Jaas, Ziggy (the dogs) and I really enjoy the Kensington horse trails. So on our daily jaunt we were going at a good clip when Ziggy saw a squirrel (there are thousands around and he had to focus on that one?) and I didn't see a tree root and went flying, propelled by Ziggy's 75 pounds of sheer muscle. To his credit, he stopped quickly and ran back to check what possibly could have enticed me to take a dive in the mud?? On the bright side, German quality prevailed! My beloved Pikeurs (German riding pants - I hadn't bothered to change after riding) and I were muddy but otherwise unscathed.
It's been one rain storm after the other lately. Yesterday we could barely see the barn from the house through the downpour. I was about to cancel my lesson (I hate driving the trailer when a boat would be more appropriate), but JP volunteered to come along and help. Thanks, JP! I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the rain would let up, but once in the indoor arena not just the rain but also the wind picked up. Nice to have the tree branches rattling on metal walls, gives a new meaning to sound track. Remy's eyes got bigger while I hand walked him around the arena and he scooted a few times. Time to put him on the longe line to see what we were dealing with. Remy settled down quickly and I was happy that Roz remarked how his gaits have improved.
I climbed on, not entirely sold on Remy being OK with the rattling and said as much to Roz. That's one of the reasons I enjoy working with her so much: She said she understood (instead of giving me the "suck it up" speech - thanks, Roz!) and made us work creatively to find our focus. 20 m circles with shoulder-ins, haunches-ins, changes through the circles did the trick. We both found our focus, and went on our merry way from there on.
As they say, it is the journey that counts - and I am enjoying the journey more than ever! Remy got a bodywork session plus massage today as a thank you for putting up with me -- while JP still asks, what about him??
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