Ride Updates

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing"

- Oscar Wilde

The good news: nothing uber exciting has been happening during my rides lately. The bad news: it doesn't give me much to write about. Collectively the rides over the last couple of weeks have been interesting enough, but not on an individual, blog worthy level.

I ride 3 days a week. Or at least I try to. Gem seems quite good at sabotaging my only long day at the barn. When she isn't doing it, the BM is (like Tuesday night when she decided to delve into my saddle fitting woes while I watched the sun slowly setting lower and lower taking my chances at a good ride down with it). I had originally hoped to get an hour long ride in during the week (times 2) and then a two hour long ride on the weekend. Reality slapped me upside the head though and I came to understand that asking that of Gemmie when we have not been up to a whole lot and she is still coming out of the pasture sweaty isn't very kind. I have now backed off to 30 minute rides during the week and an hour on the weekend. It seems to be working. She is already showing signs of decreasing belly mass and some muscling is coming back.

The arena work is still boring as anything. Around and around and around we go. If I could figure out a way to post my GPS information you could all have a good laugh at the ride picture. It looks like I gave W a nice big red crayon and he scribbled a big oval over and over again. She is calmer which is in part due to the work and in part her settling in. I even got a big "wow that looks nice!" out of the BM. Apparently Gemmie is changing her view of the Arabian horse. Way to go Gem!! Be an ambassador for the breed :)

I have been riding at night-ish lately. At first I was pretty worried about how Gem would react to the decreasing visibility. There are arena lights that I put on, but they tend to cast little pools of light with shadows in between. I won't jump after dark, but I do ask her to trot and canter and she is doing pretty good all in all. The darker it gets, the more tense she gets, but I expect after a long winter of short days she will improve. The best news is that it is September and still hot out. My friends in WI are starting to post about 40 degree days and needing sweat shirts. I am still in capris and a t-shirt. Have I mentioned how much I love the South?

I keep crossing the billets on my saddle, but I don't see that it is doing a whole lot other than putting a kink in my billets. I'm going to try it on a longer ride and see, but I think I am just going to go back to the normal way. It is less confusing. Some day I want to have a professional saddle fitter come on out and take a look at Gem. Maybe she can just alter some things and make it be magical. Doubtful, but you never know.

Normal billets

Crossed billets

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