Not Feeling It

Lately, there has been some stuff going on - non-horse stuff - that has really been getting me down.  For the first time maybe ever, I simply don't feel like riding my horse.  Whereas there have been umpteen times where I was too lazy to ride my horse, now I just don't feel like it.  I don't feel like doing any of the things I enjoy, which is also why I'm so far behind on Nanowrimo.

As you may remember, I missed Wednesday because my lesson was cancelled, and the barn is closed to the equestrian set on Thursdays.  So with two nights off, tonight I forced myself to go to the barn.  

And it was hard.  And I'm not going to lie.  I felt like I was just learning to walk for the first time.  One step at a time.  

Put on breeches.  Put on boots.  Get in car.  Drive.  

Usually when I get to the barn, that handsome devil just makes me want to ride, and I'll admit, I felt a little guilty for going all the way out there and still just feeling like I'd rather not.  

But I did lunge him, and that's really what this post is about.  Not all the whiny stuff.  

I was actually pretty impressed with Walker tonight.  I put him on a nice long line and worked on speed control on the lunge.  As in, I got him to pull out all the stops that I know he's capable of - walk, jog, trot, lope, canter.  All by voice command.

I particularly focused on the difference between the jog and the trot, and by golly that fella is smart.  At one point, I actually got a lengthened/extended/whatever trot out of him.  Now, he's no Valegro, but that is the first time I have ever seen him do something like that - the kick that front leg high in the air kind of trot.  It only lasted for a moment since he didn't really have the strength to keep it up, but I was so happy to see it.

It was also a good lesson for me in lunging.  I practice what I like to call "the moving oval" since when I lunge, I don't stand still.  I usually walk in a circle, and since horses naturally drift in one direction, we will move across an entire arena.  So tonight I tried actually, you know, lunging in a stationary circle.  Frankly, the moving oval thing doesn't bother me, but hey, equestrianism is kinda about conformity at times, isn't it?