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dancinghorseAhhh, spring in the desert, when storms come in not as rain but as howling gales. It's like an old Western movie out there now, with the wind screeching across the wasteland, stirring up swirls of dust. The sky at dusk was stonewashed blue, with a crescent moon taking a shot at a clear, full Venus.
I'm proud of me today. I wrote more pages than usual--almost enough for my usual quota. Made a PO run. Ascertained that the new load of hay at the feed store is gorgeous stuff and I must have lots of it, so will order that tomorrow. (First-cut bermuda. Aaaahhhh.) Rode ze keed despite winds blowing steady at 25-30mph. When they get up above that, with gusts, they can knock you out of the saddle, but except for one short interval at the top of a hill, it wasn't too bad. Of cuss when I got back inside after ride and evening feeding, I felt as if the wind was still trying to blow me off the sofa, so it was pretty strong.
One thing about Lipps. Warhorses that they are, they don't have the usual equine objections to wild weather. It will affect them--especially if it's dry and full of sparks, or unusually cold--but they don't go bananas. Keed is more reactive to wind than the others, but as long as I reminded him to keep the inner Lipp foremost, he handled it well. Didn't hurt that he's been getting regular dressage training, either. Dressage isn't just for the show ring. It's fantastic all-around training. Teaches the rider balance, focus, and confidence. Does the same for the horse. Plus the aiding system, rather than being a set of artificial cues, is a whole complex language--so when the situation gets tricky, you have a strong line of communication up and running. This is a very good thing.
I'm tired now. Dressage riding on the trail means several miles of literally riding every stride (each of which has four separate internal components), plus watching out for horseasauri. But hey. He didn't eek, freak, bolt, or leave the building. I'd say that's pretty good in this weather.
More pages tonight. Then lessons tomorrow. Joni will ride ze keed, I'll ride Capria and da Pook. We will have much good torture.
I'm proud of me today. I wrote more pages than usual--almost enough for my usual quota. Made a PO run. Ascertained that the new load of hay at the feed store is gorgeous stuff and I must have lots of it, so will order that tomorrow. (First-cut bermuda. Aaaahhhh.) Rode ze keed despite winds blowing steady at 25-30mph. When they get up above that, with gusts, they can knock you out of the saddle, but except for one short interval at the top of a hill, it wasn't too bad. Of cuss when I got back inside after ride and evening feeding, I felt as if the wind was still trying to blow me off the sofa, so it was pretty strong.
One thing about Lipps. Warhorses that they are, they don't have the usual equine objections to wild weather. It will affect them--especially if it's dry and full of sparks, or unusually cold--but they don't go bananas. Keed is more reactive to wind than the others, but as long as I reminded him to keep the inner Lipp foremost, he handled it well. Didn't hurt that he's been getting regular dressage training, either. Dressage isn't just for the show ring. It's fantastic all-around training. Teaches the rider balance, focus, and confidence. Does the same for the horse. Plus the aiding system, rather than being a set of artificial cues, is a whole complex language--so when the situation gets tricky, you have a strong line of communication up and running. This is a very good thing.
I'm tired now. Dressage riding on the trail means several miles of literally riding every stride (each of which has four separate internal components), plus watching out for horseasauri. But hey. He didn't eek, freak, bolt, or leave the building. I'd say that's pretty good in this weather.
More pages tonight. Then lessons tomorrow. Joni will ride ze keed, I'll ride Capria and da Pook. We will have much good torture.
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Date: 2004-04-23 07:50 pm (UTC)Massive wreck on the interstate--nine semis, nine cars. Only one death, but thirteen people with critical injuries. Moral: Do not drive into a dust storm. You can see the storm coming at you. Inside it, however, visibility is exactly zero. Pull over--way over--before you're in it. Hunker down and let the ghibli pass over you . . .
Maedchen's very mellow about wind. She likes it, I think. Probably a Pegasus in a previous life.
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Date: 2004-04-23 09:10 pm (UTC)Keed isn't fond of wind, but the Lipps take it pretty much in stride. The Girlz will rev each other up for fun; that's about it.