I just got to ride once this week, and I am having to get used to getting up a half-hour earlier so I can escape the worst effects of the heat. It isn't too easy for me to change what I do, and getting up earlier is among the things that I find hard to adjust too, but anything to escape the heat.

My ride went pretty well, Mia seems to like the Wellep bit fine, even with my hands deteriorating in the heat. No contact or light contact ,she reacted the same way and did not raise her head when I gave the rein aids. She got a little antsy after a few minutes on full contact at the trot and I had to soften my fingers. I think she gets muscle cramps in her neck when she has to hold her head in one position for a long time. Then she appreciates a chance to stretch out and relax her neck for a few minutes until the next trot on full contact. Debbie has been remarking on how much better her trot is on full contact, her gait is more united and she moves stronger and with more impulse.

When I do circles with Mia I have been trying to get her to track her inside hind leg closer to her midline to get it to bear more weight. After several weeks of doing this I am beginning to think that there may be some arthritis in to more moveable parts of her spine because instead of getting more supple in the turns she seems to be getting stiffer. This week when curving to the left she did not curve her body at all, it was like she did a series of tiny turns on the hindquarters, keeping her body straight throughout the curve. I am seriously thinking of going back to just working on lengthening her outside as she seems to be a little bit more flexible in the turn when I use my outside leg aid that when I use my inside leg aid.

Anyway when we came out of one of the turns a tractor roared to life behind her and it was too much for her, the pain from trying to turn and the sudden noise, and she started to bolt. Of course I am no longer coordinated enough to avoid hitting her in the mouth when she lunges forward, and she hit the bit when my hands were going back. I immediately loosened my fingers and then asked her to slow back down, and the dear mare immediately obeyed. This has happened to me a few times before, and each time I feel so guilty because I was always told that my hands MUST BELONG TO THE HORSE'S MOUTH. This idea has been a guiding light for me throughout my riding life and I HATE it when I accidentally bump the horse's mouth. But I have noticed that when the horse lunges forward and hits the end of the reins and gets a bump, that if I IMMEDIATELY relax the reins that the horse seems to accept the bump as a valid punishment, one that the horse causes all by itself, and when I ask the horse to slow down there does not seem to be the resentment that horses show when they think that they have been hurt unjustly, ie. the horse stops running away and readily comes back to me. This is really fortunate for me, because if the horses did not react this way I would probably have to stop riding, I am so klutzy physically that I cannot be a perfect rider all the time.

I only got to ride once because I finally got to meet my first grandbaby, a CUTE little baby boy. I think that he is awfully cute, but as his grandmother I am prejudiced. So instead of riding horses I have been holding the baby.

And if any fathers are reading this--Happy Father's Day!

Have a great ride.