Ugh, Heat

For some reason, I have developed a low tolerance for the heat. I was out in it two hours today and just felt zapped and dehydrated when I got home. Tweed barely worked, but had a full sweat under the saddle and pad. 

When it’s hot, just existing becomes so much more difficult. 

I’m still glad I got out and I hope to beat the even hotter upcoming temps by getting out there earlier. It is my week off babysitting while my daughter and grandson go to the coast. I’ve got to make the most of it. 

We are starting to put everything we’ve been working on with vertical flexion and neck reining into trail work. 

It was going great until we had a bit of a mishap on the bridge obstacle when Tweed’s left hoof caught a loose pole and dragged it with us for a little ways. 

He was manageable throughout it, but when we went back to that bridge, one we’ve gone over many times, he didn’t want anything to do with it. Can you blame him? I worked him through it, and by that I mean approaching it and relaxing, but I really need to get back down there several more times this week and get him to go over it again.  

The work we’re doing now is asking for a working length rein, one hand, check him with vertical flexion a horse length before any obstacle and then give him a completely loose rein. Basically, get his attention, let him do his job, make sure he’s checking in with me and asking for what’s next. Besides the broken bridge obstacle, he did awesome with the rest and it was such a good feeling to have him walking with such deliberation and attunement to me then stop and wait for the next task.  He was a golden boy (thank God, since it was so hot!)

Part of our work today was going up and down hills at a slight diagonal. (Same concept of asking for vertical flexion / attention, then giving him the rein.) At one point, going down a hill, Tweed’s back legs stopped, but his front kept going. Regina can see what I only feel, and she had to stop and laugh at how he looked so it must have looked funny. To me, it felt like he was dropping down, then kicked his back legs into gear finished the descent. 

Regina says it is just him trying to figure out how to use his body, and this work we’re doing is helping him build confidence. The trails we ride are very steep and rocky, so he will need lots of up and down work like this.

Though I don’t like the heat, my plants love it. 

The apples are growing. 

The basil is going wild. 

Lavender. 

Tomatoes. 

Beautiful petunias and rio.