Five Year Anniversary

Five years ago today, I loaded Ashke into a friend's trailer and we started the eight hour drive home. At Limon, we pulled over into a vacant lot, unloaded him, offered water, hay, weeds, and about half a loaf of white bread to the beast, then loaded him back into the trailer for the final four hour drive. During that hour hiatus from our travels was when I first recognized the gift I was bringing home. I had a curious-driven horse with excellent ground manners who was sweet and kind to us. It has only gotten better since then.

Happy and Hale

I couldn't be happier with our current trajectory. He is sweet, hard working, a trier, and my sweet boy. The light and joy that radiates from him now is almost blinding. I am greeted with a whicker or full whinny EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. he sees my face, or hears my step, or the slam of my car door. He is every thing I could have wanted and has more than fulfilled my desire for a relationship of affection and mutual admiration with a horse. Together we can do anything. 

Since Ashke choose to let go of the past and move forward into our future, that is my plan too. Today is a celebration of finding each other and relishing the relationship we had created. 

Last night, we had a thirty minute ride, which had some touchy moments in the scary corner, which we addressed by walking past until he no longer cocked an ear sideways (jumps have been moved daily since the barn is trying out a bunch of new hunter/jumper trainers). Then we worked on all of the things we normally work on, ending with some nice figure 8 canter circles with changes through the trot. He was a little sweaty and out of breath when we were done. 

That means we need to trail ride to balance the arena work. I don't want him losing his conditioning due to lack of long riding. J is currently on the equivalent of bed rest for a compressed disc and Colorado's weather is being bipolar:

The forecast is calling for 5 - 8" of snow. Next weekend looks like a two day ride weekend, based on both weather and J's improving status. Especially if it is pretty dry. I can't wait. In the meantime, we continue to work on our canter transitions and stopping from my seat.

I have signed up for a Triple Creek Ranch dressage show. I sent them my Novice B test and will get to ride it for a dressage judge. I'm doing it as a way to work on my nerves when entering the sandbox in front of a judge. And for the experience for both I and Ashke. It will be the first time I have shown for anyone other than Tarrin. There might be other people there that I know as well, so it should be a supportive, relaxing environment. That is the first weekend in May.