmm smell those lilacs from me please!! I miss those tremendously. We have lovely Azelias here, and crepe myrtles, but... there is something about a lilac *sigh*
Hope the NYC trip is great!! And I totally envy your ride time right now ;)
Kisses (and mints!) to Rusty from me!!
Great picture of you lab dog!!
We have a LONG time to wait for Lilacs still...I'm soooo jealous!
I would worry about riding along that road too! There have been quite a few people here lately that have been struck while riding on the road even though they were taking the proper care. Be safe! Pretty flowers too! I'd look forward to the lilacs too but my allergies are horrible :(
I love lilacs. Sadly I don't have a free spot that gets enough sun. I have one little lilac bush that is tryyyying to make it. We'll see how she does this year.
I'm very excited for my lilies, peony and lavender to come :)
I can totally empathize with you about riding out. Almost all the places we have to ride are by roads. The few that aren't you have to ride down a road to get to. Most of the time I ride in the ditch by the highway.
Have fun in NY!
I sure wouldn't like to have to ride down a road without plenty of shoulder either.
I'm jealous of everyone's lilacs this year. The bushes around town are also bursting with flowers. My bush has 5...yes, five little blooms on it. But hey, that's 3 more than last year-hehehe.
Have fun on your trip if we don't get to hear from you before you leave. Psstt-I'm a procrastinator too. I usually wait until the last minute to pack, cause I can never figure out what I want to take. Megan and Chris are always packed and prepared days in advance. I drive them crazy-LOL.
Hope we see a bit of your sunshine this weekend.
I wish it wasn't too hot here for lilacs. We had huge bushes when I was a kid and I'd get in the middle of them and fill my lungs with that intoxicating scent.
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