Making lemonade

I have a side project brewing.  Non-horse related.  More on that in the next few weeks.

Anywho.

I have been reduced to seeing the Nutters once a week.  I typically go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, so weekdays are out.  My back still isn't 100%, so I've had to be careful on weekends as standing around for a while is not my friend.

I rode last Sunday, with Steph on Gene and Anne-Marie on Mona.  It was to be a short ride (and it was getting late anyway), so it should have been nice and boring.  However, the horses decided that they did not want to be boring.

Mona was up even before she got groomed, so she got a little lunging session that brought her back to earth.  Peanut and Gene were ok, but Gene was evasive to his saddle and did his usual multiple head-tosses as soon as Steph mounts.  I have to remind Rick to get a saddler out to check the saddle as it hasn't been checked in years.

We mounted up, and I grumpily noted the rock-hardness of my saddle.  The memory foam does not like cold weather and takes a while to warm up and soften, and I realized that to me it feels like Peanut's back is tense and he probably thinks that I'm tense.  This may be part of the problems we have been having lately!!!

Mona crossed the street without the aid of a dressage whip for the first time in ages, so hooray for that.

Shortly after getting on the trail, where the order was Gene, Nut, and Mona, Gene decided he had had enough and so he stopped, spun around, and squeezed past Peanut to head back.  I just asked the Nut to go forward and we did.  This will happen a lot during this tale, but I stopped paying attention to what was going on behind me.  I concentrated on Peanut who was walking forward nicely and setting the example for the others.  If I started worrying about everyone else, then my attention with Nut would falter as would Peanut's performance.  So, to keep Peanut strong, I had to retreat into my own world.

Part of me feels horrible about this.

The other part says that it's pointless to have 3 horses who are acting up, and if there was a real emergency they would let me know.

We walked out, and Peanut was nervous but tried.  In the first field, he was looking around, twitchy, but kept moving where I asked.  Good for him. When he stopped to drink at the first stream, Gene walked by and we ended up in the middle again.  All of the horses were curious about their surroundings, and the more I looked the more I saw deer in the trees.  Somehow we ended up in the lead again, and when we got close to a herd of deer that were giving us the stink-eye we stopped until the horses noticed and had a good look.  Then we moved on.

I was expecting Peanut to be defiant when I asked him to take a turn that led us deeper into the park, especially as I could feel the tension in him build as we got close.  I asked for the turn, and he turned as nicely as can be.  Color me impressed.

Aside from him stopping to poo, pee, poo and poo again, he had a good clip going.  Actually, he stopped twice to pee, but once Mona walked by him and he got super grumpy about it (acted like he was going to lunge and bite her) and couldn't go.  Ever since the ride where Peanut got too close to Mona and she kicked at him they have not been the best of friends.  C'est la vie, perhaps with time.

When we turned back, both Gene and Mona decided that it was time to race back to the barn.  I was in the lead, and kept hearing Mona crashing into the trees behind me (and at one point getting close enough for Peanut to almost kick her... he wanted to) and seeing Gene try to lunge ahead beside us until he would be crowded out by a tree.  I must say, Peanut's giant golden posterior did a nice job blocking the trail for them and keeping them from racing off.  I went into my own little world with Peanut again as the two of them struggled with their horses behind us, and I marvelled at how well my little Nut did.  Yes, he was a bit up, but he did spectacularly.  This trail we had last walked down during the fox hunt, with me on the ground and him frantic at the end of the reins.  This time, he just walked on like the rock star that he used to be.  So very proud, especially with so much going on behind us.  I could hear so much scuffling and talking to horses, but I didn't let it get to me and concentrated on keeping my palomino roadblock in place.

At one point, when things had quieted down behind me, we flushed some deer.  Peanut stood wonderfully.  So proud.

No matter where I wanted to go, he would comply without complaint.  I was really quite happy.

As we headed back, we passed the stink-eye deer again.  We stopped and let the horses see them, then carried on and even passed a group of them that were lying down in the woods.

On the last piece of trail heading back, Peanut ended up in the rear.  He wanted to go fast, but I kept him far enough away from Mona to keep the peace.  He didn't fight on that either, and I am finding that my halt cues with my legs are improving.

I don't know how well the ride went for everyone else, but it was a good ride for me.  Not a fun ride, but a ride of accomplishments.  :)