An Actual Ride!

I can hardly believe it! I actually got to ride Indy today! It was our first ride since last fall. That is a bummer I know, but I can't feel bummed when I get to ride by wonderful partner.

Indy was fantastic - especially considering how the bugs were bothering his face and ears. I sprayed his body, but it didn't occur to me that his face and ears would be a problem. It didn't seem that bad, but it was. Poor Indy was flipping his head all over the place sometimes, trying to rid himself of the nasty pests. At one point, I leaned up his neck and cleaned out the insides of both ears. He did appreciate that, but they just came back.

As far as not having been ridden for months, well, you'd never know it. He stepped back into the routine as if I'd been riding him every day. I worry about his training so much because I don't get to ride nearly as much as I'd like, and I fret that he's going on 11 and is still so green. He sure didn't act like a greenie today though. I've seen some experienced horses that had to almost start over after not having been ridden for as long as it's been for us. Not Indy. He is such a special boy, maybe he's getting enough "saddle time" after all.

I thought I would see a difference in the way the saddle fit, and I sure did. It wasn't that I shortened the girth that much, but last fall, when I tightened the girth it sank into the blubber, and there was fat bulging on either side of it. OMG! Now, that fat is completely gone. I knew he'd lost weight, but I didn't realize he'd lost that much. I still can't feel his ribs though, so we must keep on keeping on - whether we like it or not.

Since I've been having so much trouble with my left leg, I had wondered how it would feel riding. Well, I did notice it, for sure. On mounting, it hurt as I pivoted on my left leg when throwing my right leg over Indy's back. It was even worse dismounting. I had to hang onto the saddle and very slowly slide down Indy's side. He looked back at me, wondering "what the heck?" but he did not move a muscle. Good Boy! Indy has always stood perfectly still for dismounting, and it's a darn good thing, especially now.

Dear Indy - We'd only ridden for about 30 minutes, but I was limping badly going back to the barn, but he stayed with me, walking very slowly all the way back to his stall, and I wasn't even holding onto him! Is he a doll or what?

I'm not at all sure I'll be able to ride tomorrow, but if not, it's supposed to be nice on Tuesday too, and I'll be hoping to ride then. Wait and see. At least I got to ride today, and nothing can dampen my spirits after a good ride!