Nature Blog Post 4- Cold Weather Riding

So, this week I tried to get a good blog entry moment on Thursday, but it was raining all day. The sky was dark and cloudy and the rain drops pounded on the roof of the barn. The horses were all inside and were miserable- they hate being stuck in a stall- they'd rather be stretching their legs. While it rained I put Angie in the cross-ties and groomed her. I made her so spotless I think her white coat shined. Then, I put on her new "bra." I call it a bra because all of her blankets rub the hair off of her chest because she is so muscular and it causes the blankets to not sit right. So, while I was away last weekend at a huge horse show called Congress (I did not compete, just went for the shopping and to watch Professional Bull Riding) I bought her this spandex hood to stop all of her hair on her little horsey pecs from disappearing this winter. She was not so happy about it, but in the end she tolerated it, only pinning her ears back occasionally. I put her light weight blanket over that and then left her there while I picked her stall.

 It was comforting to be the only one at the barn cleaning her stall, country music softly streaming out of the radio. But, my true passion is riding so I was still bummed when I couldn't do that.

Today though, Sunday October 20, I went on a trail ride after I exercised Angie. I went on the ride with Kim (the barn owner) and Barb (another boarder) around two o'clock in the afternoon. It was late, but we needed it to warm up some because of the colder weather. Angie had been terrible all morning, nearly jumping out of her skin at everything, so I put her in the pasture to play with Gracie.

On the trail ride I rode Kim's big red horse Blue. He's intimidating because he's huge, not just tall, but wide, but he is a giant teddy bear. Blue and I get along, and I feel comfortable riding him. Sadly, I did not get any pictures because I thought I shouldn't risk it with the cold weather. Horses get jumpier when it's colder, they feel better and want to run. I personally don't like falling off, so I wasn't going to try to mess with my camera while riding Blue.

It had been a few weeks since I was out on the trails, since last blog post actually, so I had forgotten how beautiful it was. It was apparent that the trees had turned more golden since my last ride and more leaves had fallen on the ground. The leaves did give the trail the impression that it was not muddy, but Blue slid a few times from the recent rainfall. The woods were quiet today, aside from our conversation. We didn't go out into the big field today since we didn't know how the horses would react with the changing weather. I was bundled up, since I don't like the cold.

But, I think I am beginning to fall in love with Fall. It is a beautiful season, where summer sheds into the colder months (I absolutely detest winter though). The sun casts a more golden glow through the trees in the fall, to match the color of the leaves. Bees stop buzzing and flies stop being so pesky. I enjoyed the brisk wind on my face while we rode back down the hill to the barn. It was nice to share a ride with two of my adopted family members, instead of being alone in my own thoughts. Sometimes, it is nice to share nature and the spot that you have carved out as your own.