Selena Ride 18; Wizard Session 89: Unintentional Intimidation

Monday, 8/31/09

Fall is in the air… in August! There is just a nip in the air and the nighttime temperatures dropped into the high 50s. The horses felt good and it was perfect weather for the barn. Then again, bad weather never stops me :^)

Wizard and I went for another stroll across the street on the new network of trails. He was just as pleased to walk the trails as he was the day before, even though he did not have any other horsey companions.

There is a long, flat straightaway on the path and I decided to take advantage of the exercise and do a little jogging. You would have thought I was the funniest person on the planet by the way Wizard reacted- he got SO silly, totally controllable, but entirely silly. He wagged his head back and forth, arched his neck, flagged his tail, and bounced along next to me, snorting happily the entire time.

We walked for about 30 minutes and I turned him out in the arena when we returned. Still looking good! As long as he keeps looking this good, I plan to saddle up and ride him late next week.

I rode Selena for about 30 minutes under the lights in the big outdoor arena. I took her off the big circle we’ve been doing for the past few days and worked on straight lines and I worked hard to fix my position. I tend to tilt my pelvis forward and slouch. I need to rock my pelvis back and straighten my shoulders and create some bend in my arms by using the correct muscles. The ride was less harmonious than the past few rides, but I was satisfied by the end result. She was much better to the right than the left.

Our riding companions were a lovely draft cross mare and her very nice owner. The mare is young but beautifully schooled. As Selena and I worked on riding back-to-front and worked out the kinks, I glanced over at the other mare and her rider a few times. They looked perfect. It was nice to ride in the arena with another horse and rider but at the same time, it was a little intimidating to see them riding so nicely. I need to get over myself and stop being so self-conscious.