Quiet days at the barn

I went out to the barn on Sunday and enjoyed a nice quiet day out there.  Did some flat work and went over the trot poles that the other girl who was at the barn had set up.  Otter was really good and quiet.  After we worked for about 20 minutes and chatted for about 10, the other girl and I went on a short trail ride around the property to cool off the horses.  It was nice having the barn to ourselves because normally it is so busy, especially on the weekends. 

 After the ride, I scrubbed down Otter’s hindquarters with the medicated shampoo again to keep the funk at bay, cleaned my tack and headed home to celebrate Mother’s day with my future in-laws.

 Tuesday I was able to go out to the barn again.  It was so humid that it was hard to get motivation to ride, but I tacked up anyways.  Went for a short walk around the outdoor rings to loosen up, then headed back into the covered arena to get out of the sun.  Otter was a bit stiff on his left side, which is normal for him some days, so we worked on lots of big loopy figure 8’s and serpentines to get him bending through on both sides evenly. 

Did a few canter departures in each direction and was happy that we were able to get them promptly.  The new saddle is so much better for both of us, but it changed my position enough that we were struggling with them for a few rides. 

 I let Otter have a walk break then we worked on some trot lengthenings for a few passes across the arena, and then cooled him out because even though we only worked for about 20 minutes again, he was dripping in sweat (and so was I).  He hasn’t had problems with the heat yet, but I am really concerned about him adjusting to working in the high heat and humidity, so I don’t want to push him too much when the weather is like this.  Do ya’ll have any cut off points for when it’s too hot/humid?

 After our ride, I hosed him off, and set him up under the fan to cool off, then turned him out just in time for a big rainstorm to come through. 

 Today marks 30 days till the wedding!  Feels like I still have so much to do…