We had our first horseback riding class of 2010 and it was nice to get back into the saddle. The weather has been getting colder this week and I’m not sure, but the temp may have been below freezing when we got to the barn. I know many of you ride in sub-freezing weather regularly, but for us here in Texas, it is usually just a bit warmer. As I’ve mentioned several times, we ride at Capricorn Equestrian Center in Sachse Texas. We ride in a large covered arena most of the time, but we occasionally ride in one of the outdoor arenas' (not last night though). I had dressed appropriately for the weather, (thermals, long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, and gloves) and after tacking up I was warm. In fact, after riding for a few minutes, I was ready to ditch the sweatshirt.
Sarah was riding Tio (whom has put on some winter weight. Sarah affectionately nicknamed him Tio-Gordo after riding last night) and he needed a little work to get going. He was likely stiff from the cold weather and didn’t really want to work, but Sarah worked through his attitude and ended up having a really good ride. I worked with Vegas and I really didn’t have any issues with him (with the slight problem of him wanting to back up – avoiding me as I was trying to get mounted). Vegas and I had a really good evening. One thing I still need to work on his getting Vegas to keep from dropping his inside shoulder when I cue to canter. I also need to work on getting him collected to keep him from sticking his nose out at canter (it allows him to avoid the bit – although I’m not sure that is the correct terminology), but it keeps me from speeding up his canter.
All-in-all, we couldn’t have asked for a better ride after a 3 week break from riding. We look forward to getting out there again soon.
