Warm and Dry

And a Sweaty Horse

Lovely weather today, so, of course I had a meeting after school. I am on the committee to select members for the National Honor Society and today we were making the final selections.

Still, with Daylight Savings Time, I was home in plenty of time to ride at least one horse before dark. Needless to say, I chose Tucker.

I left a little jump up so we could play in between dressage schools, and he was quite good about some quiet jumping. I continued working on some of the Patrice Edwards exercises with some success, but I must admit, I need to get Tucker more off my leg and energized to the aids before I am going to accomplish much. I didn't have my spurs on, so that is all my fault.

My fault as well when I decided to use the jump to try a few flying changes.

Let me put it this way--until Tucker jumps forward off my leg the changes are just a pipe dream. He did swap leads left to right over the little jump, but I had no such success right to left. He is perfectly happy to counter canter on either lead and has no worries about needing to be on one or the other to keep his balance.

So, I decided to use just the rail on the ground, after he knocked it down, to see if I could give him the notion that he could change from one lead to the other over the rail by doing it through the trot.

Good plan, but in order to accomplish anything out of that exercise, I needed an immediate depart when I gave the aid. Granted, by then he was a little tired but still....there should not be even two trot strides after the canter aid.

The sad fact is that he is not quick enough off my leg, and a sluggish transition is practically no transition at all. Ah, well, at least I know exactly what I need to work on.

He was lathered after the ride so I kindly went into the house and filled his wash bucket with nice warm water and a good smelling linament brace. I sponged him off, put the cooler on and he promptly scooted out through Chance's stall instead of into his own. Within 30 seconds he had rolled and undone his lovely bath.

My kind mood wilted at that. I took him back out and simply hosed him off with cold water. Since he was already wet, it hardly mattered much at that point.

As I write, he is in his stall with hay and water after his dinner, wearing the cooler and simply waiting until he dries off again. It is still fairly warm out, so he will be just fine.

Tomorrow, it is supposed to be even warmer--close to 70 f. I do have very lightweight sheets for them to wear. I'd let them go bare, but the forecast predicts showers in the afternoon. The sheets are waterproof, so I'd much prefer that to muddy, wet horses when I get home.

Spring in New Jersey--totally fickle.