Despite the heat this past weekend I did some training kind of riding with my horse. I went to the barn early so that I could ride while it was still cool compared to the blistering heat we've been getting later on in the day.

My horse was anxious to get to work, futzing a bit while grooming, a sign he was anxious to get riding. I'm very lucky in that he is abundantly clear with his emotions and when he's wanting a ride he'll try to drag you into the ring if you let him.

We mounted and began our long reined walk around the ring, pausing occasionally to spook at something, real or imagined. They were mild as spooks come, and were a sure sign he was feeling fresh and had happy feet.

I love when he has happy feet! It's far easier to contain the exhuberance than it is to fire the engine to go forward and that's a very good thing in the hot summer.

After a few laps in each direction of a nice forward stretching walk with great overstep I carefully picked up the reins while trying not to lose the rhythm and tempo of the previous walk.

I then did a few leg yields, shoulder ins, circles, haunches in using the whole ring. Then I picked up a nice long rein trot in both directions went back to walk and then began walk, trot, walk transitions. At first I did ten steps of walk/four trot/ten walk. I did this in each direction and in serpentines.

I moved on do doing those same transitions in quicker succession... trot, walk a step, trot off right away, walk a step, trot off again.

I went on to cantering a few circles then began canter/walk transitions. As usual the right side was harder and as usual he nailed the ones to the left. His right jaw was stiff and although I did some half halting there I made sure to use my leg more than my hand and with time, it worked. The key was the transitions.

We went on a long rein then and I praised and patted him.

We then began walk/trot transitions once again and it happened. Perfect synchronicity between horse and rider. Every step of his felt like an extension of my own body. I could make his stride longer or shorter just with the flexing of some muscle. When we did trot/halt transitions he glided to a stop, his butt lowering like a reining horse's in a sliding stop. It was literally one step to the halt from the transition. I could sit any trot he had and he'd come back to me with a body half halt. I could then drive him on just as easily.

We went on to shoulder ins and a better half pass than usual.

I did a few trot lengthenings where he floated down the rail and across the diagonal. And I could sit them without my boobs pummeling me in the face.

It was Nirvana and I couldn't ask for anything more. With a wither scratch and me singing his praises (which the twitching of his ears told me he adored) we were done.

I dismounted and found him quietly standing, neck hung low, the most pleasant expression on his satisfied face. I could only compare it to the expression of smoking a cigarette after a night of bedroom passions.

I was content. He was content. We had nirvana and for a moment it was indeed better than sex.

Nirvana. (the type of which only a horseman could understand)