Creek Riding

***VIDEO PRIVACY ISSUES RESOVLED (uploading from my phone is tricky!, sorry for inconvenience)***

I have so much to catch up on and multiple posts in draft format that are in various stages of completion...but I just can't finish them to post in chronological order right now. I'm too jazzed on the short, silly ride from last night.

Weather this week (until later today, sigh) has been phenomenal. The sun has been 90% present which has done wonders for how cheery I am. I never notice how glum winter gets until I get to experience the sun again for multiple days, oh the difference it makes! Additionally, its been in the 60s this week! T-shirt riding weather! I forgot what that could be like.

After work last night I headed out to the barn to "play horse".

I brought both horses in, gave them some grain, and then spent some time touching up Q's feet (another post for tomorrow) and shaved her girth area. Karen had mentioned shaving Askhe's recently, too, because he has princess tendencies about having hair pulled during girth tightening. I'd been pondering the same thing for Q because she is suddenly cranky (princessy) when I tighten her girth this winter. Go figure that as soon as I shaved the area and tacked her up last night she could care less! Happy swively pony ears, slack lower lip, soft eye. So, Karen, Q sends her thanks to you and cousin Ashke for swaying me to do this! She's much happier!


After I'd tacked Q and Griffin up, Mike showed up and we headed to ride.

The first part of the ride was in the barnyard. I'd put the bridle on Griffin and attached the reins to the bit for the first time in a couple months. I've been avoiding it because I'd noticed that the bit and contact with it when riding was triggering outbursts (head flinging, stompy front feet in pseudo-buck, tripping over his feet when asked to turn).

Imagine my pleasant surprise when Griffin had no outbursts last night! He was definitely focusing harder on what I was asking, and he gave me a lot of try. Circles were balanced; no tripping and confusion like before. Trot to walk transitions with slight cues involving pressure on the formerly-hated bit were no big deal! And. And. AND! He even collected like he'll do on side reins while we were at the walk. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. Houston, we have contact!

I ended on that good note, swapped out the bridle for his halter-bridle, and Mike, Q, Griffin and I headed out.

I had zero plans for what kind of ride we'd do. When we reached the creek to cross into the far field, I asked Mike if he could get Q to walk *up* the stream. He, and Q, obliged. A little hesitancy at first, but then they plunged right along upstream, no big deal!

I had Griffin follow.

We ended up doing a good ½-mile or more in the stream last night. It was SO MUCH FUN. We avoided holes deeper than their chests, but tackled everything else. I giggled like a fool the whole time.

At one point, where we turned around to come back downstream, Q even did a beautiful side pass UP a steep 8-foot bank. Pretty and hilarious. Mike and I decided she's our tiny dancer with her fancy footwork.

Q has so much action in her hocks

After the creek adventure was over, we trotted and cantered around the back field for a little while. There is now video evidence of me trotting and cantering the grey beast!

He was such a doll the whole evening. I'm sorry the video doesn't capture some of his better cantering because he cantered a 200 yard stretch beautifully. There was a huge grin on my face the whole time. He was even doing the whole "snorty exhale" thing and sounded like a train. Such a goofball.

I had SUCH A BLAST riding in the creek and then tooling around in the field at the trot and canter with Griffin. The whole ride ended up being 2 miles with an average pace of 3.2 mph. Both horses got a fun little workout, had their minds stimulated with some out-of-the-box exercise in the creek, and as a result their legs were the cleanest they've been in weeks! So, so, so much fun.

Taken from the creek