Blustery Day!

The weather gods have been wreaking havoc with my riding schedule!! I lunged Nikki on Tuesday because her neck seemed a bit uncomfortable from her vaccinations assuming that I would ride on Wednesday. Then they predicted that pesky nor'easter for Wednesday into Thursday. On Wednesday the precipitation was holding off and I thought that I might be able to squeeze in a short ride even though it was damp and cold. But no, it was not to be. The sleet started while I was driving to the barn, so I had to be satisfied with grooming the girls. At some point the storm stopped its westward journey and we were ultimately spared of any additional precipitation. So this morning while many unfortunate people were digging out and contending with power outages, snow and wind, we were high and dry....but super windy.

So today while driving to the barn with my car being blown around the wind, I contemplated riding. I decided that I would tack up Nikki and lunge her and if all seemed fine I would ride. But of course as I pulled into the driveway, no one was around.... When I got down to the barn both girls ran to their respective fence lines to greet me....aaaahh so wonderful to be loved. The parking area borders Nikki's pasture so of course she is standing near the driver's side of my car to greet me. I fished a treat out of my pocket for her while Miss Suki protested loudly behind me.

The wind continued to whip around as I gathered my equipment and brought Nikki into the barn. It was like "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day"! Happy Windsday!
I decided to go through the motions in preparation to ride and see where it took me. Nikki was quiet on the lunge and after about 10 minutes I saw J's truck pull in and park by the house. YAY! So I was able to have a ride in spite of my concerns. The wind was fairly steady with an occasional super gust that did not seem to unnerve Nikki. She looked up a couple of times at the horses in the field as they grazed, but I channeled my inner dressage rider and put Nikki through 10 meter figure eights to keep her focused. A hawk soared over head as waves of leaves blew through the arena. I was momentarily distracted by the beauty of the afternoon...but when Nikki's pasture mate called to her and she responded in kind, I snapped back to the job at hand. The only time Nikki spooked was when I led her out of the arena and the gate clanked nehind us. All in all, a productive outing.

Suki had gone back to grazing by the time I finished up with Nikki and pointedly ignored me when I called out to her. But as usual, she was unable to contain herself and trotted to the gate, mane and tail flying in the wind like proud flags! Skin graft still looks great, and my fingers are optimistically crossed! Is it REALLY possible that I will sit on her in the spring????

The other day while reading The Chronicle of the Horse I saw an article about a mustang contest. The Extreme Mustang Makeover requires that contestants (trainers) turn a mustang into a suitable pleasure horse in 120 days. The horses are then auctioned to the public. I am always inspired by the human-horse bond and how trust between horse and rider forms a partnership. Isaiah rides a mustang in his ridng lesson. Prissy is trained to 2nd level dressage, and she is absolutely delightful! Isaiah speaks of her often during the week between lessons.

and here is the article about Elisa Wallace and her experience with Extreme Mustang Makeover. It's a great read...

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/wallace-wins-extreme-mustang-makeover-and-friend-life