Two for Two

Riding in the Almost Rain

I spent the morning cleaning the bedroom. I sorted out shoes today, and got rid of every pair that might bother my bunion. I've had to buy new shoes this year so my orthopedic insoles fit in them and I've had to go up a full size. Essentially, I am getting rid of every pair in my old size. Some of my favorites had to bite the dust, but it's all for the best.

Still lots of other things to sort. If anyone has seen the TV show, "Clean House," I am trying to adopt that philosophy to sort my collection of clutter. I have some pretty bad habits about keeping things I don't really use, this this approach is taking a bit of effort and will power.

Once done with a good part of that task, I played a little more of Professor Fizzwizzle. I did use the automatic solution a number of times, I'll admit. The game is very clever, but I just don't have my usual determination to figure out all the levels on my own. So, I cheated. It was nearly as much fun. It has a follow up game which I also purchased which, I think, allows you to restart a level without going all the way to the beginning. Regardless, the game is great and if anyone enjoys logic puzzles, I highly recommend it.

It was warm today, but not as humid. However, there was a constant threat of rain. I fed the Boys and decided to wait until early evening to ride. Naturally, it was showering by then. I went out anyway.

Tucker and I had a really good school. I did tons of transitions--trot/walk/trot/collect trot/trot/canter/trot/canter/walk/canter/collect/canter--over and over and over. It really gets him to engage while staying forward to the leg. I added a little try at some trot half pass--not quite there yet, but his leg yield is super, so it won't be long.

I gave Toby a good workout next. It is so neat to just kind of sit there and have all kinds of movements just "happen." The funniest moment was at the end when I decided to just do two "Zigs" of a canter zig-zag with only one change of direction. The idea is to canter up a line, half-pass to the left, do a flying change, then half pass to the right. In a full zig-zag this is repeated twice more. I was going for half. Left we went. Change we did. Right we went and then as I straightened, Toby did the third change on his own!! Sweetie pie!! I gave him a big pat and a "thank-you," and let him stretch down at that trot to relax at the end of the session.

Chance is on vet-suggested time off until the middle of August. I still may lunge him to see how he looks, but today, I just decided to give him a fly spray lesson. What a brave boy he was! Of course he loved the horse treats and they distracted him enough to have him stand for some spraying all on his own. By the end of the week, he will be a fly spray pro! Thanks to Scott, my farrier who gave him a lesson after he trimmed him, I am now able to handling him. Before he got so frantic he was dangerous. Now, he just kind of runs around in a circle. The panic is gone, and now he's just a little scared and uncertain about the sprayer. Cool.

I clean up the paddock around the barn and plan on doing a lot of weed/tree/bush pruning around the ring tomorrow. Being next to the woods is ever a challenge. I keep thinking of Whitman's poetry, "I am grass; I cover all." However it is, "I am briars, I am saplings, I am vines; I cover all." Left to it's own devices, the forest would claim all.

My property used to back up to a farm field which my grandmother tilled and farmed in the early 1900's. As late as the 1960's it was still being farmed. The State bought it for Parkland sometime around then. Now it is totally wooded. We are talking big trees too, not little saplings.

Nature will reclaim her own if no one interferes. The earth can heal.