Grand Central Station
I had a great ride on Rusty on Tuesday - I had the day off for my farrier visit and took advantage of that day to go for a nice 1.5 hour hack! We saw a couple of deer even! Rusty was a bit nervous when he heard the deer rustling in the long grass, but he didn't do much, except trying to turn for home once. I just turned him back and we kept going. I have been having some nice long canters along the big hay field as well - it sure feels great! I think riding at this place has done alot for my confidence - I did alot of trail riding as a kid and that level of comfort is coming back. It helps that Rusty has proven to be a super trail horse. He is very reliable and not spooky at all.
I had a minor little surgery on my leg (vetwrap is awesome for securing bandages on human legs as well as animal ones! And much cheaper than stuff in the drugstore!) on Thursday and can't ride for a few days, so when I was at the barn yesterday, I had to think up something else to do...
I decided to just take Rusty in the round pen and free lunge him for a bit. We both got bored of that pretty quickly, so I took advantage of a yellow pool noodle that was hanging around for a bit of training with him. Now, I realize the chance of us running into a pool noodle out on the trail is pretty slim, but it amused me and that is all I had, so I just went with it.
He tolerated it fairly well and only was a bit nervous when I was putting it around his feet. He is sensitive to stuff around his feet and that is something I need to work on a bit more. He took off at a trot when I was flipping the noodle around in the air - who needs a lunge whip when you have a pool noodle? :-)
After 30 minutes or so, he was a bit annoyed with the whole process. I was a bit bored too, so we took one last picture and then I let him graze on the lawn for awhile - that was the best part of the afternoon for him, I'm sure!
Must you take more pictures of me? Ugh.
5 comments:
I'm glad that the trail riding is bringing your old confidence back. That's always a good feeling.
Haven't seen a pool noodle before. Guess that tells how often I get off the farm. LOL
Rusty is such a handsome lad. And you never know when you might be accosted on the trail by a wayward, horse-eating pool noodle.
Pool noodles work great for desensitization! I've thought of buying some to use for training.
I am so glad you have had a great time trail riding Rusty and that you are getting your confidence back!! Rusty looks so good and he seems very happy!
lol! What a funny expression. Poor Rusty! He looks like's lightened up quite a bit since the last photos I've seen of him, too.
People leave all sorts of trash on the trails, and stuff gets blown out of people's yards, so you never know what you might find, maybe even a pool noodle.
It doesn't hurt to be prepared..and it's always a great thing to work on trust with your horse. Looks like Rusty is very trusting of you.
I'm so glad you're enjoying some great hacks again, like you did as a child. That's just so awesome!
I've been to Grand Central Station many times. Once summer I spent at least one weekend a month in NYC with a girlfriend who was living there and attending college. I flew up from Maryland with my airline free flight benefits and just hung out all weekend.
Lots og good memories, but I don't have much urge to visit NYC anymore. My kids should visit with me sometime, though.
~Lisa
It's good to hear that you're riding the trails again and Rusty is a star. He's adorable. I'm sure he must think you're a bit crazy with that pool noodle. Hope your leg heals quickly and you're back up in the saddle again.
I've lived my whole life on Long Island until we moved up here a few years ago.We visited the city alot over the years. I never really liked it even as a kid and try to avoid going there anymore unless it's absolutely necessary. Haven't been there in four years now. Glad you enjoyed it though.
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