Not much of "Goldener Oktober" (Golden October) here. The German expression is for October sunshine, warmth, and glowing leaves that especially southern Germany is known for. Looking out onto the Michigan October weather: Dark, bleak, cold, wet. Ugh!
We hit the low 40sF yesterday (about 4 to 6C) with blustery winds. Yay, riding weather, as that makes for very "up" horses. Geared up with mask, headset, helmet we tackled our lesson in the morning. Already while grooming Remy I could feel him being pushy and quite alert, ready to jump should another branch hit the wall. So no surprise that once on board I could feel his back hump up, and a buck in the works. That called for determined riding forward and lots of lateral work.
As Judy pointed out "in weather like this, leg yields are your best friend". And sure enough, they made Remy supple and put him on the aids. We had a really good lesson, some of the best canter work ever, and I finally relaxed my shoulders (double yay!). Nothing like a good ride to make your day, especially when the outcome is questionable at the onset.
One more ride tomorrow, and then I have to take a much loathed two-week break from riding: Next week is overfull with meetings and work dinners, then I'm leaving on Sunday for a weeklong business trip to France.
But we are making lemonade out of the lemons: Remy is thrilled to be on vacation next week as Judy is traveling to CA to work with Jan. The following week Remy goes back to school and the good news for me is that he'll be all ready to go with changes confirmed (right, Jude?) by the time I get back.
Oh, and the rest of the family will have their share of lemonade by enjoying their laissez-faire while I'm gone: Cats on the bed, dogs at the dinner table, and JP getting his boots admired by the ladies on the prowl at the White Horse Inn...
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