No pics today! I had planned to meet Kara at the barn about 8:30am to ride in the indoor... this rain has got to go! I didn't set my alarm because the dogs never let me sleep past 6:30am or so. I opened my eyes this morning, AT 7:58am!!!!!!!! Arrrghhhh!!!
So, I rushed and fed the dogs, made coffee, flew back upstairs to change, grabbed a thermal mug for the coffee and ran out the door. I got to the barn 8:40 or so and apologized for being so late. Damned dogs! Any time that I CAN sleep, they're getting me up at 6:00, and when I want the wake me up, they don't. ugh!
Anyway, Daniel was in his stall, a little wet because he'd been out about 15 minutes or so, but not too bad. I dried him off, picked hooves, detangled his mane and brushed him. He kept playing with the stuff on my shelves (he was particularly fascinated by a container of bit wipes... peppermint bit wipes!! The old boy has this new think for peppermints and my mother created it! She always brings those red and white peppermints to the barn for him. He hears the paper crinkle and he perks his ears right up!
We went the the indoor, and I was half expecting Daniel to be a bit stiff from being stalled last night, but he was doing good! We did a lot of walking and some trotting. Whenever Kara and Tessa would pass us, he'd speed up. I told him that Tessa's mostly TB, he can't beat her in a race so not to even try! :-)
I got him to do some nice trot work, and he was happy that we did a lap around the arena on the buckle after that. I found him some extra-long laced reins, so he can really stretch his neck out when he's on the buckle. The ones I got with him where 84" long, and way too long, they were all knotted so they didn't get in your way. Then I bought him "oversize" reins and they were a little better than regular length, but they still weren't long enough to really let him stretch out. I went to drafttack.com and found these. They're 72", so they are a nice length... I just need to keep working the leather new into them to break them in!
So, it was a good ride today. We went back up to the barn, took his tack off and groomed him again. I'm going to do hooves tomorrow after I ride. I was too scattered today with getting up late and rushing around to be in the right frame of mind to do hooves. I put his rainsheet back on him and turned him out with his buddies. When I went back to clean tack, he didn't come back to the barn banging on the gate... he seems to only do that when he's been bratty :-)
