Summer weather has arrived down here in NC with a vengeance.  Highs in the upper 90’s F, lows in the mid 70’s F, the sweat pours off of me, the horses come in from the paddocks with sweat matted coats, the insects are super active, the cows in the neighboring pasture congregate in the pond, and we appreciate any breeze.  We wish for cooler weather in vain, the coolest high for the next ten days will be 93 F, and we may get several days at 100 F or higher.  It is far too hot for me to use my wonderful Back on Track therapy on myself or the horses, luckily it is so hot that the horses and I do not NEED the BOT for our muscle pain, the heat of the air is enough to relax our muscles.  This is my second summer without air conditioning, and I am very glad I am out in the country rather than in a metropolitan heat island.

Even though I am now getting to the stables at 8:00 AM I am continually sweating and blessing my technical fabric riding wear, when I can find a breeze!  Last Sunday it was fine on Cider, Shannon’s little riding ring is well situated to get breezes.  I even managed to trot Cider some and get used to my longer stirrups on the EZ-Fit treeless saddle.  I am very glad to report that my legs did not go into any type of rebellion due to my longer stirrup leathers, my legs lengthened, my heels stayed down, my lower leg stayed under me, and I kept my front to back balance fine.  It did take Cider several turns around the ring until she told me that I had regained my side to side balance and she consented to travel in a straight line or on an even curve, but eventually I got myself centered to her satisfaction.  This mare is SO  GOOD at noticing when I am not centered in the saddle, I can feel fine, then she starts twisting herself into a pretzel which throws me even further off balance, and she will not straighten out at all until I get my seat centered.  I may be able to fool someone on the ground, but I cannot fool Cider at all.  This same mare will forgive beginners all sorts of sins in the saddle, but since I know how to ride she demands that I ride up to the level I hope to achieve.  Cider is one of the best riding teachers I have even been honored to ride; she won’t let me get away with anything!

Tercel continues to improve.  It was so hot Wednesday morning that I forgot to put the Dy’on blinkers on my bridle and Debbie had to go back to the barn to get them from her bridle.  While I was gingerly walking around a butterfly fluttered up from his right rear, exactly where he usually spooks, but he ignored it, I guess butterflies are acceptable.  When Debbie got the blinkers on my bridle I got more venturesome.  I am so glad I am not training Tercel on my own, since Debbie trail rides him as often as she can he is already used to changes in footing and crossing water.  Debbie has installed sprinklers to try and keep the dust down in her ring, and if they are kept on too long puddles form.  I had no problems with Tercel going from the dry sand to the much darker wet sand, and he walked through the puddles with no hesitation.  He was curious, and a little defensive about possible threats from his environment, but he walked around the ring like a reliable riding horse.  It was too hot for me to enjoy trotting him so we just walked around, doing lots of curves around the jumps, keeping good contact, with Tercel responding to my turning hand aid of advancing my outside hand. After a few tries he gave me a decent turn on the hindquarters, not perfect but quite good for his level of training.  I am still working on the turn on the forehand though; he has not gotten the idea of crossing one hind leg in front of the other one.  Halting from my hand aids is getting easier, the first time was still like I’d never done it before, the second time was “is this what you are asking me?” by the time I set both hands, and the last time he halted solely from three sets of alternating little fingers, light alterations that I did not make stronger.  Yeah!!!!  Since I had ridden over twenty minutes I just went ahead and got off, the biggest reward a rider can give a horse he or she is training.

Friday was even hotter when we got out to the stable.  Mia came in with her whole coat matted with sweat.  I went ahead a worked on her hooves first, and her hooves have been growing rapidly in the hot weather so I spent several minutes on each one, rasping the toes down and reducing the already chipping side flairs.  Then came the good part, taking care of Mia’s coat.  She enjoyed her grooming SO MUCH, I used my slicker brush all over her coat as she stuck her upper lip out, she got dreamy eyed as my husband curried and brushed her, and I spent over 5 minutes just grooming her head.  Meanwhile Debbie brought up Tercel so she could ride him in my EZ-Fit saddle, but Tercel was not happy.  There was a trailer out in the parking lot.  Debbie had trailed him out for a trail ride last week and a thunderstorm had blown up right over them.  Tercel was so worried that he would be put on that trailer and carried out to another big thunderstorm that he would not settle down.  He pooped 4 times in the wash stall, a record for him!  Fortunately Mia ignored Tercel and remained happy as we fussed over her.  Since I had decided not to use my BOT saddle pad due to the heat, my girth was too long for Mia and I had to borrow one from the stable.  My husband and I finished tacking up Mia and we went out to the ring while Debbie continued to deal with Tercel’s little meltdowns over that pesky trailer in the parking lot.

Since it had poured the night before the whole ring was rather wet.  Mia only hesitated a little bit when faced with the puddles, not that she had much choice, wherever we went there were plenty of puddles of all sizes.  After several minutes Debbie finally appeared with a tacked up Tercel, muttering that she would probably have an exciting ride.  However once Tercel got into the ring he started settling down, and by the time Debbie got up on him he had gotten over his snitty fit over the trailer.  Tercel was still somewhat “up”, instead of carrying his head like an old cow pony facing a full day of work he carried it further up than usual, up to where we want an old fashioned hunter type horse to carry his head, with the poll a little higher than the top of his withers.  Debbie walked him over some low jumps, a pipe pile, and some flower boxes, and after a little hesitation he calmly walked over the obstacles.  Then Debbie started working him at the trot, he started off fast as usual but she got him down to a saner, more plodding trot without much problem.  After that Debbie walked Tercel around and I was really pleased with the expression on his face, calm, alert, interested, and looking for more work, just what I want to see in a horse that is aimed at endurance rides.

And it just got hotter and muggier.  When I got off Mia Debbie also decided to end her ride since she wanted to end on a good note.  This time it was not hard to end on a good note, she could have ended her ride at any time and she would have ended on a good note.  It is really gratifying to me that Tercel now considers the riding ring a safe place, full of interesting things to do without any of the old terror of those horrible things lurking to his rear ready to pounce on him.

Debbie is running her riding camp next week with over 30 kids running around, so I won’t be able to ride there.  Mia is going to get used a little bit, for one of the bolder walk and trot beginners (occasionally she will do a full body shake under saddle.)  I doubt Tercel will get used unless Debbie rides him on a group trail ride.  Tercel may look perfectly safe now in the ring but Debbie remembers just how bad Tercel can get when he becomes confused and scared.

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran              

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