This and that

Motivation can be hard to find some days.  I'm learning that's okay.

My lovely little car decided to throw a Really Expensive Problem at me early last week, which just so happened to mean that I spent nearly an entire week stressing about said car, while simultaneously borrowing other people's cars.  I have some lovely friends who are willing to let me do that, but it's just not quite the same!

It rained on Tuesday.  I dropped off the car for repairs.  I looked at the traffic, and I got an offer to have someone else clean and feed.  I took her up on it.

On Thursday, I turned Confetti and her sister out in the arena.  They ran and ran and ran, and trotted, and ran and ran, and trotted, and cantered through the pond, and then they started hanging out in the pond.  There's a line to how much I'll do to make the ponies work.  Walking into the puddle crosses that line.  Out of the arena we went, and into the round pen!  The girls trotted and cantered and trotted and trotted and cantered a little and Fetti said 'Mom, I'm DONE'.  Her sister, however, was not.  My lovely brilliant mare came and pivoted in the middle with me as her sister kept going around with just a bit of encouragement.  Finally her sister was sufficiently settled and I hopped on Fetti bareback to meander around awhile and mentally destress.

Lots of zooming.

When I came back out to the barn later to do the same sort of meandering, it was actually necessary to put her back in the round pen and create a little more work before she was all the way settled.  Pony was feeling great.  Rider's mental state was insufficient for riding the extra energy until pony was feeling slightly less great.

Saturday plans involved a trail ride, but it turned into a lazy Saturday for me and we went out late in the evening for a mile or so, after roundpenning her with her sister again.

Naturally, on Sunday we took a friend out to Pogonip for their first out-of-Cowell trail experience.  The river is about four inches deeper than usual; water ended up in my shoes both directions. Luckily, her horse is taller, and she didn't have that problem!  It was really a fairly uneventful ride, lots of hollering to warn bikes that we were there, aiming for lots of positive-bike experiences.  I am very, very blessed to have a horse who doesn't particularly care about bikes, even when the bikes come screeching to a halt five feet ahead of us!

Three miles on Tuesday and again on Thursday.  Tuesday we focused on maintaining a consistent speed.  Mission accomplished!  Thursday we threw a few canters in the mix and it was lovely, then rated nicely headed home.  Good mare.

Feisty mare.. but good mare!