The month in Calgary was wonderful. Spent lots of time with Lisa and her pup, Hunter. While he is big enough to be a horse, he is still a dog. Lisa still has the horse costume, saddle and bridle. They now use it for Halloween, instead of the stampede.
I certainly missed Dancer! It has been a month since I was in the saddle.
I brushed him, saddled him and then played Parelli games before riding. He was not as sluggish as yesterday. This evening was nice and cool for riding.
I tried to remember all the pointers Melanie Thompson gave me when I rode. Keep a good contact. Use the dressage whip to bring on a good strong horse trot. If he canters when asking for a faster trot, ride in tight little circles, keeping the canter. Then ask for the trot. You need rhythm at the trot, and I can't remember the third thing! Also, I am to squeeze my inside leg on all gaits, just as the inside leg moves forward. Moving that rib out of the way of the back leg sure makes for a nice ride.
We practiced lots of trotting and cantering. I still only rode for 40 minutes as I haven't ridden in a month.
Dancer stood just in the hall by the arena where I unsaddled and unbridled him. He waited while I put all my equipment away.
Dancer enjoyed a cool down, then lots of grass before he was put in the paddock. I practiced the finer skills using the Parelli stick while he ate.
It is great to be back in the saddle.
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